Lviv (Lvov) is regarded as one of the main cultural centers of Ukraine. In September 2006 Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary. The city was established in the early 1200s during the reign King Danylo Halytskiy of the principality of Halych-Volhynia in honor of his son Lev. After the death of Danylo Lev made Lviv the capital of Halych-Volhynia. From the very beginning of its existence the city has become the cultural capital of western Ukrainian lands. The history of Lviv is very rich and concerned with the history of many countries and empires.

Lviv was founded in 1256 in Red Ruthenia by King Danylo Halytskyi of the Ruthenian principality of Halych-Volhynia, and named in honour of his son, Lev. Together with the rest of Red Ruthenia, Lviv was captured by the Kingdom of Poland in 1349 during the reign of Polish king Casimir III the Great. Lviv belonged to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland 1349-1772, the Austrian Empire 1772–1918 and the Second Polish Republic 1918–1939. With the Invasion of Poland at the outbreak of the second World War, the city of Lviv with adjacent land were annexed and incorporated into the Soviet Union, becoming part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1939 to 1941. Between July 1941 and July 1944 Lviv was under German occupation and was located in the General Government. In July 1944 it was captured by the Soviet Red Army and the Polish Home Army. According to the agreements of the Yalta Conference, Lviv was again integrated into the Ukrainian SSR.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city remained a part of the now independent Ukraine, for which it currently serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast, and is designated as its own raion (district) within that oblast.

The city has a multicultural history. It was founded in 1256 and fell under Polish control in the 14th century. Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Germans and others lived there together for centuries. The Polish king John II Casimir founded the Lviv University in the 17th century and Lviv was by this time one of the most important cities in the Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth, along with Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk and Vilnius.

In 1772 the city was taken by the Habsburgs and in Austrian times it was known under the name of Lemberg, the capital of Galicia. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, it was returned to Poland. As result of World War II Stalin moved the Soviet frontier westward so Lviv became part of the USSR, as Lvov (still widely frequent, even locally). With the Ukrainian independence in 1991, the name was officialy changed to Lviv.

Lviv is located in the most Ukrainian region of Ukraine; as a Soviet province, most signs were put only in Ukrainian, and only a few also in Russian. Because of its Polish and Austro-Hungarian history, Lviv has a Central European flair in its architecture that makes it one of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe. Its tourist potential is yet undiscovered because infrastructure is rather undeveloped and most people don't speak any foreign languages except Polish, Russian and German. This is changing among young people, some of whom will speak at least a little bit of English. Nevertheless, visiting Lviv is very rewarding for the pioneer traveller, as life is extremely cheap here and the place has a truly authentic feeling, unlike places like Krakow or Prague, which are swamped with tourists.

Today Lviv is one of the biggest cities in Ukraine. It is the place where history meets modern architecture. To get a lot of impressions you even don’t need any tourist guide. The only thing you need is to start your tour from the old part of Lviv. Walking along the old streets you may just ask people (a lot of them speak foreign languages) about this or that monument or building and will get all information you need. Hospitability of Lviv’s citizens is well known all over the Ukraine. Architecture of Lviv with its buildings, churches, monuments and relics make a magnificent atmosphere.

Lviv is an important education centre of Ukraine. It is home to three major universities and a number of smaller schools of higher education. There are eight institutes of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, more than forty research institutes, three academies and eleven state-owned colleges. Another institute that was and is still renowned in the region is the Lviv Polytechnic Institute.

Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is one of the oldest in Central Europe. It was founded as a Jesuit school in 1608. Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical Academy (University), Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukrainian Academy of Printing are well known in Ukraine and all over the world.

A voyage to Lviv will make you sure that it is really cultural capital of Western Ukraine. And the reason of it not only the rich architectural and history heritage but also the kindness of the people and great attention to all Ukrainian traditions. The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Lviv Opera House) is very famous for its beauty.

Lviv has an international airport just 7km from the beautiful downtown. Lviv is served via direct international routes including flights from Vienna (Austrian Airlines), Frankfurt (Ukraine International Airlines), Warsaw (LOT Polish Airlines), Timisoara, Romania (Carpatair) and Munich (Lufthansa). Low cost airline Wizz Air flies twice a week to Dortmund and Venice-Treviso. Important! Lufthansa and Wizz Air-flights are not served from main terminal - go to the small Terminal "3" at the right side of the main building.

It is relatively inexpensive to fly from Kyiv to Lviv, with multiple daily flights operated by Ukrainian International Airlines and Aerosvit. These carriers also operate flights to and from other major Ukrainian cities, although it is still more common to travel by train domestically as the overnight trains save you the cost of a hotel while providing you transporation. There are line 2 operated by trolleybuses from Airport to city center (1UAH, also available 50% discounts for students), and line 95 operated by buses (2 UAH, vithout discounts) from the airport. Both of them are frequent (every 10-15 minutes during the day).