Lviv Local Custom Tips by toonsarah

Lions of Lviv

The city of Lviv was founded by Daniel (otherwise Danylo) of Galicia, a prince who later became a king, in 1256 – or at least that is when the first written mention of the city was made. He named the city after his son, Leo or Lev. From Leo to lion is not much of a jump, and so the lion became the city’s emblem.

We were told on the road train tour that there are over 3,000 images and statues of lions in the city! I didn’t see anything like that number in my short stay, but I did see a lot, so I am prepared to believe it. The two playful cubs in my main photo are just outside the entrance to the City Hall on Ploscha Rynok, and the winged lion in photo 2 is almost opposite them at the entrance to the Partisans’ Café. Meanwhile Daniel himself has his own statue in Galytska Square, as seen in photo 3.

Practicing English

We found the people of Lviv to be very friendly and welcoming. Several seemed to take a lot of interest in our group, especially when they realised that we came from so many different countries. The young man whom we “adopted” on the first morning as a sort of unofficial guide; the other young man who was roped in to take group photos for us in the main square and took the task very seriously; the owner of “U Pani Stephy” restaurant who baked her own-recipe cheesecake for us; and the sales assistant in a souvenir shop who waited while I went to change money to make my purchase.

But most memorable of all were the two occasions when we engaged in conversation with local young people. The group here at the Lychakiv Cemetery were with their teacher who was keen that they have a chance to talk English with us. They were a really lovely group and I think the encounter made our day as much as it did theirs. After the impromptu photo session we allowed them to keep our VT flags, so somewhere in Ukraine now there is probably a classroom festooned with the VT logo and VT message!

The second encounter came later the same day on the top of High Castle Hill where we ran into a group of teenage English students. They were much more self-conscious than the morning’s younger crowd had been, but one girl eventually opened up enough to talk a bit about their studies and where they came from, and her friends clustered round to listen even though they were too shy to join in.

If you should get a similar opportunity do take it. It’s rare for these young people to be able to talk English to a native speaker, so you’ll be helping them out, but it may also be one of the most memorable experiences of your trip.