Beautiful Ukraine!
Developed by: Krzysztof Danielewicz, 18.08.2012.
Part I – Lviv, Drohobych and Strawberry.
When I decided to go to Ukraine, I did not intend to be another individual who would look for Polish traces there, but I wanted to meet a modern country. Many people asked me if I was afraid to go due to the poorness and the ongoing war. In fact, Ukraine is perceived stereotypically, and historical themes like the Volyn massacre are frequently added to this. All of this together makes it not a popular tourist destination. However, erstwhile travelling frequently to different little-known places, I know from experience that stereotypical perception of a country has nothing to do with reality. This is precisely the case with Ukraine.
My travel study consists of a description of the 4 places visited. They were: Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Jaremcze and Chernivtsi, and each descriptive part has been enriched with films.
Due to the cancelled aircraft and the hazard of torpedoing the departure, I decided to drive to Medyka by car and cross the border “on my feet”. close the border crossing it is best to drive almost to the end in the left lane for passenger cars, then at the tallness of the Ladybug turn left, drive the store on the right side and drive left down, and leave the car there at 1 of the supervised parking lots (the price is 10 PLN per day). During the inspection, the Ukrainian side checked the passport, COVID-19 insurance and vaccination certificate or test. It took a fewer minutes to cross the border, which was a large advantage on the cars. On the another hand, I was hooked up by the owner of the bus and for 100 PLN taken straight to the hotel in Lviv. The price of specified transport will always depend on the number of people in the car, so it can be up to 50 PLN erstwhile specified people are 4 or more.
If we have small time to research Lviv, the fastest way is the HipHop kind bus, i.e. a London-style two-story bus. It is best to choose the halt located straight at the Lviv National Opera Theatre and S. Kruszelnicka Ballet. A half-hour journey costs 150 UAH (1 PLN is about 7 UAH). We get headphones with an audio guide, which in this case besides includes a Polish language version, and we have the chance to visit the most interesting places and streets of Lviv and to perceive to their past – these are, among others, the old part of Lviv, Łyczakowski Cemetery, Academy of Land Forces of Ukraine, Browar Lviv, Old marketplace Square, Opera Theatre, Municipal Arsenal, churches, defence walls, monuments, parks, cathedral square, University of Lviv, Green Street and Ivan Frank, the alleged Austro-Hungarian territory (which developed during the regulation of Austro-Hungarian), the most crucial monuments, churches, parks, tram depots. It is besides worth to see the marketplace Square, the Municipal Arsenal, the Boim Chapel, the Jesuit Church, the Palace of the Potock Counts and many others that cannot be mentioned here. I have the impression that there are more monuments in Lviv than in Krakow. Also, the atmosphere in Lviv is much nicer than in the old Krak castle, and music can be heard on all corner. An interesting fact is the large number of tourists from the mediate East, including the United arabian Emirates and Saudi Arabia. This is linked to the abolition of visas for citizens of these countries. For the Ukrainian economy it is an excellent financial injection, but for another visitors it creates various kinds of difficulties – for example, most cars are already rented by guests from arabian countries. In Lviv you can besides meet many tourists from Poland, who are already very few. Ukrainians mentioned that there were many more before COVID-19. There is no problem with communication, due to the fact that in most hotels or restaurants service understands Polish language and speaks Russian very reluctantly, with which e.g. there is no problem in Chernivtsi and another places outside Lviv.
Very good places are of course the beautifully restored main market, all side streets, Shevchenka Boulevard and independency Avenue (Svobody). Of course, the Łychakowski Cemetery with the Lwowski Orląt Cemetery is worth a visit. The entrance to the Łychakowski Cemetery costs 50 UAH, while the approval for amateur photography – 10 UAH. Next to the Polish quarter, Ukrainian soldiers who died in the same war 1918-1919, as well as others, as soldiers of the Ukrainian Partisan Army (UPA). A very meaningful 4th is where there are respective twelve graves of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war in the east of Ukraine – these graves are constantly arriving. Apart from historical evaluation, hiding soldiers from different historical periods and different armies in 1 place perfectly illustrates the well-known fact that we are all equal in death. The restored part of the Łychakovsky Cemetery looks a bit like an art gallery. Very often, tombstones are decorated with beautiful monuments. presently only prominent citizens of Lviv are buried in this cemetery.
