Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2018/City&Venue
City
editLviv (also spelled L'viv; Ukrainian: Львів; Russian: Львов, Polish: Lwów) is the largest city in western Ukraine. It is famous for its architectural ensemble of the historic centre enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nicknamed the “cultural capital” of Ukraine, Lviv counts numerous monuments and museums.
Since its foundation in the 13th century Lviv had been a multiethnic city with large communities of Poles, Jews, Armenians, and Germans. The city's architecture, formed by Italian, Polish, German, and Ukrainian architects, is almost not affected by the wars of the 20th century and reflects many European styles of different historical epochs.
Tourist attractions
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Top attractions in Lviv are[1]:
- Rynok Square was the heart ot the medieval Lviv. Now it places many restaurants, cultural institutions and museums.
- City Hall, situated in the middle of Rynok Square, has been hosting local government since the 14th century. Visitors can enjoy an observation deck on the top of 65m-tall tower and see still-functioning Austrian clock mechanism from the mid-19th century;
- High Castle Hill (Vysoky Zamok) is the highest point of Lviv. It offers 360-degree view of the city;
- Brewery Museum is situated on the territory of the oldest Ukrainian continuously operating brewery, founded by the Jesuit monks in 1715;
- Lychakiv Cemetery is one of the oldest municipal cemeteries in Europe, “the Père Lachaise of Eastern Europe, with the same sort of overgrown grounds and Gothic aura”[1];
- Lviv History Museum used to be a palace of Polish kings, it has preserved fancy interiors and Renaissance style Italian courtyard;
- Pharmacy Museum is located inside the chemist's shop that has been working constantly since 1735;
- Opera Theatre is arguably the most beautiful Opera House in Ukraine.
- Museum to the Victims of Occupation Regimes is located inside the former prison used by Polish, Nazi and Communist administrations. The chilling atmosphere of the place makes visitors never forget that uneasy feeling;
- Citadel of Lviv was an Austrian fortification complex. Nazi concentration camps for Soviet POWs were situated on its territory during the WWII.
- Open-air Museum of Folk Architecture and Life displays 124 wooden buildings representing different regional styles of farmsteads, churches, schools and windmills. It scatters in a huge park to the east of the city centre.
Climate
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Lviv's climate is humid continental with cold winters and mild summers. The average temperatures in October are 12.9 °C (average high) and 4.1 °C (average low). The average number of rainy days in October is 14.
Language
editThe official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian (it uses Cyrillic script). Russian language is spoken by almost all locals and English is understood by most young people. Polish is understood by some shop assistants, cashiers, waiters etc. but they will rather answer in Ukrainian, Russian or English.
Money and cost of living
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The local currency is the Ukrainian hryvnia (UAH), which divides into 100 kopiyka's. The exchange rate varies day to day but it averages ₴28 UAH = $1 USD, ₴33 UAH = €1 EUR.
Bank cards are widely accepted in supermarkets and restaurants but traveller needs cash to pay for transport, other small expences or in case a card is rejected.
|
Product |
UAH |
EUR |
|---|---|---|
|
One-way ticket for bus/tram/trolleybus |
5.00 | 0.15 |
|
Taxi from the airport to the |
130.00 | 3.94 |
|
Loaf of white bread (0.5kg) |
12.00 | 0.36 |
|
Water (1.5l) |
15.00 | 0.45 |
|
Domestic beer (0.5l) |
20.00 | 0.61 |
|
Banana (1kg) |
30.00 | 0.91 |
|
Meal, inexpensive restaurant |
80.00 | 2.42 |
|
Museum ticket |
40.00 | 1.21 |
|
Opera Theatre ticket |
150.00 | 4.55 |
Source: numbeo.com + local estimation
Venue
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The venue is the Sheptytsky Centre (Stryiska St. 29 / вулиця Стрийська, 29). The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), one of the biggest Lviv universities, opened a modern library building in September 2017. The venue is located close to the city centre next to the Stryisky Park, one of the oldest parks in Lviv. It has good transport connections: direct bus from the railway station, one interchange from the airport with travel time about 30 min.
Participants are accommodated at Sonata Hotel (Morozna St. 14 / вулиця Морозна, 14).
