Lviv

I didn't have the opportunity to visit them, but you would probably enjoy the castles in the area around Lviv. The tourist office will undoubtedly be able to advise you about a reliable guide or company.

The cemetery in Lviv is well worth a visit.

I am not sure where your train will stop, but about halfway in between Lviv and Tarnów, is the charming Polish town of Przemyśl. Really off the beaten path as far as international tourists are concerned, Przemyśl has a long and rich history due to its advantageous geographic location and is the second-oldest city in southern Poland (after Kraków).

Because of its layers of history, the town has plenty of architectural eye candy, especially in the baroque old center. If you are interested in WW1 history, Przemyśl fortress was the site of longest siege of the First World War. Przemyśl also has one of Poland's only surviving pre-WWII Jewish Synagogues (built in 1910). It was not destroyed by the Germans during WWII, as it was used as a stable by the German army during their occupation. The Synagogue's original art nouveau architecture is now preserved as a library.

I loved the Skansen, with its original village homes and farm buildings. Over a hundred restored and furnished structures, and the quality compared favorably with the Scandinavian Skansens. I’m a huge fan of historic wooden churches, and was able to attend Sunday mass at the tiny wooden church there.

not sure where your train will stop
All train connections between Poland and Ukraine have a change in Przemysl for its different track widths. The railway station is beautifully restored to the glory of its Austrian days.

All train connections between Poland and Ukraine have a change in Przemysl for its different track widths. The railway station is beautifully restored to the glory of its Austrian days.

In that case, by all means, make sure to check out Przemysl on your way to Tarnów.
Thank you for that information, tonfromleiden!

I love Lviv! My husband and I were there in August and hope to go back this September.

The Lviv skansen (Museum of Folk Architecture and Life) is also known as Shevchenkivskiy Hai. Since you will be there right after Orthodox Easter (April 28) you may have the opportunity to see some of the traditional post-Easter festivities at the Museum. Also, May 4 is Lviv City Day, so always lots going on for that as well.

There is a TI in the Town Hall (Ratusha) on the Market square (Ploscha Rynok) the staff there spoke English, you can get maps and find out about events and tours. Outside the Ratusha there is a little yellow tourist train, the route takes about an hour and I think it was 80 hryvni, about $4. It gives you an idea of what's where and is a bit of a change if you get tired of walking around.

The not-to-be missed cemetery is the Lychakivsky Cemetery, don't miss the graves of Solomiya Krushelnytska (opera singer), Ivan Franko (poet) and Volodymyr Ivasiuk (composer). And new graves of soldiers and volunteers who have died fighting the war in the east - some of them were heartbreakingly young.

The Ploscha Rynok is full of restaurants and coffee houses. We especially liked Baczewski, vul. Shevska, 8 (needs a reservation), Atlas (pl. Rynok, 45), Amadeus (pl. Katedralna, 7)

Also Veronika, Prospekt Shevchenka, 21 and Puzata Khata (there are 2 locations, vul. Sichovykh Striltsiv, pr. Shevchenka, 10) it's a cafeteria style restaurant with good inexpensive food (though May will probably be too early for the varenyky with cherries, topped with sour cream and sugar.....)

Make sure to stop for some cherry liqueur at Piana Vyshnia (pl. Rynok, 11) - that's all they serve, just look for the people standing around the outdoor tables. And buy some gingerbread cookies at Lvivska Maisternia Prianykiv, vul. Krakivska, 14 - or go just to look - they are little works of art, I really liked the ones that looked like embroidery.

Lots of shops around selling vyshyvanky (embroidered shirts and dresses) and other kitschy stuff, but an especially nice store is Mamyna Svitlytsia, vul. Virmenska, 12. If you don't make it to the Carpathian Mountains, it sells a lot of the famous Kosiv ceramics. And next door is a little shop called Lelitka, which sells embroidery supplies.

