Lviv Oblast

The terrain of Lviv Oblast is highly varied. The southern part is occupied by the low Beskyd (Ukrainian: Бескиди) mountain chains running parallel to each other from northwest to southeast and covered with secondary coniferous forests as part of the Eastern Carpathians; the highest point is Pikui (1408 m). North from there are the wide upper Dniester river valley and much smaller upper San River valley. These rivers have flat bottoms covered with alluvial deposits, and are susceptible to floods. Between these valleys and Beskyd lies the Precarpathian upland covered with deciduous forests, with well-known mineral spa resorts (see Truskavets, Morshyn). It's also the area of one of the earliest industrial petroleum and gas extraction. These deposits are all but depleted by now.

In the central part of the region lie Roztocze, Opillia, and part of the Podolia uplands. Rich sulphur deposits were mined here during the Soviet era. Roztocze is densely forested, while Opillia and Podolia (being covered with loess on which fertile soils develop) are densely populated and mostly covered by arable land. In the central-north part of the region lies the Small Polesia lowland, geographically isolated from the rest of Polesia but with similar terrain and landscapes (flat plains with sandy fluvioglacial deposits and pine forests). The far North of the region lies on the Volhynia upland, which is also covered with loess; coal is mined in this area.

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  Roztochia Biosphere Reserve
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  The Tustan rock complex in Skole Raion
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  Skole Beskids. View of the village Tukholka.
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  Grassy flatlands with rolling hills in Drohobych Raion
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  Mount Parashka, the highest peak of the Parashka Range in the Skole Beskids
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  Zashkiv village in Zhovkva Raion
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  Lviv
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  Ukrainian Carpathians Within Lviv region
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  Lviv is the largest city of Lviv region
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  Church of St. Anna in Borislav
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  Church of the Sending of the Holy Spirit in the village of Ivano-Frankivsk
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  Motorway in Skolivskyi district
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  Hnizdychiv, Monastery of St. Gerard
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  Panorama of the historical center of Lviv
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  Podhoretsky castle
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  Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin in Sambor
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  Brunitsky Palace in Veliky Lubin
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  Potocki Palace in Lviv
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  Church of the Holy Trinity in Zhovkva
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  Palace of the Grodle Barons, Skole
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  Varyag. St. Mark's Church
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  Tustan
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  The Gothic Church of St. Nicholas, built in 1538.
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  Church of St. Yura in Drohobych

The climate of Lviv Oblast is moderately cool and humid. The average January temperatures range from −7 °C (19 °F) in the Carpathians to −3 °C (27 °F) in the Dniester and San River valleys while in July the average temperatures are from 14–15 °C (57–59 °F) in the Carpathians to 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) in Roztocze and 19 °C (66 °F) in the lower part of the Dniester valley.[6] The average annual precipitation is 600–650 mm (23.62–25.59 in) in the lowlands, 650–750 mm (25.59–29.53 in) in the highlands and up to 1,000 mm (39.37 in) in the Carpathians, with the majority of precipitation occurring in summer. Prolonged droughts are uncommon, while strong rainfalls can cause floods in river valleys. Severe winds during storms can also cause damage, especially in the highlands. The climate is favourable for the cultivation of sugar beets, winter wheat, flax, rye, cabbage, apples, and for dairy farming. It is still too cold to successfully cultivate maize, sunflower, grapes, melon, watermelon or peaches in Lviv Oblast. In the Carpathians conditions are favourable for Alpine skiing 3–4 months a year.

Drohobych.The second largest city in Lviv Oblast

Truskavets - a small resort town in the Carpathian foothills

Architecture in Stryi

Half-timbered old villa in the Carpathian foothills in Skole Raion

Until the big district reform on July 18, 2020, Lviv Oblast was administratively subdivided into 20 raions (districts), as well as 9 city (municipalities) which are directly subordinate to the oblast government: Boryslav, Chervonohrad, Drohobych, Morshyn, Novyi Rozdil, Sambir, Stryi, Truskavets, and the administrative center of the oblast, Lviv.

Raions of Lviv Oblast as of August 2020.

