The Princely Town of Sambir. Heritage and Potential

The architectural and historical heritage of Sambir is an inseparable part of the cultural heritage of the Lviv region and of Ukraine as a whole. In Sambir 72 monuments of cultural heritage are on the state register, of them 7 monuments of national significance: 56 architectural monuments, 10 historical monuments and 6 monuments of monumental art.

Sambir, Lviv region. The Market Square

Thanks to the formation in Sambir of the most valuable and representative cultural treasures and architectural ensembles, the town has a growing tourist potential.

 

Sambir. The Market Square

The history of Sambir is linked with the neighbouring district centre, Staryi Sambir, when after its destruction in 1241 by the Mongol horde the townsfolk were forced to resettle and found a new town. Sambir became a large centre of crafts and trade, and was granted Magdeburg rights.

The Market Square. The monument to Mother Ukraine

Monastic orders founded houses in the town -- the Dominicans, the Bernardines, the Brigittines and the Jesuits, who had their cloisters here. Each era left a legacy that preserves the memory of some notable event or figure who influenced the town's development.

 

The Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist (1530) and the monument to Pope John Paul II

Cultural heritage created by talent and toil is, if lost, practically impossible to recreate. The Town Hall is the heart of the town and its governing body.

 

Sambir. The Town Hall

You can get acquainted with Sambir from a bird's-eye view if you climb the clock tower and admire the panorama of this administrative centre of the Subcarpathian region.

 

Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street

To hear the history of the town, look over the ethnographic displays and learn about the notable residents who made their contribution to the development of Sambir, you must visit the "Boikivshchyna" historical-ethnographic museum and the Les Kurbas memorial museum.

Displays of the historical-ethnographic museum

Services are held in churches of various denominations, ancient and modern. The Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God is the calling card of Sambir, thanks to the Miraculous icon of the Sambir Mother of God and the relics of St Valentine.

The Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, 1738

The Cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God has a height of 64 metres and can hold up to three thousand of the faithful.

 

The Cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. 2011

By the church the best Way of the Cross in the eparchy has been created, with the stations of Jesus Christ.

 

The Way of the Cross with the stations of Jesus Christ

A concert hall of organ music is housed in the former Jesuit-Bernardine church.

 

The organ music hall

There are many monuments in the town to notable figures and historical events.

The monument to T. H. Shevchenko by the Town Hall

The memorial plaque to T. H. Shevchenko, 1914, for the poet's 100th anniversary

The memorial plaque to I. Ya. Franko, 1946, for the poet's 90th anniversary

In the second half of the 19th century a share of the town's population was made up of the well-to-do class, who had the financial means to build luxurious villas. It was precisely this type of building that became the main element in the development of Stebelskoho, Mazepy, Khmelnytskoho, Vuzka and Chopin streets.

The library. The former Kozakevych villa. 1905

A villa of 1909. The former Stebelskyi house

The treasury

21 Mazepy Street

Historical events, rebuildings and refittings using modern building materials have altered the original appearance of these architectural masterpieces.

 

1 Franka Street

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Drohobych Franko Pedagogical University

Aggressive advertising flaps on the facades. Tiresome banners and signs, like a cataract on the eye, disfigure these little gems.

 

The former "Royal" hotel. 19th century.

5 Market Square

35 Market Square

An indicator of the cultural maturity of a society is its attitude to monuments of history and architecture. Preserving and popularising them requires far greater openness and publicity in heritage-protection activity.

The house of pupils' creativity. 19th century.

The school of decorative and applied art

The historic core cannot be preserved when the narrow streets are cluttered with parked cars.

 

Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street

Most of the buildings need repairs to their facades and roofs, and restoration of their decorative ornament.

 

10 Tarasa Shevchenka Street

37 Market Square

Budget funds are not enough for restoration and renovation work. But the residents themselves must also take care to preserve their homes and take a more thoughtful approach to radical rebuildings and extensions. There is a lack of protective plaques, information stands and geolocation schemes of the monuments. The hospitable Sambir folk always answer travellers warmly, ready even to accompany them, but in a tourist town it is essential to put up signs to the monuments and infrastructure facilities.

The Sambir college of culture and arts

Sambir is situated 65 km from the regional centre, and you can reach it by car in an hour. The Lviv-Sambir-Uzhhorod road passes through the town. In Sambir there is a railway station where passenger and suburban trains stop, coming from Kyiv, Lviv, Truskavets, Stryi

The railway station

Related stories: Sambir. The Town Hall. An excursion up the clock tower · Sambir. An Enlightening Tour of a Princely Town · Drohobych. Touristic and Hospitable · Drohobych. The Town Hall. An Excursion to the Clock Tower · Town Halls of Western Ukraine. Tourist Locations

This story is also available in Ukrainian: Княже місто Самбір. Культурна спадщина і туристичний потенціал