Pidhirtsi Castle, sponsored by the Polish Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski and built by Wilhelm Beauplan in 1635-1640, is a well-preserved Renaissance palace surrounded by fortifications. It is located in the east of the Lviv region, in the village of Pidhirtsi.

The castle has a square shape. From the east, south, and west it is surrounded by a deep moat and ramparts. The park, laid out around the castle, belongs to the monuments of landscape art of national importance. Pidhirtsi Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: alexdoomer2009.

take a walk around the castle

Tags: fortress · Lviv oblast

Svirzh Castle is a castle located in a small village of Svirzh in the Lviv region. It is a unique monument of defensive architecture of the 15th-17th centuries. The castle, originally built as a fortress, lost its original appearance after the reconstruction made in the 17th century.

Despite its favorable defensive location – on Mount Belz, surrounded by impassable swamps and lakes – the castle with moats and a drawbridge could hardly have any significant defensive value because of the palace style of its architecture.

take a look at the castle

Tags: Lviv oblast

Zhovkva is a small town with a population of about 13 thousand people located 25 km north of Lviv, about 35 km from the Ukrainian-Polish border. The town stands at the crossroads of international highways to Poland and the Baltic states.

Since 1994, the central part of the town has the status of a historical and architectural reserve. To get to Zhovkva from Lviv, you can take minibuses from “Lviv” hotel. The trip takes about 30-40 minutes. Photos by: Alexander Shvab.

explore this charming town

Tags: Lviv oblast

Church of St. Michael the Archangel (1872) is a rare five-domed wooden church in the village of Lahodiv in Peremyshlyany district, Lviv region. The bell tower was built in 1854.

The church stands near the street leading to the water source, which is located a hundred meters from it. Single and dual narrow arched windows of the church look like loopholes. Services are held every week. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

beautiful church

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

The wooden church of St. Nicholas in Sasiv village (Zolochevsky district of Lviv region) was built in 1731. Although, according to some sources, it was founded in the 15th century. The church interior is decorated with a beautiful seven-tier iconostasis of the 17th century.

The domes of the church, placed close to each other, are its true ornament. The last restoration of St. Nicholas Church, the monument of architecture of Ukraine, was made in 2008.

let’s look at the interior

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

Komarno is a small district town located in the southwestern part of Lviv region. The distance to Lviv is about 45 km.

The town is known for its old wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel, built in 1754. It is one of the finest examples of Galician folk architecture school. The photos were taken by Maxim Ritus.

beautiful wooden church

Tags: Lviv oblast

Ukrainian Carpathians Mountains are the part of Carpathian mountain range, located mainly in western Ukraine on the territory of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia and Chernovtsy oblasts.

The length of Ukrainian Carpathians from San River to the sources of Suchava River is 280 km, width – 100 km. The total area is more than 24 thousand square km. The absolute height of the mountain range varies from 120-400 m in the foothills up to 1500-2000 m along the main ridge.

(more…)

Tags: Chernovtsy oblast · Ivano-Frankivsk oblast · Lviv oblast · Zakarpattia oblast

Podgoretsky Castle is a well-preserved Renaissance palace surrounded by fortifications. The castle is located in the east of Lviv oblast in Podgortsy village. Together with Olesky and Zolochevsky castles it forms the “Golden Horseshoe of Ukraine” (tourist route of Lviv region castles).

The castle is a square from the east, south and west surrounded by lines of fortifications. At the site of today’s castle there were more ancient fortifications mentioned in 1530. Present Podgoretsky castle was built during 1635-1640.

(more…)

Tags: fortress · Lviv oblast

Olesky castle is the oldest castle that has been preserved in the western Ukraine. It is located near small town of Olesko, Bussky district, Lviv oblast. Olesky castle is oval in shape and dominates Olesko town standing on 50-meter natural hill. Photos by Alexander Lipilin.

(more…)

Tags: fortress · Lviv oblast

The church of St Yur located in Drohobych (Lviv oblast) is considered the pearl of Ukrainian wooden architecture. Today it is a museum located not far away from the center of the city. The photos were captured by Serge Krynytsia.

(more…)

Tags: church · Drohobych city · Lviv oblast