City of Danilo Galytskyi

Anywhere you are, you will see Vysokyi Zamok where television tower is located. From there you will see main streets, roads of Lviv. Here and there are tops of tiwers, domes and spiers.



In the middle of the thirteenth century on the banks of the river Poltva Galician prince Daniil Romanovich settled. Time was difficult. From the east the Tartar hordes came, burning and devastating everything in its path.

The prince also suffered from the boyar opposition. An outstanding statesman, military leader and diplomat, "second after Solomon" according to the chronicler, Daniil Galitsky struggled against external and internal enemies. In combat he relied on the support of fast growing cities. In the middle of the thirteenth century Prince founded a new city called Lviv, it was named in honor of his son and heir. The lion became the emblem of the city.

First mention about Lviv is in the ancient Volyn-Galician chronicle. It is said about a fire in the city of Holm. Historians have set the date of the fire, which occurred during a raid of the Tatar khan Kuremsa in Volyn in 1256. This date is considered to be the year of the foundation of Lviv.

First years of city were not calm. After several years khan Burundai made Galician-Volyn dukes to demolish the fortresses constructed by them. In 1286 the Tatars again tried to invade the city. However, it was an unsuccessful attempt.

Lviv survived, firmed and grew. It became big trade, economic and cultural center. There important trade routes intersected, for example, Kyiv - Western Europe, Black Sea - Baltika. During the reign of Lev and his succesors the city was the capital of Galicia-Volhynia. Lviv also had great defence importance.

Almost whole life Danylo Galytskyi spent in fighting campaigns: fought against the German knights and Tatar khans, Hungarians, Poles, Lithuanians. Invasions of Poles and Lithuanians in the middle of 14th century, big fires in 1381 and 1527, dozens of sieges and assaults caused damage to architecture of city. Only due to work of several generations of scientists it is possible to imagine what the city was during reign of dukes.

Lviv consisted of three parts. On the hill there was fortress. Behind it there was the prince's castle, fortifications, watchtowers, arsenal.

At the foot of Vysokyi Zamok, where now there is B.Khmelnytskyi Street, and previously there was Volyn Way connecting Galych and Coloma with Volyn, and then with Kiev, there is Okolnyi town, Podgorodie or Pidzamche. Now in the beginning of the street Bohdan Khmelnytsky there is square, and then it was the Old Market - a trade center of old city.

This is where you can apartments in Lviv for daily rent apartments, coming from which you get to the Old Market Square.

Ancient name of street "Pid bramoyu" (under gates) points us the place where the gates of Okolnyi town were located. Behind the fortified fence there were the palace of the prince, houses of boyars and vigilantes. There were also at least two Catholic churches, three Armenian churches and more than a dozen Orthodox churches. The bulk of artisans, merchants, urban poor settled outside Okolnyi town, on the banks of Poltva, in western, northern and southern sides from Vysokyi Zamok.

Young Lviv lived rapid and stressful life. Wars and sieges were changed with years of peaceful development, and many merchants, craftsmen and artists came to the city. Lviv founders, blacksmiths, jewelers were famous around the region. Today we can see a remarkable monument of the ancient craftsmen of Lviv - the bell of the church of St.George, dated 1341 year.

In Lviv of dukes period there were many foreigners. Armenians, Poles, Germans, Hungarians, Tatars, Jews, Greeks, Moldovans, Italians and even Saracens - a real Babylon. Catholic missionaries also came from west, they tried to gain a foothold in Lviv, turn it into an outpost of the Vatican in this region.

In the southern side of the city the Polish district was built; nothern - Armenian; Tatars settled in further north, on the shores of Poltva - Jews. Of course, the dominant population remained Rusyns. As they called themselves then. But the influx of foreigners testified about intense economic and cultural life of the city.

For that time Lviv was large and lively center. Our website will acquaint you with history of Lviv, our tour guides will complement us.

Unfortunately, there is no image or description of that city. About that city appearence we can know only from indirect evidence and archaeological finds. Already in 14th century in Vysokyi Zamok there was stone fortification; some churches were also built of stone. During excavations on the nearby mountain Knyazhaya were found fragments of white stone columns decorated with reliefs - stylized images of figures, plants, birds (stored in the Lviv Historical Museum). There is a possibility that the remains of the palace of Leo Danylovich, reigned in 1264-1301 years.