Ukraine – West Northern (Lviv, Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne) June 21-23, 2019
Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine.
These comprise 16 wooden churches built by horizontal log construction. They are located in isolated parts of the Carpathian Mountains. They were built by communities of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths in the 16th-19th centuries.
‘Tserkva’ means ‘church’ in the Ukrainian language. Most of these churches were built for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, an Eastern Rite Catholic church (sharing traditions with the orthodox churches but acting in full communion with the Holy See). Since the Ukrainian population left the area after WWII almost all tserkvas in Poland have come into use as Roman Catholic churches. They have retained their traditional (orthodox) iconostases, and the catholic service is performed in front of those. But few now hold traditional services and mainly function as museums.
They were inscribed in 2013 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony.
The 16 churches can be divided into four groups of different ethnographic architectural traditions. There are 8 inscribed churches in each country. It will take a long drive to cover them all.
Ukraine:
Descent of the Holy Spirit Church, Potelych (Polish: Potylicz), Zhovkva Raion
Holy Trinity Church, Zhovkva
St. George’s Church, Drohobych
St. Dmytro’s Church, Matkiv
Descent of the Holy Spirit Church, Rohatyn
The Church of the Nativity of B.V.M., Nyzhniy Verbizh, Zakarpattia
St. Archangel Michael Church, Uzhok
Ascension of Our Lord Church, Yasinia, Yasinia, Zakarpattia
Poland:
Tserkva of St. Michael the Archangel, Brunary, Lesser Poland
Tserkva of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chotyniec
Tserkva of St. Paraskevia, Kwiatoń
Virgin Mary’s Care Tserkva, Owczary
St. James the Less Tserkva, Powroźnik
Tserkva of St. Paraskevia, Radruż
St. Michael the Archangel Tserkva, Smolnik
St. Michael the Archangel Tserkva, Turzańsk, Sanok County
Descent of the Holy Spirit Church, Rohatyn. XV-XVI centuries.
The church is of the old Halych type, tirpartie, log construction of squared oak timber. The bell tower built in 1675 on the west façade as a three story with a tent roof and a high spire.
The central square nave has a rectangular roof that ends in an octagonal spire. The babynets (place for women) and altar are faceted and have double and five sloped roofs.
The unique 1650 iconostasis is five-tiered and in Renaissance and Baroque style, one of three ancient iconostasis in Ukraine. There are 17th century tombstones, 19th century murals, and 15th-20th century sacred art (icons, old prints, sculpture. It is a museum.
I arrived in the evening (hours 9-17:00) and there was a guard on duty. I had a good look at the exterior. Four corner logs extend past the walls, are cut decoratively and support the overhanging roof. The bell tower has exterior post and beams.
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Holy Trinity Church, Zhovkva. This is not far from the Rohatyn church. But the last 7 kilometers to get to it was on a completely whacked out road (and then the same 7kms back on the same road). It was not worth all the potential damage to my vehicle to get to it.
LVIV (pop 428,000)
Lviv is the largest city in western Ukraine and the seventh-largest city in the country overall. Lviv is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. Lviv is located on the edge of the Roztochia Upland, approximately 70 kilometres (43 miles) from the Polish border and 160 kilometres (99 miles) from the eastern Carpathian Mountains.
The old walled city was at the foothills of the High Castle on the banks of the River Poltva. In the 13th century, the river was used to transport goods. In the early 20th century, the Poltva was covered over in areas where it flows through the city; the river flows directly beneath the central street of Lviv, Freedom Avenue (Prospect Svobody) and the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
History. Named in honour of Leo, the eldest son of Daniel, King of Ruthenia, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia (also called the Kingdom of Ruthenia) from 1272 to 1349, when it was conquered by King Casimir III the Great who then became known as the King of Poland and Ruthenia. From 1434, it was the regional capital of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in the Kingdom of Poland. In 1772, after the First Partition of Poland, the city became the capital of the Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. In 1918, for a short time, it was the capital of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic. Between the wars, the city was the centre of the Lwów Voivodeship in the Second Polish Republic.
After the German-Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, Lviv became part of the Soviet Union, and in 1944–46 there was a population exchange between Poland and Soviet Ukraine. In 1991, it became part of the independent nation of Ukraine.