Both the main marketplace and the side streets have quite a few good cafes and restaurants, with a large share of Georgian cuisine. If we are counting our vacation funds very much, I advise you to avoid the main market, where everything is almost twice as costly as places little than 300-500 meters away. If we want to relax, I especially urge Svobody Street, leading to Opera Theatre. The street is filled with old trees that give cooling and shade during summertime heat. In front of the theatre itself is simply a fountain where children cool and play. On the marketplace in the erstwhile Lubomirski Palace there is simply a coffee smoking room, which I highly recommend.
One of the oldest breweries in the Austro-Hungarian Empire must be visited. The Lwowski Brewery – Lviv Beeratory – belonged to 1 of the 3 best in the Empire. Today, you can have a delicious beer on the site of the inactive functioning brewery and learn about the past of the museum. In a beautifully decorated tasting area we can choose the option of tasting on the alleged board, where we get 4 different kinds of drinks or choose the taste we already know. You can besides buy a beer to go, filled in plastic bottles and originally closed. I personally urge Bile beer, which I had earlier chance to drink in Bialowieża. You can besides acquisition various kinds of gadgets associated with the brewery. Brewery is located at 18 Kleparivska Street.
Another place worth seeing is the Lviv Main Railway Station, very nicely restored and the full courtyard area including access streets. Interestingly, the waiting area is paid 35 UAH per hour. Inside is simply a dining area where you can eat and drink beer, vodka or cognac. Everything is very clean and peaceful. It is worth writing any sentences about the functioning of the Ukrainian railway. I had the chance to get to know this strategy by train from Lviv to Ivano-Frankivska and later on 2 another routes. Depending on what ticket we buy, we get specified comfort. Before entering the wagon with his manager, we mark our presence and give back tickets, usually returned to the railway station where we get off. There is simply a single user selected for each carriage. There are 4 numbered seats in the compartments: 2 at the bottom and 2 at the top. At the entrance to the compartment on the right and left side of the wall there is simply a tiny steel ladder, erstwhile unfolded serving to enter the advanced bed. Larger bags can be placed under the lower beds that can be raised. Under the beds there are besides boxes, perfect for smaller luggage. The compartment is closed from the inside. If we buy a coffee option, we usually get it about half an hr before the destination station. I compose “predominately” due to the fact that in 1 case I received neither coffee nor my ticket – you were besides busy sitting on the Internet. Trains run very slow, average output about 50 km/h or less. In addition, air conditioning only works during the trip, during the halt no longer. However, given the option of lying or sleeping in bed sheets – if we buy specified an option – the journey is not so tiring.
As far as safety is concerned, during my stay in Lviv and another cities of Ukraine, I did not encounter a single act of aggression, even walking by side streets at night – there was peace everywhere. You can frequently see good police cars with flawlessly dressed police officers inside and quite a few individual soldiers. 1 of the fewer signs of the ongoing war in the east was the frequent sight of soldiers moving to and from their base places. However, it is simply a sad reminder that there are plaques in each village with photographs of soldiers and Ukrainian policemen from a given village who have fallen from 2014 to the present time. Only seeing these plates and the number of pictures there shows how immense a victim Ukraine pays for trying to gain independency from Russia.
Ukrainians, especially in Lviv, do not usually usage Russian. The best way to talk to them is in Polish or English, but frequently only in Ukrainian. Young people communicate in English without problems. Apart from Lviv, older people in peculiar have no problem speaking Russian.
When going to Ukraine, it is worth taking with you an additional telephone camera and buying a SIM 150 UAH card that is not registered. It offers the anticipation of unlimited telephone calls and net access. It is crucial to ask if we can make calls to land phones erstwhile purchasing. If we don't have that option, we should buy it. We can charge the telephone in slots located in points that are assigned to a given mobile network, specified as Vodafone, Kyivstar and others. If we have a problem with that, the service will aid us. We only pay in cash at the machine.
