Cultural-historical, gastro-alcoholic extreme tour. Day 2: Lviv.
«Lviv lights up again.
The alley under the cafe window sleeps.
Flicker, the lights don't go out.
Yes, only they are beautiful at this time.
(Oksana Kryshtaleva)"
Lviv greeted us with bright sun and unexpected heat. The time has come for the most cultural and historical part of our trip (although no one canceled the gastro and alcoholic part of the rest in Lviv either). We quickly throw backpacks with things into the hotel and hurry to meet the guide. 15 minutes on foot and we are at Rynok Square, where 90% of all the most interesting things to see in the Galician capital are located.
I booked the excursion with the promising name "Seven Wonders of Lviv" on the website in advance. At 3:00 p. m. , a group of people, 15 men, is gathering near the tour guide Mrs. Larisa. We are moving along Rynok Square. The Seven Wonders of Lviv are seven buildings without which Lviv would not be itself.
Miracle 1 - one of the oldest and richest museums in Ukraine - the Lviv Historical Museum. 2023 marks the 130th anniversary of its founding. The museum's stock collection includes more than 370.000 exhibits. The exposition introduces the history of the city of Lviv and the Galician lands from ancient times to the present day. The royal halls are rooms elegantly decorated with marble, textiles and expensive wood species. It is very easy to feel like a king or queen here. You can mentally go back in time. The building was completed in 1580.
The courtyard of the museum is the same well-known "Italian courtyard" - a cozy restaurant with a unique Mediterranean atmosphere.
Miracle 2 - The Bernardine Monastery and Church is a complex of religious buildings, about which more than one legend has been invented in the city of Leva.
The monastery is no longer functioning, but its main decoration, built in the 17th century - the Church of Andrew the First-Called - has been preserved. Today it is an active Greek-Catholic church, which impresses with ancient paintings, icons and its rich interior. Personally, I was most fascinated by this miracle.
Miracle 3 - Potocki Palace. It looks as if it has just been transferred from the banks of the French rivers Loire or Seine. The customer of the construction, Count Alfred Pototsky, was very fond of French architecture, which was reflected in his Lviv residence.
Miracle 4 - Halytskyi Diet. Above the entrance to the building is an inscription in Latin "Educated citizens are the decoration of the Motherland" (you can't say more precisely). In front of us is the main building of Lviv University, built in the Viennese Neo-Renaissance style in 1881.
Opposite it stands a majestic monument to I. Franko.
Miracle 5 - House of scientists. Previously, the National Casino was located in the building of the House of Scientists. The authors of the project were Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner. The luxurious exterior and refined interior draw attention to its walls. Several scenes of the movie "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers" were filmed here.
Chudo 6 - The former building of the Galician Savings Bank is now the building of the Lviv Museum of Ethnography and Art Craft of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Institute of Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. It was built on the site of the ancient "English Hotel" according to the project of the architect Yulian Zakharevich in 1889-1891 in the style of late historicism (neo-renaissance).
Miracle 7 - National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after S. Krushelnytska - formerly the Great City Theater. A real gem of the city of Leva. The building was built in 1897 according to the unique project of the world-famous architect Zygmunt Gorgolevsky. Famous ballets and operas by German and Italian composers were performed on its stage.
Lviv is impressive. There is nothing to add.
After enjoying the wonders "included" in the tour and "not included" to our heart's content, we go to the hotel. Stayed for 1 night in the hotel "Vatra". There is nothing to write about. The hotel is poor, especially after seeing the beauty of the city. But it is good for 1 night. We put ourselves in order and return to Rynok square, where evening Lviv awaits us. And here all others are added to our cultural and historical component of the tour.
I have always been fascinated by the ability of Lviv residents to turn any institution into a cult, and any craft into art. The rich history of the city, a mixture of cultures, traditions, and cuisine contributed generously to this. In the evening, Rynok Square looks like this: drink-eat, drink-eat, museum, drink-eat, drink-eat, cathedral, drink-eat, drink-eat, museum, p eat-eat, drink-eat, opera, and so on in a circle. How difficult it is to decide on a place for dinner in Lviv because of all the variety of iconic restaurants! I had to have dinner twice.
The first dinner took place at the "Most Expensive Restaurant in Galicia", I had already been here many years ago, I wanted to show my husband. Market square 14, second floor, we knock on the door of an ordinary apartment. A pleasant man opens the door and starts a conversation "for life", this is the "feature" of the restaurant. Then he lets us into the restaurant itself. This incredibly atmospheric institution was also called the "Masonic Lodge".
The rich decor tells about the history of the Masonic movement. There are many people, the piano is playing. We were offered a windowsill for dinner, an unexpected but very good offer, considering that the day was abnormally hot for this region, the fresh evening breeze was a saving grace.
Remembering that we will have another dinner tonight, we order only craft beer and a plate of spreads. Incredibly tasty, I especially liked the spreads made of duck meat and salmon with caviar.
Another "feature" of the hotel is the prices, in the menu, they are unrealistically high, in fact the establishment gives a 90% discount. Don't be afraid to order.
They overate anyway. We go outside and go for a walk. In every small alley there are cozy cafes, people like in an anthill. We were found by another legendary Lviv institution with the eloquent name "Drunk Cherry".
Anyone who has not visited it has not seen Lviv. Well, how do local residents manage to turn every institution of the city into a legend and a profit? "Drunken cherry" is generally an establishment of one drink - cherry liqueur, but it is incredible here. After being treated to liqueur and eating it with cherries from the same liqueur, Lviv seemed even more beautiful.
After admiring the ancient architecture of the streets, cathedrals, theater, we worked up an appetite again.
Anyone who hasn't been to Kryivka hasn't been to Lviv. Cree? vka is a military defense and economic facility of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, located underground. In the literature, you can still find the name bunker or cache. In our case, this is a restaurant-kneipa opened in September 2007. The establishment is decorated in the form of a UPA field hideout. Again, Rynok Square, 14, we go down the stairs, knock on the heavy door.
The UPA soldier looks intently into our eyes, asks for the password and checks us with a glass of mead. He sees that his own, he lets them into dark, semi-basement rooms, decorated in the style of Ukrainian partisans. We ordered horseradish, varenyky with cracklings and daruna. Everything is delicious.
They shot at the enemy of all civilized humanity in the shooting range, they were looking for a Muscovite. We had a wonderful and soulful time. We go to our hotel, not getting tired of admiring the beauty of the night city.
Next will be...
I posted 2 videos, look, I tried to convey all this beauty
