Renaissance city with unique architecture, where the greatest figures of Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish history were born, created and died – noble and elegant Zhovkva.
Walk through the historic Vicheva Square, take a selfie on a background of pillar of shame, listen to the voice of Sheptytskyi and Bandera in the museum in the town hall, see the panorama of the city from the town hall tower, look at the Sich Riflemen Kurin in the vaults of the temple, go down to the tombstone of the city's founder and conqueror of Moscow, touch the ancient Jewish amulets – get these unforgettable impressions!
"Tourist Information Center" in Zhovkva (city hall) has prepared for travelers the most convenient and optimal route through our city. We hope you will find this information useful!
Old Town: Museums
The best way to start a walk through Zhovkva: from the observation deck in the Zhovkva Tower Museum you will see the whole city, the picturesque mountains near it and even the surrounding villages. The exposition of the museum is also interesting and tells about the history of Zhovkva from the beginning to the present day.
Among other exhibits you may be interested in:
Diorama of the Battle of Klushino (1610), in which the city's founder, the Ukrainian nobleman Stanislav Zholkevskyi, defeated the Russian army and captured Moscow.
Copies of famous battle paintings from the church of St. Lawrence.
Phones in which you can listen to the voices of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky, Emperor Franz Joseph, OUN leader Stepan Bandera, and not only.
Clippings from old newspapers, however, some contain quite spicy news.
The Bible hidden in the cover of Stalin's book.
In the museum you can get an audio guide that tells about the exhibition, the history of the city and all historical monuments.
The museum is located in the premises of Zhovkva City Council (1 Vicheva Sq.) and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. without days off.
We also advise you to visit Zhovkva Castle (2 Vicheva Sq.) This is the place where the history of the city began. The castle was built as a fortress, then became a luxurious palace, then fell into disrepair, served as a torture chamber for the NKVD and the Gestapo, as a school and communal apartments, and now its greatness and historical significance are gradually being revived. The castle was inhabited by the city's founder Stanislaw Zholkewski and his great-grandson King John Sobieski, the savior of Europe from the Turks; the young Bohdan Khmelnytskyi and Petro Mohyla served in the castle, Ivan Mazepa and Peter I stopped here. Now the castle walls are being restored. Here you will be amazed by the exhibition of local history.
The castle is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Mondays.
Renaissance city
A peculiar symbol of Zhovkva is Vicheva Square, which overlooks the town hall, castle, houses of the XVII-XVIII centuries and ancient temples. First of all, it is worth seeing the Church of St. Lawrence, where Stanislaw Zholkewski and his entire family are buried, as well as the family of the glorious King John Sobieski, in whose veins flowed Ukrainian blood. The church is famous for its highly artistic tombstones, as well as majestic battle paintings ordered in honor of the victories of the city owners against the Turks and Muscovites. Currently, the paintings are located in the museums of the Lviv Art Gallery, but their copies can be seen in the museum "Zhovkva Tower".
Perhaps the most unique church in Zhovkva is the Church of the Heart of Christ at the monastery of the Basilian Fathers, famous for its frescoes made in the 1930s by the artist Yulian Butsmanyuk, an officer of the Sich Riflemen. On the walls of the church you can see not only biblical events, but also heroes of Ukrainian history from Kievan Rus to the Liberation Struggle. Also interesting is the chapel painted by the same artist in 1910-1911, before the First World War. Even in the church are kept the relics of St. Parthenius, an early Christian martyr from the third century.
We also recommend you to see the Church of St. Jehoshaphat. It is former Dominican monastery founded by the mother of John Sobieski. Defensive walls have been preserved around the monastery, and inside you will find beautiful tombstones and fragments of frescoes. You can also climb the choir by a spiral staircase and walk through galleries and passages along the thick walls.
Jewish Zhovkva
A particular page in the history of our city is related to the Jews. The Zhovkva Synagogue (preserved to this day) was one of the largest and most beautiful in Europe, with prominent Jewish theologians and printers. Even today you can see mezuzahs, Jewish amulets, preserved on the doorsteps of several houses in the city, that are associated with prominent Jews. The central market of the city was remodeled from the Jewish cemetery destroyed by the Nazis. There is an ancient wall, several tombstones and a chapel over the grave of one of the rabbis. An old Jewish massacre of the XIX century is also located nearby.
Suburbs of Zhovkva
There are also many interesting sights outside the Renaissance city. Houses of the Austro-Hungarian period, the church of St. Lazarus (former Felician monastery), whose history dates back to the beginnings of the city, and the modern Orthodox Church of Sts. Peter and Paul that are waiting for the tourist on Lvivska Street. Here you can see the wooden church of the Holy Trinity (1720), an exquisite example of folk architecture that is listed by UNESCO.
The wooden church that has survived on the other outskirts of the Zhovkva city is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin (1705), famous for its historic iconostasis.
The Voiniv UPA street will surprise you with public buildings from the Austrian times. Stepana Bandery street leads to the train station, which offers a beautiful view of the Roztochanski hills. The street stretches along the old park. There are also old villas here, in one of which Lyubomyr Romankiv, the inventor of magnetic recording for computers, was born and raised.
Around Zhovkva
A tourist who came to Zhovkva should visit the defensive monastery in the village. Krekhiv – an ancient fortress that has withstood more than one attack. The monastery has two miraculous icons, and you can climb the mountains to get to the stream and caves from which monastic life here began. In addition to the monastery, in the village of Krekhiv there is a wooden church (1724), which preserves an ancient iconostasis. Interesting wooden churches have also been preserved in the villages of Volya Vysotska and Stara Skvariava.
Contact the Tourist Information Center in Zhovkva if you are looking for:
- Any information about the city in different languages
- Free city maps
- Information on city transport
- Honest advice on eating and living in Zhovkva
- City and region guided tours
- Interesting guides to Zhovkva and Ukraine
- Tourist maps of the city, region, Carpathians and Ukraine
- Special local souvenirs
Follow us:
Write / call us: +38 (067) 583 67 80, info@zhovkva-tour.info.
We are waiting for you at the Tourist Information Center in Zhovkva at the address: 1 Vicheva Sq.
Working Hours:
Daily 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (all year round)
We assure you, we know a lot about the city, and the city has something to surprise you.