You can travel around Lviv by taxis with very varied prices, e.g. from the centre to the airport can scope from 100 to up to 250 UAH. There are besides buses, trams and trolleybuses in the city – the one-time ticket price is 10 UAH. They can be purchased in kiosks or straight from a motorist, and then erased in a mechanical natural. Ukrainians besides have electronic tickets or communication cards that delete on the electronic natural. The Lviv trams operated earlier than in Vienna. Today, the old rolling stock somewhat spoils the pleasance of travelling, especially on hot days. However, this is an interesting attraction for the tourist. In the case of smaller cities on buses and trolleybuses, we enter the first door and pay for the ride, but do not receive tickets. A mankament, especially for those who do not know a abroad language, may be the fact that there is no sign with arrival hours of the tram. It is besides worth asking each time if we will get to where we are planning, due to the fact that from experience I know that we can find ourselves in a completely different place.
Prices in restaurants are at least two-three times lower than Polish. The kitchen is truly great: soups, shish, steaks, dumplings, fish – all fresh and tasty. Prices depend mostly on the distance from the Old marketplace Square, as in Poland: the further, the cheaper. Beer costs about 55-70 UAH, soup – 55-75 UAH, espresso coffee – 30-45 UAH. By comparison, prices in Ivano-Frankivsk or Chernivtsi may be 40-50% lower than in Lviv.
As for restaurants, I can personally urge the best in Lviv Bachewski Restaurant, which is located at 8 Szewska Street at the Old marketplace Square. It is worth mentioning at this point that the Baczewski company itself was founded in 1782. From 1856 it was owned by Józef Adam Baczewski, a Polish industrialist and January insurgent. By investing in imported modern equipment, construction refineriesspirit and above all the introduction of innovative advertising methods (especially very decorative and varied bottles – carafek and labels) made its company the largest maker of alcohol in Poland and 1 of the largest in Central Europe.
At the same time, he introduced his products to European markets, winning a number of awards at global exhibitions and thus expanding global reputation Polish vodka. He exported it to many European countries, as well as another continents – North America and Southe Australiaand – under the trade brand J.A. Baczewski. He produced vodka for the Russian brand Smirnoff, among others.
Bacchevsky company existed in Lviv to 1939 r. erstwhile the mill was bombed by German aviation and the remainder of the equipment and supplies were looted Soviet. After 1945 The descendants of Józef Adam Bachewski reactivated the company in Vienna and spirits are inactive produced under the brand name J.A. Baczewski. It returned to the Polish alcohol marketplace first in the 1990s as a product of Polmos Starogard Gdańsk under an Austrian licence and again in 2011 with specially designed first ones (Polish designs separate from another released for European markets) with caraf bottles and labels.
Food at the Bachewski Restaurant is excellent quality at very reasonable prices. The advice fish costs 401 UAH, a borscht with ears – 79 UAH, dumplings with meat – 110 UAH, 50 ml of Bachevska vodka – 52 UAH. Excellent service and interior decoration complement the atmosphere. It is worth reasoning about booking an earlier table, due to the fact that very frequently there is simply a set of guests. At the entrance to the restaurant on the right there is simply a company store where you can buy good quality alcohol with different flavors or sweets.
Another recommendable place is simply a tiny Georgian restaurant – Restaurant Tamada, located on a very charming street close the marketplace of the Hornet Brothers 14. It is typically Georgian cuisine, where you will find tasty shishliks and another Georgian dishes, good wine and chacha vodka.
Restaurant Barszcz lies close the market. It offers large decor, a good atmosphere and typically Ukrainian cuisine with tasty borscht and elephant.
Restaurant 7 Piglets is located close the method University of Lviv at 9 S. Bandery Street. Delicious Ukrainian cuisine, Ukrainian conventional appearance and men's service dressed in conventional folk costumes. Examples of prices: Cossack steak – 342 UAH, borscht – 69 UAH, shashlik – 255 UAH, a plate of delicious Ukrainian fat as a starter – 99 UAH.
Another interesting place is Beer Theatre “The Truth“ – In a large, several-story building, there is excellent quality local “Livivian” beer and snacks, all served with a tiny orchestra. There is besides a company store where you can buy beer and another company products.
While in Lviv, it is worth taking a one-day journey to Drohobych and 8 kilometres from Drohobych Straskawiec. Drohobych is simply a regional town located about 75 kilometres from Lviv, which presently has about 80,000 inhabitants. Its past dates back to the mediate Ages, erstwhile it was mainly celebrated for its salt acquisition, sold throughout Europe. They were mainly inhabited by Jews, but due to the discovery of oil deposits in the area in the 19th century, Poles, Germans and Italians began to arrive in close Borisław.