Lviv was the centre of the historical regions of Red Ruthenia and Galicia. The historical heart of the city, with its old buildings and cobblestone streets, survived Soviet and German occupations during World War II largely unscathed. The city has many industries and institutions of higher education such as Lviv University and Lviv Polytechnic. Lviv is also the home of many cultural institutions, including a philharmonic orchestra and the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Jewish population. The first known Jews in Lviv date back to the 10th century. After Casimir III conquered Lviv in 1349 the Jewish citizens received many privileges equal to that of other citizens of Poland. Lviv had two separate Jewish quarters, one within the city walls and one outside on the outskirts of the city. Before the Holocaust about one-third of the city’s population was made up of Jews (more than 140,000 on the eve of World War II). This number swelled to about 240,000 by the end of 1940 as tens of thousands of Jews fled from the Nazi-occupied parts of Poland into the relative (and temporary) sanctuary of Soviet-occupied Poland (including Lviv) following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact that divided Poland into Nazi and Soviet zones in 1939. Almost all these Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Meanwhile, the Nazis also destroyed the Jewish cemetery, which was subsequently “paved over by the Soviets”.
After the war, a new Jewish population was formed from among the hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians that migrated to the city. The post-war Jewish population peaked at 30,000 in the 1970s. Currently, the Jewish population has shrunk considerably as a result of emigration (mainly to Israel and the United States) and, to a lesser degree, assimilation, and is estimated at 1,100. A number of organisations continue to be active.
Economy. Lviv has 218 large industrial enterprises, more than 40 commercial banks, 4 exchanges, 13 investment companies, 80 insurance and 24 leasing companies, 77 audit firms and almost 9,000 small ventures. For many years machinery-building and electronics were leading industries in Lviv. The city-based public company Electron, trademark of national TV sets manufacturing, produces the 32 and 37 inches liquid-crystal TV-sets. The «Electrontrans» specializes in design and production of modern electric transport including trams, trolleybuses, electric buses, and spare parts. In 2013 Elektrotrans JV started producing low-floor trams, the first Ukrainian 100% low-floor tramways.[112] LAZ is a bus manufacturing company in Lviv with its own rich history. Founded in 1945, LAZ started bus production in the early 1950s. Innovative design ideas of Lviv engineers have become the world standard in bus manufacturing.
L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre is World Heritage listed. Lviv’s historic churches, buildings and relics date from the 13th century – 18th century (Polish rule). In recent centuries it was spared some of the invasions and wars that destroyed other Ukrainian cities. Its architecture reflects various European styles and periods. After the fires of 1527 and 1556 Lviv lost most of its gothic-style buildings but it retains many buildings in renaissance, baroque and the classic styles. There are works by artists of the Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
The buildings have many stone sculptures and carvings, particularly on large doors, which are hundreds of years old. The remains of old churches dot the central cityscape. Some three- to five-storey buildings have hidden inner courtyards and grottoes in various states of repair. Some cemeteries are of interest: for example, the Lychakivskiy Cemetery where the Polish elite was buried for centuries. Leaving the central area the architectural style changes radically as Soviet-era high-rise blocks dominate. In the centre of the city, the Soviet era is reflected mainly in a few modern-style national monuments and sculptures.
King Cross Leopolis. This shopping mall is about 10kms south of the city center and is basically like any other shopping mall with no special features. I bought groceries here.
Lviv Railway History Museum. Lviv railway history museum is located in the building of Science and Technology Palace which belongs to the locomotive depot Lviv-Zahid (West). Its exposition presents materials about the railway birth and its construction in Galicia, Volyn, Carpathians and further to the south, to Chernivtsi city, in the times of Austro-Hungary, Poland, USSR and nowadays. See the unique regulatory documents, photoes, models, devices, instruments and railway unifoms of different periods. The album “The Construction of raiway Volodymyr-Volynsky — Sokal” (1916) is considered to be the museum’s pride. The three-lingual tickets of 1918-1921; the calculating machine “Koptomir”, having been in use till 1939, are of great interest too. 50 UAH
Church of Sts. Olha and Elizabeth. The date inside is 1596, but this building dates from 1901-13. The nave is very high and the aisles almost as high, combined with the clear glass tall windows and pale green unadorned walls, gives this church a very bright interior. The iconostasis and canopy are clear etched glass. The modern stainless chandeliers continue the modern look of this church.
