Key dates in the history of Lviv
• 1256 – The establishment of Lviv
• approximately in 1270 the High Castle was built
• 1356 – Lviv receives Magdeburg rights
• 1253 - 1349: Rus Kingdom (Halych-VolynState): The opposition to the Golden Horde
• 1256-1340 – Lviv belongs to Halych-Volynian kingdom.
From the beginning of the 14th century until the second half of the 17th c. Lviv became the biggest city in the whole territory of Ukraine.
• In 1340 and 1349 - the Polish king Casimir the Third succeeded in capturing Lviv and replaced the city to the new place (Rynok square). He also invited builders and craftsmenfrom Germany to build out the city. This way during the 14th&15th centuries Lviv actually became German. The books of the 15th c. testify that Germans in Lviv reached majority and the classic gothic architecture was dominating in the city.
• 1349-1387: Rus Kingdom: the opposition to Poland and Hungary
• 1353 – Lviv is under the authority of Lithuanian prince Liubart Hedeminovych.
• 1372-1378 – Lviv is under the authority of Volodyslav Opolskyi from Hungary.
• 1378-1387 – Lviv under Hungarian empire.
• From 1379 – Lviv receives the so called right of being the storage city. This meant that all non-Lviv merchants who were taking their goods through the city were obliged to put them on sale in the city for two weeks.
• 1387 - 1772: Lviv belonged to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
• In 1452 the cobble stone was put in Rynok square and on the main streets.
• 1527 –the most horrible fire happened in the city. The German gothic Lviv just utterly burned. And the new Lviv of the second half of the 16th c. was absolutely different, it was a Renaissance city built by Italians.
• The first printer Ivan Fedorov , who had his first private printing house, published the books “Apostol” and “Bukvar”.
• The Lviv Jesuit collegiums founded in 1608 became an academy in 1661 and later - the first university in the territory of Ukraine.
• In 1648 Cossacks captured the city and the High Castle was taken by storm for the first time in history.
• 1772 - 1914: Lviv was under Austrian and, later, Austro-Hungarian empire.
• During 1777-1820 all the fortification walls were taken down and the central avenue was arranged.
• 1786 –The Austrian empire liquidated the Magdeburg right.
• In 1826 the old City Hall fell down and during 1826-1835 the new one was built.
• During 1852-1854 the citadel was built
• In 1853 the first gas lamp was invented in Lviv.
• 1861 – the first railroad in Ukraine that lead from Lviv to Krakow was built.
• 1880 – the first horse tram was used
• 1894 – the first electrical tram in the city
• 1880-1905 – the river Poltva was closed and made into canalization.
• In 1894 the ferroconcrete was used for the first time in Europe.
• 1894 – the first football match on the territory of Ukraine.
• During 1897-1900 the Opera house was being built.
• 1905 - the first hockey match on the territory of Ukraine..
• 1914 - 1919: the period of the First World War and Ukrainian Revolution.
• 1914-1915 – Lviv under the authority of Russia.
• In April 1915 - Lviv was under Austro-Hungarian empire for a short period of time.
• 1 November 1918 –the West Ukrainian People’s republic was declared and the capital was Lviv.
• 1919 - 1939: Lviv belonged to Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
• In 1928 Rudolf Weigl, the professor of Lviv University invented the first effective vaccine against the epidemic typhus.
The native residents of the city became jokingly known as the Lvivian batiary (someone who's mischievous). Lvivians were also well known for their way of speaking that was greatly influenced by the Lvivian gwara (talk) which is a mixture of Ukrainian, Polish and Yiddish languages.
• 1938 – the first Ukrainian feature film “ To good and beauty”
• 1939 – 1944- Second World War
• 1939-1941 – Lviv under USSR.
• 1941-1944 – Lviv under German Occupation.
• In 1943 Germans destroyed the Jewish ghetto and Lviv lost its Jewish citizens.
• 23 July 1944 - The Polish army “ArmiaKrajowa” started secret operation of occupying Galicia and Lviv. It turned out to be killing Ukrainians in the streets.
• 27 July 1944 – Red Army occupied Lviv.
• 1944 – 1991 – Lviv belonged to the Soviet Union.
• 1946 р – Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church liquidation.
During The Soviet Union times there were lots of factories as well as institutions built.
• After 1991 – Independence of Ukraine
• 1998 – All the buildings in the historical part of Lviv were entered onto the list of UNESCO heritage.
Lviv City hall
The first City hall was wooden and burned down at the end of the 14th c. Today’s City hall in Vienna classicism was built in the middle of the 19thc.
• 1381 –The first remembrance about the City Hall
• 1491 –The City hall was rebuilt
• 1527 and 1571– The City Hall was on fire
• 1619 – The City hall was reconstructed in Renaissance style.
• 1826 –The City hall fell down killing 8 people.
• 1835– The new City hall built
• 1852 –New clocks were set up on the tower.
• Since 1939 - Lviv City Council.
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