Town halls of Western Ukraine. City administrations and tourist locations

In the regional centres and small towns of Ukraine there are quite a few town halls in which the organs of state power are housed. Most of them are historical buildings and architectural monuments with inimitable sculptures and decor. In the buildings of the city administration unique museums are open, and the ascent of the clock towers has turned into popular tourist attractions, with a view of the panorama of the cities and an acquaintance with the landmarks. The most famous and prestigious town hall is in Lviv, located on Market Square, where there are always many guests of the museum-city.

Lviv. The Town Hall. City administration. Market Square, 1

Lviv

The town hall was erected in 1835 and has not changed its purpose. Earlier the main city building housed a prison, and now it is an obligatory object to visit for domestic and foreign tourists. The four-storey building with an inner courtyard is crowned by a 65-metre tower, whose balcony serves as an observation platform. On the second-to-last floor a small cafe has been set up, where one can enjoy the famous Lviv coffee while observing the quarters of the 17th-18th centuries from a bird's-eye view.

Lviv. The Town Hall. The clock tower

Lviv. A view of the Town Hall and Market Square from the clock tower

Lviv. The Town Hall. The clock mechanism

The Town Hall and the ensemble of the historic centre are included in the lists of the UNESCO World Heritage. Entry to the building is free, but for the climb up the 408 steps of the clock tower one must pay 40 hryvnias; for privileged categories there are discounts.

Lviv. The Town Hall. The clock tower. The steps

Sambir

Nor did the Town Hall change its purpose in Sambir.

Sambir. Lviv region. The Town Hall. City administration. Market Square, 1

The first two wooden predecessors burned down in fires. In 1638-1668 a two-storey stone building with a 40-metre 8-sided tower was erected. After reconstructions, the renewal of the facades, the addition of porticoes and the changing of the entrance places to the magistrate, from the original building a Renaissance portal has survived, supplemented by a modern detail — a tryzub. Since 1885 the main city guardians of time have proclaimed its swift passage. The rectangular building unites two architectural styles — classicism and Renaissance. In 1760 a sculpture of the Mother of God was installed on the facade of the building. Later it was replaced by a figure made of copper. With the arrival of Soviet power in 1939 the holy image was removed. In 1997 a shallow niche was occupied by a plaster sculpture of the Blessed Virgin.

Sambir. The Town Hall. The old portal

Sambir. The Town Hall. The sculpture of the Mother of God

Sambir. The Town Hall. The steps of the clock tower

The ascent of the clock tower can be made accompanied by a guide or on your own. According to legend, from this balcony the False Dmitry appeared before noble szlachta with a call to set off to conquer Moscow.

Sambir. The Town Hall. A view of Market Square from the clock tower

Drohobych

Drohobych, which received the Magdeburg law in 1422, could not do without an organ of self-government.

The very first wooden building where the city authorities sat dates to 1475. The building housed the offices of the very first town head and the scribe. Under one roof were the court, the archive, the armoury and the treasury. On the magistrate's staff was a city executioner, and in the cellar lawbreakers were held. On weekends and holidays, every hour the trumpeters on the tower perform the melody "Drohobych listens to the world".

Drohobych. Lviv region. The Town Hall. City administration. Market Square, 1

One can get onto the Town Hall tower by buying a ticket for 10 hryvnias at the tourist information centre, which is in the same building on the ground floor.

Drohobych. The Town Hall. A view from the clock tower onto Market Square

Drohobych. The Town Hall. The clock tower

Zhovkva

The new Town Hall was built in 1932, and the building fitted perfectly into the medieval atmosphere of charming Zhovkva.

Majesty is lent to the architectural dominant of the historic centre by the three-tier tower, crowned with a Baroque dome. On the facade is set the coat of arms of Zhovkva with the image of the patron John the Theologian. The two upper tiers of the tower are girdled on four sides with balconies, from which a panorama of the city and its surroundings opens up.

Zhovkva. Lviv region. The Town Hall. City administration. Vicheva Square, 1

You will not have to climb the steps up to the top wearily and tediously, because the stairs are surrounded on all sides by the exhibits of the historical and local-lore exhibition, which reveals all the stages of Zhovkva's development. In the "Museum of the Old Town" household objects, paintings, postcards and documents, donated by the city's residents and by collectors, are presented. Entry to the tower is open from 10 to 18 o'clock; the day off is Monday. In the tourist season, from April to November, there are no days off.

