Lviv

Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Lviv (disambiguation), Lwów (disambiguation), Lemberg (disambiguation), and Lvov (surname).

Lviv Львів (Ukrainian)
City
Historic center of Lviv Lviv Opera Dormition Church Market Square Lviv University Sts. O. and E. Church Railway Station
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Nicknames:  Lion's/Leo's City, Banderstadt (tongue-in-cheek)
Motto:  "Lviv is open to the world"
Lviv Location within Lviv Oblast Lviv Location within Ukraine Lviv Location within Europe
Coordinates: 49°50′33″N 24°01′56″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Lviv Oblast
Raion	Lviv Raion
Hromada	Lviv urban hromada
Founded	1256
Town rights	1356
Government
• Mayor	Andriy Sadovyi (Self Reliance)
Area
• City	148.9 km2 (57.5 sq mi)
• Metro	4,975 km2 (1,921 sq mi)
Elevation	296 m (971 ft)
Population  (2025)
• City	723,403
• Rank	5th in Ukraine
• Density	4,858/km2 (12,580/sq mi)
• Urban	720,797
• Metro	1,141,119
Demonyms	Leopolitan
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal codes	79000–79490
Area code	+380 32(2)
Licence plate	BC, HC (before 2004: ТА, ТВ, ТН, ТС)
Website	city-adm.lviv.ua
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Criteria	Cultural: ii, v
Reference	865
Inscription	1998 (22nd Session)
Endangered	2023–present
Area	2,441 ha (6,030 acres)

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter settlement_type. Replace with type.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter blank_info. Replace with custom_data_sec1.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter blank_name. Replace with custom_label_sec1.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter mapsize. Replace with map_size.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter timezone1. Replace with time_zone1.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter timezone_DST. Replace with time_zone_DST.

Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with deprecated parameter image_skyline. Replace with image.

Lviv (Polish: Lwów; German: Lemberg) is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine, as well as the largest city in the western part of the country, with a population of 723,403 (2025 estimate). It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. The city also hosts the administration of Lviv urban hromada. Lviv was named after Leo I of Galicia, the eldest son of Daniel, King of Ruthenia. During its history the city has had several names.

Lviv emerged as the centre of the historical regions of Red Ruthenia and Galicia in the 14th century, superseding Halych, Chełm, Belz, and Przemyśl. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia from 1272 to 1340, when it went to King Casimir III the Great of Poland in a war of succession. In 1356, Casimir the Great granted it town rights. From 1434, it was the regional capital of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in the Kingdom of Poland. In 1772, after the First Partition of Poland, the city became the capital of the Habsburg semi-autonomous Polish-dominated Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. Between 1918 and 1939, the city was the centre of the Lwów Voivodeship in the Second Polish Republic. During this period the city's culture and industry flourished, as did its academic institutions, such as the Lwów School of Mathematics, the Lwów Historical School, and the Lwów School of Economics. After the German-Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, Lwów was annexed by the Soviet Union. It survived Soviet and German occupations during World War II largely unscathed. In February 1946, the city became a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, having lost an estimated 80-90% of its prewar population. In 1991, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lviv stayed part of Ukraine.

The historical heart of the city has cobblestone streets and an assortment of Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-classicist and Art Nouveau architecture. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is listed as an endangered site due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Lviv has a number of industries and institutions of higher education, such as Lviv University and Lviv Polytechnic. The city is also the home of multiple cultural institutions, including the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv Philharmonic and the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet.