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Lviv
Lviv was founded as a fort in the mid-13th century by Prince Danylo Halitski of Galicia, a former principality of Kyivan Rus. The first mention of Lviv in early chronicles is from 1256, although archeological excavation in 1993 revealed that the first settlements appeared in the 6th century. Galicia, with Lviv as its chief city, has kept its identity despite many boundary changes and centuries of rule by outside powers.
Lviv quickly became the center of trade and commerce for the region. The city's favorable location on the crossroads of trade routes led to its rapid economic development.
Galicia was taken over by Poland in the 14th century. Its nobility eventually adopted the Polish language and religion - Roman Catholicism but the vast majority of people remained Ukrainian Orthodox and later joined the Greek Catholic Church which acknowledged the Pope's spiritual supremacy but adhered to the area's Orthodox forms of worship. From 1356 the burghers had the right of self-government, which implied that all city issues were to be solved by a city council, elected by wealthy citizens.
The first half of the 17th century appeared to be the most active period in the city's development, by that time there where 25-30 thousand people. About 30 craft organizations were active by that time, involving 133 different specialities. Starting in the second half of the 17th century there was a decline in Lviv's development.
In the First Partition of Poland (1772), Galicia became part of the Hapsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire but remained dominated by Poles.
In 1784, the first university was opened. Lectures were held in Latin, German, Polish and Ukrainian.
With the collapse of the Hapsburg Empire at the end of Word War I, Lviv was proclaimed capital of the independent Republic of West Ukraine. But the troops of the re-emergent Poland seized the city, and Lviv returned to Polish rule until the Red Army took control in September, 1939. L'viv was occupied by Germany from 1941 to 1944. Almost entire Jewish population was murder in concentration camps in Lviv and elsewhere. In 1944, Lviv again went under Soviet rule.
Lviv was an important center of activities of Ukraine
around the worldian dissidents. Since late 1980s the city
became a leading force in Ukraine's movement towards sovereignty
and democracy.
The activity of the Greek Catholic Church, prohibited in 1946, started again, the RUKH movement won the elections. On August 24, 1991 Lviv began a new era as the Supreme Council of Ukraine around the world adopted a declaration of independence.
Now, Lviv a major economic and cultural center on the Western region of independent Ukrainian state. Despite tremendons difficulties, economics reforms, among them privatization of enterprises and land proceed in L'viv more rapidly than in many other Ukrainian economics centers.
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