At 24, Prospekt Svobody in the Opera Passage, 4th floor, is Roksoliana Shymchuk's Etno-Halereya, a shop which is quite pricey but also her private museum. She comes from a family of artists and they have been collecting artifacts for a long time. The collection of embroidered items from all regions of Ukraine is astounding -3 rooms, floor to ceiling, wall to wall - and amazing quality - better than what I saw in some museums. There is a small admission fee, and for an additional fee you get a guided tour, which is very interesting - they are very knowledgable, but I don't know if they have an English language tour.

The open air craft market known as the vernissage near the Opera is also fun to wander through. Also lots of bookstores everywhere, Knyharnia Ye is a chain with quite a few stores in Lviv, they have some English language guide books, postcards etc. Interesting to see lots of English language best sellers translated into Ukrainian.

We stayed at the Ibis Styles on vul. Shukhevycha, about 10 minutes from the Market Square and would happily stay there again. If you are looking for a guide/driver, my husband had the hotel arrange a driver to take him to his father's village about 60 km. from Lviv, I think all the hotels can make these arrangements.

I could go on, but I see I'm almost at the maximum length (we also visited Przemysl).

Matt, I am looking at going there myself. I can tell you that Viator has a hard-to-find page with list of local guides you can peruse. tourguides You have to dig a little but you'll get to a page of Lviv guides.

Other than the Ibis, are there other hotel recommendations? Its hard to judge from a map what are good locations central to sights mentioned.

From Lviv to Tarnow with a stop in Przemsyl...what a horrific, blood-letting, awful battlefield area in 1914 and 1915 comparable to Ypres and the Somme.

A good friend of mine in 2006 went to Lviv to see any traces architecturally of the old Lemberg could be found, the capital of the province it was located in.

@ Carlos....On this topic and geographic region, ie theater of operations (Kriegsschauplatz), I recommend the British historian, P. Buttar's second volume on the Eastern Front, "Germany Ascendant: the Eastern Front, 1915." Obviously, on the Gorlice-Tarnow offensive. Probably one of the few scholarly works on this esoteric topic.

@Fred Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add it to the list! Yes unfortunately, many Anglophone historians pass over the Eastern Front during WWI, which had a longer (from the Baltic to the Black seas) and more fluid front than that of the West.

@ Carlos...very accurate on numerous Anglophone historians passing up the Eastern Front in WW1, and especially dealing with the opening weeks and months of the war. Why? All sorts of reasons. The British historian H. Strachan (Univ of Glasgow) attributes this to "linguistic laziness."

On Tarnow and its connection to WW1 history, you'll see in Linz, just before you enter the Zentrum, a conspicuous military monument/memorial listing certain victories of the Habsburg armies. "Gorlice-Tarnow 1915" is on that monument, commemorating the decisive offensive. (Keep in mind that given the general picture in the East it was a compromise solution.)

When I went back to Vienna in 2009, the first time since 1977, I saw at the Army Museum (HGM) a special, an extremely esoteric topic related to WW1 was featured, one you would never think of given the anglophone perspective. This special exhibit was on Bulgaria, "Bulgarien, der unbekannte Verbündete." (the unknown ally)

Any further comments would be appreciated.

Also, we are apparently going to be in Lviv for Lviv day. Anyone have experience with what that exactly means?

@Matt, Lviv City Day is when the city celebrates its history and culture. I think all cities in Ukraine have a day designated for this. I have not been able to find much in English - you can try googling Lviv City Day 2019 - and on the Ukrainian website no program for this year is posted yet. There are parades, free concerts, etc., mostly centred around the Ploscha Rynok and Prospekt Svobody. I'm sure once you're there the TI in the Ratusha or your hotel will have info. It goes on for a few days.

