Lviv Oblast
| L’vivs’ka Oblast Львівська область | |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| Population Total (2004) Density Urban |
2,593,426 119/km² 59.7% |
| Area | 21,800 km² |
| Raions | 20 |
| Cities | 43 |
| City districts | 6 |
| Urban localities | 35 |
| Villages | 1,849 |
Lviv Oblast((Template:Lang-uk, formely spelled also as Lvov Oblast) is an oblast of western Ukraine, created on December 4, 1939. Its capital is the city of Lviv.
History
The oblast's 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. It was ruled variously by Great Moravia, Kievan Rus', and by one of its successors, the state of Halych-Volynia (circa 1200 to 1400), then by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (circa 1400 to 1795), the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1795 to 1918), and Poland (1918 to 1939), when it was part of the Lwów Voivodship of the Second Republic of Poland. The region's historically dominant Ukrainian population declared the area to be a part of an independent Western Ukrainian Republic in 1918 but this endured only briefly. Local autonomy was provided in international treaties but later on those were not honored by the Polish government and the area experienced much ethnic tension between the Polish and Ukrainian population.
The region only became part of the Soviet Union under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939, when it was annexed to the Ukrainian SSR. It was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944 and remained in Soviet hands after World War II as was arranged during the conferences Teheran and Yalta. Thanks to its historical development, Lviv Oblast is one of the least Russified and Sovietized parts of Ukraine, with much of its Habsburg heritage still visible today.
The region and its capital city take their name from the time of Halych-Volynia, when Danylo, the King of Rus' founded Lviv, naming the city after his son, Lev (Leo). During this time, the general region around Lviv was known as Red Ruthenia (Cherven' Rus').
Geography and economy
The terrain of L'viv Oblast is highly varied, ranging from open steppes to dense forests, with intensively cultivated river basins and forested mountains. The chief industries are agriculture, cattle and sheep farming and forestry. Significant mineral extraction also occurs, and the region also possesses oil and natural gas deposits which are piped to the city of Lviv and used locally.
Principal Cities and Towns
Demographics
- Male/female ratio: 48%/52%
- Nationalities: 90% of region's population are Ukrainians; 200,000 people are Russians; there are also smaller German Polish, Jewish, and Gypsy minorities.
Religion
Fifty-six percent of the religious organisations active in the Lviv Oblast adhere to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Uniate) Church. The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church is the second largest religious body. The followers of the Roman Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchy are mostly from the Polish, and Russian or non-Galician Ukrainian minorities respectively.
Local Historical and Cultural Sites
The city of Lviv contains a well-preserved main square (Rynok) and numerous historical and beautiful churches. Other sites of interest are the historic Lychakivskiy Cemetery, the local museum of folklore, and the high castle ruins. There is also a museum of military artifacts, the "Arsenal".
Well-preserved local wooden churches can be found in the surrounding countryside, as can the Olesky Zamok (castle). A local museum of Ukrainian art and an institution of higher learning (Ivan Franko State University) are also present.
References
- Source for statistics used: L'viv Regional State Administration Web Site - accessed February 29, 2004.