Perhaps the prettiest and most charming of the cities hosting Euro 2012 championship on the Ukrainian side, Lviv is set to pleasantly surprise.
As football fans start to arrive into the center, their first impression will be of colorful toy-like houses, medieval, winding cobblestone streets and a leisurely aura exuded by the people drinking coffee in street cafes.
This is Lviv as tourists know it.
Built more than 750 years ago at the crossroads of trading routes, the city has retained a lot of its ancient character. A near complete absence of heavy industry has been its blessing in disguise, forcing locals with an entrepreneurial spirit into service sectors such as the hospitality and restaurant industries, as well as the information-technology sector more recently.
Lviv is the only host city on the Ukrainian side that rolled out a municipal program called “Friendly City” to promote simple things like smiling and courtesy towards the visitors and each other – hopefully not just for the championship. It has a municipal volunteer program on top of those recruited by UEFA, the championship organizers. The city will be running a round-the-clock hotline for visitors +38032-297-5555.
Must see: You won’t be able to avoid architectural wonders in Lviv. Almost literally, you will be bumping into UNESCO heritage sites as you walk the city streets. Lviv has more than 20 palaces, hundreds of churches and thousands of places to discover.
If you have time to only visit two places, here they are:
Chapel of the Boim family on 1 Cathedral Square, is unique not only for Lviv but in fact the whole of Europe. Built in the early 17th century, it’s a rare glimpse at the late Renaissance architecture. Incidentally, it’s located just a stone throw’s away from Svit Kavy (World of Coffee) coffee shop that arguably serves the best cheese cake in town.
Vysokiy Zamok Park covers the hill where the city’s castle used to stand. If you get to the top of the green zone, you will get a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the city from the height of 413 meters above the sea.
Stadium: Sprawled on 240,000 square meters, Arena Lviv was built from scratch. The works started in 2008, and continued even in the days approaching the championship, even though the official opening took place in October 2011. It has the capacity of just under35,000, and the authorities boast that visibility at the stadium is “the best in Europe” due to a unique seating arrangement.
The stadium is one of the biggest objects built in Lviv over the last 50 years, at the cost of Hr 2.3 billion ($287.5 million.)
Take home: Lviv is a city of coffee and chocolate. Coffee shops are scattered all around, so you won’t have any trouble finding the beans to take home. Chocolate is a slightly different affair.
Lvivska Maisternya Shokoladu (Lviv Handmade Chocolate) stalls will be set on the streets, but the original shop is located on 3 Serbska Street, right in the heart of the city. It has 42 types of handmade chocolate sweets on offer, among other things. Buy an embroidered shirt for a more exotic ethnic gift.
Say: “Slava Ukraini!” This slogan, translated as “Glory to Ukraine,” will win you a number of brownie points with local patriots who have a reputation of being fervent Ukrainian nationalists. Like any stereotype, the reputation is rooted in the city’s complicated history and is somewhat exaggerated.
Don’t say: Lvov. This is a Russian pronunciation of the city’s name.
Quote: “Lviv is the heart of the championship,” says city mayor Andriy Sadoviy. “I am convinced that Lviv is the last diamond the world had yet to discover.”
Kyiv Post editor Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at [email protected]
