| Lviv Oblast | |
| Native Name: | Львівська область |
| Native Name Lang: | uk |
| Nickname: | Ukrainian: Львівщина |
| Settlement Type: | Oblast |
| Flag Alt: | Flag of Lviv Oblast |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms of Lviv Oblast |
| Shield Link: | Ruthenian lion |
| Mapsize: | 275px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Parts Type: | Largest cities |
| Parts Style: | para |
| Seat Type: | Administrative center |
| Seat: | Lviv |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Maksym Kozytskyy[1] |
| Leader Title1: | Oblast council |
| Leader Name1: | 84 seats |
| Leader Title2: | Chairperson |
| Leader Name2: | Yurii Kholod (acting) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 21833 |
| Area Rank: | Ranked 17th |
| Elevation Ft: | 971 |
| Elevation M: | 296 |
| Population Total: | 2478133 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Annual growth |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Average salary |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Salary growth |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [2] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | ₴ 296 billion (€7.671 billion) |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | ₴ 119,049 (€3,085) |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Raions |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 7 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Hromadas |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 73 |
| Timezone1: | EET |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 79-82 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | +380-32 |
| Iso Code: | UA-46 |
| Registration Plate Type: | Vehicle registration |
| Blank Name Sec2: | FIPS 10-4 |
| Blank Info Sec2: | UP15 |
| Official Name: | Lvivska oblast[3] |
Lviv Oblast (Ukrainian: Львівська область|translit=Lvivska oblast, pronounced as /uk/), also referred to as Lvivshchyna (Ukrainian: Львівщина, pronounced as /uk/), is an oblast in western Ukraine. The capital of the oblast is the city of Lviv. The current population is
The region is named after the city of Lviv which was founded by Daniel of Galicia, the King of Ruthenia, in the 13th century, where it became the capital of Galicia-Volhynia. Daniel named the city after his son, Leo. During this time, the general region around Lviv was known as Red Ruthenia (Cherven' Rus'). Earlier, under Polish rule, the territory was part of the Cherven Cities.
The oblast strategic position at the heart of central Europe and as the gateway to the Carpathians has caused it to change hands many times over the centuries. In the Early Middle Ages, the territory was inhabited by the Lendians, an old Polish tribe. It was ruled variously by Great Moravia, Poland,[4] Kievan Rus', the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia (circa 1200 to 1340; from 1246 under the suzerainty of the Golden Horde), and then ruled by the Kingdom of Poland and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1340 to 1772), the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1772 to 1918), West Ukrainian People's Republic and Poland (1919 to 1939), when it was part of the Lwów Voivodeship of the Second Republic of Poland. The region's historically dominant Ukrainian population declared the area to be a part of an independent West Ukrainian National Republic in November 1918 — June 1919, but this endured only briefly. Local autonomy was provided in international treaties but later on those were not honoured by the Polish government and the area experienced much ethnic tension between the Polish and Ukrainian population.
The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 4 December 1939 following the Soviet invasion of eastern Poland and annexation of Eastern Galicia and Volhynia.
It was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944 following the start of Operation Barbarossa, where most of the local Jewish population were killed. Following the end of World War II, the region remained in Soviet hands as was arranged in the Tehran and Yalta conferences. Most local Poles were expelled and Ukrainians expelled from Poland arrived.
As a result of the 1951 Polish–Soviet territorial exchange the area of Belz passed from Poland to the Lviv Oblast, whereas the area of Ustrzyki Dolne passed from the Lviv Oblast to Poland.
In 1959, Drohobych Oblast was incorporated into Lviv Oblast.
Given its historical development, Lviv Oblast is one of the least Russified and Sovietized parts of Ukraine, with much of its Polish and Habsburg heritage still visible today.
In Ukraine today, there are three provinces (oblasts) that formed the eastern part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. Two of these, Lviv Oblast and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast were entirely contained in the kingdom; the third oblast of Ternopil was mainly in the kingdom apart from four of its most northerly counties (raions). The counties of the Kingdom of Galicia remained largely unchanged when they were incorporated into successor states; with minor changes as detailed below, the current counties are almost co-extensive with those of the Kingdom.
During the 2014 Euromaidan protests, the region is also notable for having declared independence from the central government led by Viktor Yanukovych who started to use active military force against protestors.[5] During Ukraine's decommunization process that accelerated after 2014, Lviv Oblast became the first region of Ukraine to remove all its Soviet-era monuments by January 2024.[6]
The terrain of Lviv Oblast is highly varied. The southern part is occupied by the low Beskids 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 Roztochchia, 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.
The climate of Lviv Oblast is moderately cool and humid. The average January temperatures range from -7abbr=on0abbr=on in the Carpathians to -3C in the Dniester and San River valleys while in July the average temperatures are from 14- in the Carpathians to 16- in Roztochchia and 19°C in the lower part of the Dniester valley.[7] The average annual precipitation is 600- in the lowlands, 650– in the highlands and up to 1000mm 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.