Zhovkva. The Town Hall. The clock tower. The steps

Zhovkva. The Town Hall. The clock tower. The museum

Zhovkva. The Town Hall. The clock tower. A view of the medieval town

Sokal

In Sokal, the most northern city of Lviv region, a town hall existed already in the 16th century. The modern building was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century and has retained its purpose. The chimes, set on four sides, show the correct time.

Sokal. Lviv region. The Town Hall. City administration. Sheptytskoho Street, 44

Chernivtsi

European charm the city of Chernivtsi acquired with the erection in 1847 of the Town Hall, built to a standard design in the style of late classicism.

Chernivtsi. The Town Hall. City administration. Central Square, 1

The square building with an inner courtyard and a fifty-metre clock tower remains the architectural dominant of the historic centre. Every day at 12 o'clock, in any weather, performed by a trumpeter in national costume, the melody of the famous song "Marichka", which has become the anthem of Chernivtsi, rings out. On Sundays by the Town Hall at 12 o'clock those wishing to take a walk around the city gather, and after the performance of "Marichka" they set off on a free excursion to get acquainted with the notable landmarks of the capital of Bukovyna.

Chernivtsi. The Town Hall. City administration. Architectural monument

Mukachevo

An architectural highlight of Mukachevo and of Cyril and Methodius Square is the town Town Hall, built in 1904 in the Secession style with elements of neo-Gothic.

Mukachevo. Zakarpattia region. The Town Hall. City administration. Dukhnovycha Square, 2

One of the best city-administration buildings in Ukraine has the shape of the letter "P" with an inner courtyard. The large bell on the clock tower strikes every hour, and the small bell — every 15 minutes. These are the first chimes in Europe able to strike the time every quarter of an hour.

Mukachevo. The Town Hall. City administration. Architectural monument

Svaliava

In Svaliava, a district centre of Zakarpattia, on Dukhnovycha Street, 2, is located the Svaliava city administration. The clock on the constructivist tower strikes every hour and quarter of an hour and shows the exact time. On the wall are set bas-relief plaques to notable figures, journalists, ethnographers and priests of the Svaliava area.

Svaliava. Zakarpattia region. The Town Hall. City administration. Dukhnovycha Street, 2

Ivano-Frankivsk

Acquaintance with Ivano-Frankivsk begins at the town Town Hall, a 50-metre structure with a 400-year history.

Ivano-Frankivsk. The Town Hall. Market Square, 4

The fourth magistrate building since the moment of receiving the Magdeburg law was erected in 1935 in the style of constructivism. The four-sided chimes show the exact time, striking its swift passage every quarter of an hour and performing 12 Ukrainian melodies. In the premises of the Town Hall a local-lore museum is housed, with rich and varied expositions. The ascent to the observation platform of the clock tower is possible through the museum.

Ivano-Frankivsk. The Town Hall. Market Square, 4

Bolekhiv

With the receipt of the Magdeburg law in Bolekhiv the construction of the magistrate began. The modern Town Hall was built in 1861 on the site of the previous one. Every quarter of an hour the chimes remind one of the swift passage of time with a beautiful melody, but do not show the exact time. At the entrance the Bolekhiv authorities are guarded by gleaming lion cubs.

Bolekhiv. Ivano-Frankivsk region. The Town Hall. City administration. Ivan Franko Square, 12

Kalush

Unfortunately, not all the town halls have survived; many magistrates have vanished from the face of the earth in the years of military actions and through the carelessness of the city leaders. There is no hope for the restoration of the city Town Hall, burned down in 2013, in Kalush.

Kalush. Ivano-Frankivsk region. The ruins of the Town Hall. Early 20th century. Architectural monument

Among the disappearing monuments is also the so-called industrial town hall, a symbol of the city-forming industry. In the thickets of trees and behind a high fence, a clock tower with frozen hands is barely noticeable.

Kalush. Ivano-Frankivsk region. The clock tower of the industrial town hall. Early 20th century