Lviv

The largest city of western Ukraine was founded around 1250 by King Daniel of Galicia and called Lviv in honour of his son - Lev. After the death of its founder, the city became the capital of Galicia-Volhynia Rus, beginning at the same time the turbulent course of its history, which reflected on the city's character the influence of Poland, Austria, Soviet Union and - finally Ukraine (not to mention the influence of ethnic minorities such as Jews or Armenians). The city is located at a perfectly equal distance from main medieval trade centres of the East and West - Feodosiya and Venice. At present, the city is a leading cultural and educational as well as political centre, and constitutes the main centre of Polish population in Ukraine. Due to the richness of its valuable historic places, Lviv was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.