The building of the former Royal Arsenal, which was a part of the city fortification system, is one of the few monuments of the Lviv medieval defensive architecture that have survived until now and preserved the spirit and atmosphere of those times. Unlike the City Arsenal, which was maintained at civil cost, the Royal Arsenal was built on order and on money of the Polish King Wladyslaw IV. It is

City’s trademark building Black Kamenitsa is probably the most amazing and attractive historical construction on the Lviv Rynok Square. Thanks to invincibly riveting color of its facade and elegant stucco work that decorates it, the house is recognized as a prominent model of habitable Renaissance architecture that has no analogs in Europe. The fact that this unique building is one of the few hous

Dormition Cathedral’s original ensemble is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Old Town. It is its silhouette that can be frequently seen on the postcards with city views. It consists of three splendid medieval buildings: the church, the bell tower, known as Kornyakt’s Tower, and the Chapel of Three Prelates. Each of them is a true gem of Lviv Renaissance architecture. In 1591, temple’s co

The four-century-old Zhovkva Castle is the main tourist magnet of the small town Zhovkva, situated in Lviv outskirts. The powerful construction, which used to be a part of the town fortification system and provided reliable protection to it, is now reckoned among the prominent historical and architectural monuments of the Renaissance period in Ukraine. Town’s founder, Polish military leader and c

The Bandinelli Palace is considered to be a very interesting monument of late Renaissance architecture in Lviv, on par with other notable ancient buildings that constitute an original ensemble of the Rynok Square. It was built on the place of an old gothic kamenitsa by the merchant and pharmacist Janush Vedelsky, in the late 16th century. However, it became famous thanks to another owner, Roberto

The Chapel of Boim Family, neighboring the Latin Cathedral, is one of the most impressive buildings in Lviv historical center. The unique stone décor and inimitable in their idea and implementation works of art that adorn the chapel have made it to a real architectural masterpiece and the brightest gem of the medieval architecture. The chapel was raised in the early 17th century and served as a bu

The elegant building of the Galych Fund, topped by cupola with a spire, is rightfully called one of the most beautiful architectural monuments that adorn Lviv’s downtown. It was raised on the main city avenue in the late 19th century. The Galych Credit Fund was built after a project of the famous Polish architect whose works formed Lviv architectural appearance in the late 19th – early 20th centur

The elegant building of the Grand Hotel, one of the oldest and the most highly ranked hotels in Lviv, adorns the central city avenue, famous for its exquisite architecture, for hundreds of years already. The house is famous not only for its refined beauty, but also for its captivating history, though. The house, which stood on the place of the modern hotel, has witnessed the birth of the famous Au

The Kornyakt’s House is rightly considered to be one of the biggest, most eminent and beautiful dwelling houses, surrounding the central city square Rynok. Its richly decorated stone building is a true gem of Renaissance housing architecture. It used to house rich merchants, Polish kings and monks in different times, and now the very interesting exposition of the Lviv History Museum is situated he