Europe,  Ukraine

Lviv – love not from the first sight

I’m arriving at the bus station, what’s the time actually, it’s hard to say, because I haven’t woken up yet. I’m getting off the bus, it’s pouring out, I can see only the gray and gloomy, neglected bus station. I look around, and it doesn’t look any better, damaged buildings and bus stops. A quick glance at the tram tracks, crunched on the four sides of the world. Although I’m still unconscious after a night trip, my gut instinct tells me it’s better to get on the bus.

While I’m watching the monotonous landscape of the city, I’m asking myself: is this really beautiful, antique Lviv, I’ve heard so much about?

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

A short walk down the empty street, finally it’s Saturday 8 am. I’m watching demolished townhouses with windows decorated with various laces, markets with icons and all kinds of bric-a-bracks, destroyed facades of the buildings. Surprisingly, I’m starting to like this town, it has something special, THIS unique atmosphere.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Liviv is a city – surprise. You need to look deeper to get to know it.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

One of the most interesting places is Casino. The building was built between 1897 and 1898. Since then, he has been used for many purposes, as well as it has had many names. Now it’s called the Home of Scholars.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

The building impresses from the outside, but what’s inside… it knocks down. On the ground floor there are wooden twisted steps on which you can feel like in the scene of the Titanic. The building itself was used to make films like D’ Artagnan or the Three Musketeers.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

On the first floor there are beautiful rooms – white with marble fireplace, black – concert room, red with beautiful crystal chandeliers and one with an antique terrace. Officially, the Casino is closed to visitors, but in practice the security guard will show you it for 15 UHR.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

The next point – the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is one of the oldest churches in Lviv. The dark climatic interior combined with a colorful, oriental decoration makes an amazing impression.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Close to the cathedral, there’s a small, Armenian café where you can drink the world’s best coffee made on the sand (more details here).

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Apart from the coffee, Lviv also smells chocolate, prepared in different ways and strudels with various filling, which you can taste in a wide range of climatic restaurants.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

It’s also worth looking into the Orthodox Church. From the outside, it appears to be a simple, typical chapel, but when you get into, you’ll be surprised by its cosy atmosphere.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Just outside the Old Square, there’s one of the oldest pharmacies in Lviv, operating from the 18th century. In addition to the interesting decor, you can see exhibits used to make medicines and numerous vials, weights and old documents.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

The Panorama of Lviv is best seen from the perspective of a gnome sitting on the chimney of the Dim Lehend Restaurant or from a car located on its roof!

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

But one thing is sure, Lviv is a very specific city and very neglected. At first glance, it may seem gray and gloomy, but just take a look a little further, enter the building or even the courtyard to see the amazing, surprising face of this city.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

That’s its character, you can love it or hate it, and for me it’s love, maybe not at the first sight, but I know I’ll come back here again.

Ukraina - Lwów/Ukraine - Lviv

 

Who I am... I'm just an ordinary girl, who once believed that dreams come true, and since then, I’ve been pursuing them consistently. My adventure with travelling started in 2008 and since then, I've seen a lot of interesting places which I describe on my blog. I’m interested in the history and culture of the countries that I visit and that’s why I travel as much as I can. However, in addition to the preservation of my memories, the main purpose of the blog is to show you that dreams come true and you can travel often and cheap!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

error: Content is protected !!