After the discovery of oil, this region became 1 of the most dynamic oil centres in the world. From 1842 to 1865, local Jews erected a monumental synagogue that inactive exists today, which is considered the largest in Europe. In 2018, its renovation ended and it now looks very impressive. Inside, outside the prayer places, we have leftover inscriptions in Hebrew on the walls. After entering the synagogue, men must wear a judaic cap – a yarmulka to visit this popular tourist facility. You can go to the first and second floors to see it from above. A static exhibition is opened in the main room, describing the full past of the object from its creation to the present day. 1 of the most dramatic periods was, of course, the period of planet War II, erstwhile about 10,000 judaic Drohobych residents were murdered. The city's most celebrated citizen is author Bruno Schulz, a Polish judaic prosaic, graphic artist, painter, cartoonist and literary critic.
W Drohobych is worth stopping at the old market, which despite the fewer first tenement houses is beautifully restored. specified a marketplace and side streets would not be ashamed of many Polish region cities. In the vicinity of the gutter is an old defensive tower which constitutes the remains of the city's defence system. Next to it is simply a Catholic church with commemorative plaques in honor of Adam Mickiewicz's birthday. In front of the church is besides John Paul II, founded on the occasion of a visit to the city of the Holy Father.
Other interesting objects located a fewer 100 metres from the marketplace are the church of Peter and Paul and next to the higher school. During the period of the russian Union there was a office of NKVD and KGB – respective 1000 people were murdered there, any 500 of which were found in the 1990s. A memorial to the murdered was placed behind them and commemorative plaques with any of the victims' names were placed. The building besides features a museum of that time, which was closed in July.
While in Drohobych, it is essential to visit close Strawberry. The fastest way to get there is to get on bus 174, which is located on the another side of the street, other the synagogue. Truskawiec is located about 8 kilometres from Drohobych, at the ft of the Carpathians (the foothills of the east Carpathians), in the Vorotic valley (the Dniestr basin), about 95 kilometres from Lviv. The past of the village dates back to the 16th century. It is now a curative resort, whose healing properties were known to the population as early as the late 18th century. As investigation and publications in newspapers and magazines, not only in Galicia, more and more curates began to come to Straskawiec.
Step by step, comfortable and beautiful guesthouses were created, very frequently following the Zakopane pattern. There were not only wealthy industrialists from Drohobych or Borysław, but besides from Warsaw. In 1911 an electrical current and a railway line from Drohobych were connected in the village. Only in the interwar period, erstwhile the city remained within the limits of the Second Polish Republic, 286 guest houses were built. Truskawiec was the youngest Polish spa and received the medal 3 times as the best spa in Poland. Stanisław Wojciechowski or Józef Piłsudski rested in the city. The presidents of Austria, Estonia and Turkey besides hosted the event. Currently, the spa looks like the best facilities in Poland or another places in Europe. Beautiful building, beautifully restored old guesthouses, fresh matching the old building, comfortable and flower-covered walk avenues – all this makes the time in Strawberry slows down and feels like a longer stay here.
Straskawiec is an ecologically clean region and is 1 of the pearls of Ukrainian land. The town lies at the ft of Ukrainian Carpathians, at an altitude of 350 metres above sea level. On all sides it is surrounded by many hills, whose slopes are covered with coniferous and deciduous species of trees. The Truskawiec hotel has a powerful mineral water base, utilized in many balneological treatments, i.e. utilizing medicinal groundwater. In the city, Naftusia mineral water is produced, which has unique healing properties. due to the fact that the organic substances of Naftusi are rapidly disintegrating in contact with the air, it is recommended to usage it in a drinking water plant.
Currently there are about 100 accommodation facilities in Truskawiec, including tiny villas built in the “Zakopian” style, guesthouses and large modern hotels, as well as spa and spa facilities. All this takes into account the expectations of the curates and their financial capabilities. Studies and diagnostics are conducted in 28 clinical and 14 biochemical laboratories, in peculiar immunology and clinical-bacterial laboratories, radioisotope diagnostics, functional cardiovascular diagnostics and endoscopy tests and many others. Strawberry is besides a large base for all kinds of trips, including Lviv or Carpathians.