On 18 July 2020, the number of districts was reduced to seven.[14][15] These are:

1. Chervonohrad (Червоноградський район), the center is in the town of Chervonohrad;
2. Drohobych (Дрогобицький район), the center is in the town of Drohobych;
3. Lviv (Львівський район), the center is in the city of Lviv;
4. Sambir (Самбірський район), the center is in the town of Sambir;
5. Stryi (Стрийський район), the center is in the town of Stryi;
6. Yavoriv (Яворівський район), the center is in the town of Yavoriv;
7. Zolochiv (Золочівський район), the center is in the town of Zolochiv.

In addition, there are the city raions of the city of Lviv.

Kingdom of Galicia, administrative, 1914

• Male/female ratio: 48%/52%
• Nationalities (2001): 94.8% of the region's population are Ukrainians; 3.6% (or 92,600 people) are Russians; Poles account for 0.7%; there are also smaller German, Jewish and Romani minorities.[16] Notably, the comparison of the 2001 Ukrainian census (mentioned above), with the last Soviet census of 1989 reveals that in those 12 years the number of Poles in the Lviv Oblast declined by 29.7 percent which, in the opinion of "Wspólnota Polska" Society defies explanation, and could possibly be attributed to the intensive Ukrainization of the Roman Catholic Church.[17]

Fifty-nine percent of the religious organisations active in the Lviv Oblast adhere to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church is the second largest religious body. The followers of the Latin Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) are mostly from the Polish, and Russian or non-Galician Ukrainian minorities respectively.

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  Zhovkva. Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
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  Church of Sts. Peter & Paul in Sokal
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  Church of Our Lady Protectress in Stryi
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  Church of St. Anna in Boryslav, the fifth largest city in Lviv Oblast
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  Church of the Blessed Eucharist, Klymets, Skole district
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  Zolochiv. The church of Assumption of the Holy Virgin (1731-1763)

The city of Lviv contains a well-preserved main square (Rynok) and numerous historical churches. Other sites of interest are the historic Lychakivskiy Cemetery, the local museum of folklore, and the ruins of the famous Vysokyi Zamok. The name of the castle is closely tied to the name of the city. There is also a museum of military artifacts, the "Arsenal".

Well-preserved local wooden churches, castles, and monasteries can be found throughout the Oblast. One of them is the Olesko Castle which is first recorded in 1327. Another castle that was built at the end of the 15th century is Svirzh Castle in the village of Svirzh, Peremeshliany Raion. One more and no less famous castle is the Pidhirtsi Castle. Its architectural complex consists of the three-story palace, Kostel, and small park. In Roztochia is also located the Krekhivsky monastery in the buch-pine grove at the foot of the Pobiyna mount. The whole complex consists of the Saint Nikola Church, the bell tower, numerous service structures, and defensive walls with towers. Another site worth of mentioning is the Tustan city-fortress which is built in the rock. The site was nominated as the historical and as the natural wonder of Ukraine. There also a nature complex in the valley of the Kamianka river in Skoliv Raion. Another natural wonder of the region is the Kamin-Veleten (Rock-Giant in English) which is located near city of Pidkamin in Zolochiv Raion. The name of the local city means Under the Rock. A local museum of Ukrainian art and an institution of higher learning (Ivan Franko State University) are also present.

The most important research into cereal epidemics in the country is undertaken here.[18] The National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine's Institute of Agriculture in Obroshino is the center of study for cereal pathogens including powdery mildew of barley.[18] In the early 2000s the most active researchers here were Olga Vronska and G. Kosilovich at the IoA.[18] Puccinia recondita, Erysiphe graminis, (syn. Blumeria graminis) and various Pseudocercosporella spp. are present and are significant in winter wheat in this oblast.[19]

Two introduced banded land snails, the Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) and White-Lipped Snail (C. hortensis) are found here.[20] C. n. was intentionally brought here in the late 1800s, but the genetic analysis of Gural-Sverlova et al., 2021 shows continued introductions have also occurred ever since.[20] (The geographic distribution of both suggests they arrive through the gardening trade, as is known from other countries.)[20] This analysis shows several distinct arrivals of C. n. yielding several present-day populations in and around Lviv.[20]

• List of Canadian place names of Ukrainian origin – Ukrainian immigrants to Canada brought place names from this oblast with them to Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
• Poland’s Lwów Voivodeship (1921–1939)
• Subdivisions of Ukraine

• Source for statistics used: L'viv Regional State Administration Web Site – accessed February 29, 2004.

Media related to Lviv Oblast at Wikimedia Commons

• L'viv Regional State Administration Web Site
• Symbols and flags

49°43′03″N 23°57′01″E