| Term start | Term end | Name | Year of birth | Year of death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1991 | 6 April 1992 | Vyacheslav Chornovil | b. 1937 | d. 1999 | |
| June 1994 | July 1995 | Mykola Horyn | b. 1945 |
| Term start | Term end | Name | Year of birth | Year of death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 1995 | 6 Feb. 1997 | Mykola Horyn | b. 1945 | ||
| 6 Feb. 1997 | 14 Jan. 1999 | Mykhailo Hladiy | b. 1952 | ||
| 15 Jan. 1999 | 19 March 2001 | Stepan Senchuk | b. 1955 | d. 2005 | |
| 26 March 2001 | 26 April 2002 | Mykhailo Hladiy | b. 1952 | ||
| 26 April 2002 | 4 June 2003 | Myron Yankiv | b. 1951 | ||
| 9 June 2003 | 20 Dec. 2004 | Oleksandr Sendeha | b. 1953 | ||
| 20 Dec. 2004 | 4 Feb. 2005 | Bohdan Matolych (acting) | b. 1955 | ||
| 4 Feb. 2005 | 20 Feb. 2008 | Petro Oliynyk | b. 1957 | d. 2011 | |
| 20 Feb. 2008 | 27 Feb. 2008 | Valery Pyatak (acting) | b. 1959 | ||
| 27 Feb. 2008 | 20 April 2010? | Mykola Kmit (acting to 1 Sep 2008) | b. 1966 | ||
| 20 April 2010 | 21 December 2010[9] | Vasyl Horbal[10] | b. 1971 | ||
| 21 December 2010 | 2 November 2011 | Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk | b. 1964 | ||
| 2 November 2011 | 4 March 2013[11] | Mykhailo Kostiuk | b. 1961 | ||
| 4 March 2013 | 31 October 2013[12] | Viktor Shemchuk | b. 1970 | ||
| 31 October 2013 | 23 January 2014[13] | Oleh Salo | b. 1968 | ||
| 2 March 2014 | 14 August 2014[14] | Iryna Sekh | b. 1970 | ||
| 14 August 2014 | 26 December 2014 | Yuriy Turyanskyi (acting) | b. 1975 | ||
| 26 December 2014 | 11 June 2019 | Oleh Synyutka | b. 1970 | ||
| 11 June 2019 | 5 July 2019 | Rostyslav Zamlynsky (acting) | b. 1976 | ||
| 5 July 2019 | 5 February 2020 | Markiyan Malsky | b. 1984 | ||
| 5 February 2020 | Maksym Kozytsky | b. 1981 |
See main article: Administrative divisions of Lviv Oblast.
| Lviv Oblast | ||
| As of January 1, 2022 | ||
| Number of districts (райони) | 7 | |
| Number of hromadas (громади) | 73 | |
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.
On 18 July 2020, the number of districts was reduced to seven.[15] [16] These are:
In addition, there are the city raions of the city of Lviv.
| In English | In Ukrainian | Administrative Center | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brody Raion | Бродівський район Brodivskyi raion | Brody (City) | ||
| Busk Raion | Буський район Buskyi raion | Busk (City) | ||
| Drohobych Raion | Дрогобицький район Drohobytskyi raion | Drohobych (City) | ||
| Horodok Raion | Городоцький район Horodotskyi raion | Horodok (City) | ||
| Kamianka-Buzka Raion | Кам'янка-Бузький район Kamianka-Buzkyi raion | Kamianka-Buzka (City) | ||
| Mostyska Raion | Мостиський район Mostyskyi raion | Mostyska (City) | ||
| Mykolaiv Raion | Миколаївський район Mykolaivskyi raion | Mykolaiv (City) | ||
| Peremyshliany Raion | Перемишлянський район Peremyshlianskyi raion | Peremyshliany (City) | ||
| Pustomyty Raion | Пустомитівський район Pustomytivskyi raion | Pustomyty (City) | ||
| Radekhiv Raion | Радехівський район Radekhivskyi raion | Radekhiv (City) | ||
| Sambir Raion | Самбірський район Sambirskyi raion | Sambir (City) | ||
| Skole Raion | Сколівський район Skolivskyi raion | Skole (City) | ||
| Sokal Raion | Сокальський район Sokalskyi raion | Sokal (City) | ||
| Staryi Sambir Raion | Старосамбірський район Starosambirskyi raion | Staryi Sambir (City) | ||
| Stryi Raion | Стрийський район Stryiskyi raion | Stryi (City) | ||
| Turka Raion | Турківський район Turkivskyi raion | Turka (City) | ||
| Yavoriv Raion | Яворівський район Yavorivskyi raion | Yavoriv (City) | ||
| Zhovkva Raion | Жовківський район Zhovkivskyi raion | Zhovkva (City) | ||
| Zhydachiv Raion | Жидачівський район Zhydachivskyi raion | Zhydachiv (City) | ||
| Zolochiv Raion | Золочівський район Zolochivskyi raion | Zolochiv (City) |
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 202,923/female 193,000)
15-64 years: 70.0% (male 867,699/female 897,788)
65 years and over: 14.3% (male 122,906/female 238,016) (2013 official)
total: 38.0 years
male: 35.2 years
female: 40.9 years (2013 official)
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.
The city of Lviv contains a well-preserved main square (Rynok) and numerous historical churches. Other sites of interest are the historic Lychakiv 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. 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 beech-pine grove at the foot of the Pobiina mount. The whole complex consists of the Saint Nicholas 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 Stryi 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. 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. In the early 2000s the most active researchers here were Olga Vronska and G. Kosilovich at the IoA. Puccinia recondita, Erysiphe graminis, (syn. Blumeria graminis) and various Pseudocercosporella spp. are present and are significant in winter wheat in this oblast.
Two introduced banded land snails, the Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) and White-Lipped Snail (C. hortensis) are found here. 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. (The geographic distribution of both suggests they arrive through the gardening trade, as is known from other countries.) This analysis shows several distinct arrivals of C. n. yielding several present-day populations in and around Lviv.