Today, Lviv City Tower, also known as Lviv Municipal Council, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the main symbols of the city. The modern building, constructed in the Viennese Neoclassical style, may not stand out for its beauty, but the City Tower and the square around it serve as the epicentre of urban life and tourist attraction.
Access to the tower is possible through prior registration.
Register here
Working hours: Saturday - Sunday; 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM.
Adult ticket: 50 UAH.
Child ticket: 20 UAH.
Note: The translation assumes that the prices are in Ukrainian Hryvnia
The observation tower is a must-visit as it offers the best view of the city. But before that, it's interesting to know the following facts.
-
The construction of the first building, probably a wooden town tower, was erected at the time when the Magdeburg Law was introduced in the city (1356).
-
It looked like a medieval building in German cities. The first mention about it was made by burgomaster and chronicler Bartolomey Zymorovych. In the context of the description of the fire of 1381, he notes that the town tower burned down.
-
There were meetings of the magistrate, as well as the premises of the trading tower (on the ground floor) were located in the building .
-
A stone lion with heraldic shield in paws by Andreas Bemer was installed near the building on a column of 2.5 m in height in 1591. This sculpture was moved near the walls of the High Castle in 1874, where it was located until 2008. It was then transported to the courtyard of the Lviv History Museum. By the way, in the Lviv History Museum you can see a sculpture of a pinger, a pillar of shame, or the "Galician Themis", which at that time was also placed nearby the magistrate.
-
The building survived during the Great Fire of 1527. 90 years later the new tower was erected on the initiative of Martin Campiano.
-
The base of the Town Tower collapsed on July 14, in 1826. The trumpeter, his daughter, two soldiers and several workers died. It happened at the same time when the technical committee met and made decision that the urgent repair of the building was unnecessary.
- The Gothic town tower was rebuilt in accordance with Renaissance style by the mayor of Lviv M. Campian in 1619. Then two medieval bells appeared on the top of town tower.
- The clock mechanism of the tower was replaced by another that was purchased from the disbanded Jesuit Church in 1788.
But, as noted above, the tower and the clock collapsed in the early XIX century. Today it is one of the latest mechanical tower clocks in Europe. Its weight is 2.5 tons, the diameter of the dial is 2.7 meters.
- The first stone for the new magistrate building was laid in 1827. Reviews of contemporaries about the dubious beauty of the "Austrian" town hall differed sharply.
- During the events of the "Spring of Nations" revolution in 1848 the tower dome was damaged. After reconstruction and repair it received the final look that you can see today.
- It was the first time that the flag of Ukraine was raised from the Lviv City Hall by Stepan Pankivskyi, Mykola Pachovsky, Lev Gets and Mykola Konyk on November 1, in 1918.
- You can hear the trumpet melody every day from the tower. It is a long-standing tradition. That melody not only informed the time but also served as a notification about possible danger.
- As you climb up the tower, you can notice the mechanism of the tower clock. The earliest information about it dates back to 1404. After a devastating fire in 1571, the mechanism was damaged.
Center of administrative services is also located in the Lviv City Council.
Entrance on the right side of the building.
Work schedule:
Monday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Tuesday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Wednesday 9 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Thursday 9 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Day off: Sunday
Contacts:
+38 (032) 297-57-95
service_center@lvivcity.gov.ua
Tourist Information Center is located on the left side from the main entrance to the Lviv City Tower.
You can get tourist information, tourist maps, buy guides, postage stamps and cards here.
Work schedule:
Daily
9 a.m.-6 p.m. (October-April)
9 a.m.-7 p.m. (May-September)
Phone: +38 (067) 352 46 19
The Administrative Service Centre of Lviv is also located in the premises of the Lviv City Council. Entrance to the right of the entrance side of the building.
- Work schedule:
- Sunday not working
- Monday 09:00-18:00
- Tuesday 09:00-18:00
- Wednesday 09:00-18:00
- Thursday 09:00-18:00
- Friday 09:00-17:00
- Saturday not working
Contacts: +38 (032) 297-57-95
service_center@lvivcity.gov.ua
You can get tourist information, a map and buy guides, postage stamps and postcards at Tourist information centre.
Work schedule:
Everyday
09:00-18:00 (october-may)
9:00 - 19:00 (june-september)
Phone:
+38 (067) 352 46 19