Cathedral of St. George. St George is the patron saint of Lviv. The frist wooden church here dates to 1280, the first brick church to 1363 and this church was built in 1761 in late Baroque style The bell dates to 1341 (the oldest in Ukraine). The church is Ukrainian Greek Catholic.
The exterior is adorned with many statues (St George at the top or the front tower), many “lanterns” and Corinthian capitals. The inside is equally gaudy with a lot of gilt “clutter”.
Lviv Beer Museum (Beer Cultural Experience Centre). The founder of Lviv was King Daniel of Galicia and the city was named after his son, Prince Lev (1228-1301). Lviv became home to many Germans fleeing from wars and looking for a new place to live and brought the technology and traditions of beer brewing.
The museum gives the history of beer dating back to the 4th millennia BC in Sumer and Egypt. In Europe, the first beer was made in Catholic monasteries in the 8th centuries. The 1516 German Beer Purity Law had a fundamental role in the history of beer making. Livivske was shipped to Moscow daily – the Lviv currency. 75 UAH
The go upstairs to see the brewing process and the contributions of Carlsburg (purified yeast). For 45 UAH, taste 4 types of beer.
I then drove down to the pedestrianized historic center, found parking and did a walk-about. .
L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Transfiguration Church (Verklarungskirche Lemberg). This orthodox church has bright frescoes on the ceiling, geometrics under the arch and a lot of gilt: frames around the icons, iconostasis. Free
Vernissage. This open-air market directly behind the church has stalls of plastic and tarps on metal frames – knick-knacks, art, traditional clothing, jewelry compose the majority.
Pharmacy Museum (Apteka-Muzey). A lot of glass and ceramic jars, cabinets full of drawers, scales in a nice old wood building. 30 UAH
Lviv Historical Museum. Royal Rooms: lots of portraits, furniture, clocks, some porcelain, but the highlight may be the wood parquet floors and ornate white stucco ceilings and walls.
Then there is a large poster exhibition on the relationship between the Jewish and Ukrainian communities. Jews first fled persecution in the Byzantine era and arrived in a welcoming But they still did not have citizen status. Ukraine in 960. Kiev had a Jewish quarter. Bohdan Khmelnytsky liberated Ukraine from Polish rulein the 1648 Cossakc uprising but was responsible fo the 1648-49 massacre of 40,000 Jews, Poles and Greek Catholics. A similar event took place in 1668.
Yiddish was the vernacular language.
Lviv National Art Gallery. In the 1888-90 Potochi Palace (grand rooms with lots of gilt and nice stucco, nice stained glass, fireplaces, parquet design floors), there is furniture and uninteresting art from the 1600s with European rooms and religious art. An exhibit with the artifacts of Pu Yi (1906-67), the last Chinese emperor was quite good. He was imprisoned in the USSR for 10 years after the WWII. 70 UAH
Kult (Cult is the spelling on the sign). This very nice cocktail bar is in the same building as the Lviv Philharmonic. It has weekly live music on Saturday nights starting at 7pm. Call +38 0972391414.
Insomnia: The Haunted House. For 2-8 people, there are 4 rooms that aim to scare the hell out of you (there are real people in the rooms) – each room has a different theme and cost from 150-350 UAH.
Lviv Arsenal. This is a museum of instruments of war: the 2nd floor has swords, maces, Indian weapons, halbeards and guns to the 19th century. The bottom floor has cannon, sabres, daggers, spears, armour, powder horns and medals. 50 UAH, 30 reduced
Monument of Smile. In an end street, in the outdoor seating area of a restaurant, is this unusual “sculpture”. Only one metre high, a cement column with bits of metal sticking out supports a fish with a smiling human face. Hands form the tail and fins. On the cast cement base is a brass hand and the date 2000.
Every 7 years, the monument is replaced, always by one with a smile.
Lviv Medical University Botanical Gardens. Set on both sides of the complex of buildings that make up the medical school, this is primarily a wild park with mature trees. There is a greenhouse and herbarium. The grounds of the buildings are lovely too. Free
Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life. Set in huge forest park in east Lviv, this is a large open-air museum with over 100 buildings including 5 churches. It is divided into 7 geographical areas mostly form western Ukraine. Each house has traditional furniture, carpets, bedding, art, clothing and instruments of rural life. There are craft demonstrations: blacksmith, bread making, butter making, weaving, cooking traditional Ukrainian food, toy making, carpentry and more. 40 UAH
After seeing everything in Lviv, I started on my way back to Kiev – 450kms away. I stopped at some of the NM sights along the way to Chernobyl.
Zolochiv Palace. Zolochiv: (Palats Kazymyra Feliksa Badeni?). This is a pink with white trim grand manor house in Busk. It appears to be abandoned and can’t be entered.
Oleskiy Castle (Oleskiy Zamok), Olesko. This does not look impressive as it badly needs a paint job. Open 11-17:00 weekdays, 10-18:00 Saturdays. 60 UAH
I needed Ad Blue, a product designed to lower emissions in diesel vehicles and is mandatory in Europe. If you were to run out, the vehicle will not start. It is not a fuel additive but has a separate tank and filler port and can be purchased at every gas station either in 8-10 liter plastic jugs or less often from a pump next to the normal pumps (a much cheaper option). 13 litres (I was almost out and this much will last about 7000 kilometers) cost 155.87 UAH or .12 UAH/l or about €.4/litre. Its price varies wildly but my most expensive Ad Blue purchase was 5 litres for €16 in Slovenia – 8 times this price.
I wasn’t completely out of diesel either but their price was 24.49/litre or €.82/litre – easily the cheapest I have seen in Ukraine and the cheapest gas in Europe and about the same as the price in Moldova and Turkey (where everything is cheap). Compare this to the most expensive diesel in Europe (Italy) at €1.46/litre. Diesel is usual about 30 UAH/litre in Ukraine.
NOMAD MANIA Ukraine – West Northern (Lviv, Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne)
Sights: Tunnel of Love, Klevan’
Borders
Belarus-Ukraine
Poland-Ukraine
Museums:
Sambir: Historical and Ethnographic Museum Boikivshhina
Volodymyr-Volynsky: Volodymyr-Volynsky Historical Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts:
Olesko: Oleskiy Castle (Oleskiy Zamok)
Pidhirtsi: Pidhirtsi Palace
Zolochiv: Zolochiv Palace (Palats Kazymyra Feliksa Badeni?)
Religious Temples
Pochayiv Lavra (Chinese Palace)
Zymne Monastery
World of Nature:
Shats’kyi NP
Skole Beskids
Experiences: Play/hear trembita
Waterfalls:
Dzhurynskyi (Chervonogorodsky Falls)
Kamianka waterfall
Festivals:
Etnovyr
Lviv International Literary Festival
Stare Misto
Zahid
CARPATHIANS
World Heritage Sites:
Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
Sights: Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine
European Cities
LUTSK
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Lubart’s Castle
Zoos: Lutsk Zoo
Festivals: Bandershtat
LVIV
World Heritage Sites: L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Airports: Lviv (LWO)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Lviv Tram
Museums:
Lviv Beer Museum (Beer Cultural Experience Centre)
Lviv Historical Museum
Lviv National Art Gallery (Lviv National Art Gallery)
Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life
Pharmacy Museum (Apteka-Muzey)
Castles, Palaces, Forts:
Lviv Arsenal
Potocki Palace (Royal Palace?)
Religious Temples
Cathedral of St. George
Church of Sts. Olha and Elizabeth
Transfiguration Church
Entertainment/Things to do:
Insomnia: The Haunted House
Kult, Lviv
Zoos: Zoopark Limpopo (Medenytskyy Zoo Limpopo)
Botanical Gardens: Lviv Medical University Botanical Gardens
Malls/Department Stores: King Cross Leopolis
Markets; Vernissage
Monuments: Monument of Smile
Open-Air Museums: Museum of Folk Architecture and Culture
Railway Museums: Lviv Railway History Museum
RIVNE
Museums: Rivne Regional Museum
Zoos: Rivne Zoo
TERNOPIL
Museums: Ternopil Local History Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Ternopil Castle
Villages and Small Towns:
Strusiv
Truskavets