You had also asked about hotels. These are a few that were recommended to us: Danylo Inn, Halytska St, 20 (right by the Ploscha Rynok) and On the Square Guesthouse, Ploscha Rynok 13 - both in a great location and looked charming, but neither had AC, since we were going to be there in August, AC was a must. Swiss Hotel, Romana Kniazia st, 20 - close to Ploscha Rynok, but again not sure about AC and thought it was pricey. We walked by it every day, as it is near the Ibis Styles, very elegant looking hotel.
Someone on this forum - maybe it was JamesE - mentioned the Leopolis.

We were very pleased with the Ibis Styles, good location, small but very clean and quiet room, bathroom with 2 sinks and a huge walk-in shower - seriously, you could have fit at least 6 people in it- breakfast included, and somehow we lucked out and got a room with a private terrace that had a wonderful view - in one direction, we could see St. George's Cathedral. The day we were leaving we had a very early train and the hotel provided us with a breakfast to take on the train, as the restaurant wasn't open yet. The front desk staff were very friendly and helpful and all of them spoke very good English.

Speaking of churches, I think there is one on every street, and all worth a visit, and especially if there is a religious holiday. If you're interested in architecture, of particular interest might be the buildings in the Hutsul Secession style. You can read about it here : http://forgottengalicia.com

I have more restaurants that I can give you the names of, let me know if you want them.

Khrystia, your posts are so helpful! I’ve bookmarked this topic to share with a friend who is going to Lviv soon. How fortunate you are to speak Ukrainian.

I visited Lviv a couple of years ago. This is just an amazing city with beautiful architecture and an unforgettable atmosphere! I stayed at this hotel https://vintagehotel.com.ua/ru/. It was pleasantly surprised by the excellent service and unusual design.

As you take in Lviv, (great that you're going there too!), keep in mind that prior to 1914 as a province capital in the Empire the population made up of basically 4 ethnic groups lived/co-existed in relative tolerance...Polish, German, Jews, and Ruthenians.

"How fortunate you are to speak Ukrainian" - One of my good friends is Ukrainian. To my ears, the language is far more melodic than the other eastern European languages. Maybe I was spoiled at a very early in age.

"As you take in Lviv, (great that you're going there too!), keep in mind that prior to 1914 as a province capital in the Empire the population made up of basically 4 ethnic groups lived/co-existed in relative tolerance...Polish, German, Jews, and Ruthenians." - where were the Ukrainians in all of this?

Those Ukrainians living in the Ukraine prior to 1914 were called Ukrainians, those related to them by language and ethnically to the west living in the province of Galicia, of which Lemberg, ie, present day Lviv, was the province capital, were called Ruthenians Where Ruthenians were found in Austria-Hungary was in Galicia.

My grandfather, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1909 from Charhiv, south of Lviv, listed himself as Ruthenian.

@ Barbara...That's correct and not surprising in 1909 (3 years after the earthquake here) that he described himself as such, if one came from a bit south of Lviv, then only a few miles from the province capital, since Galicia was the home to the Ruthenian minority in the Dual Monarchy. The province capital was the 4th largest relative to population in the country.

Not an expert but my two cents. There were (are?) several ethnic groups that were collectively considered Ruthenian, due to cultural and language commonality- Lemkos, Boykes, Hutsuls, and others. Ukraine was not a unified independent country until the Soviet Union broke up 1989. People identified themselves as different things when they were a minority within a national boundary.

Anyone stay at the George Hotel?

BBC Radio 4's 'Crossing Continents' program recently aired a program on the ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region. That's about 3 hours south of Lviv.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0003jpm

Eastern Ukraine has been under assault from Russian backed rebel forces for the past five years, but few have heard of a smaller conflict, which could be brewing in the west of the country, between Ukraine and Hungary. Some have accused the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of trying to create a breakaway state in impoverished Transcarpathia, once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Ukraine and Hungary both expelled diplomats from each other’s nations, following a row over passports and a Hungarian cultural centre has been repeatedly firebombed. Lucy Ash meets people in the Ukrainian border town of Berehove and investigates whether deepening tensions could destabilise the region and further dash Ukraine’s hopes of being a unified country inside NATO and the EU.