Lviv attracts tourists at any time of the year. It's not only the architecture and historic landmarks that make the city so beautiful, but also the numerous parks, of which there are over twenty in Lviv. Today we want to tell you about one of them - Snopkivsky Park.
Snopkivsky Park is located in the Halych district of Lviv. Since 1984, it has been designated as a local landmark of garden and park art. The total area of the park is 48.3 hectares. "Druzhba" (Friendship) was the original name of the park. In the 1990s, it was renamed to "Snopkivsky" after the nearby area of Snopkiv where the park is located.
How did it all begin?
At the beginning of the 19th century, Snopkivske Uzghor’ia was known as a recreational area for the people of Lviv. It was here that the residence of the then-governor of Galicia, Ferdinand d'Este, was built. By the beginning of the 20th century, the park area had developed into an active industrial zone in the city where construction materials were produced. There were many springs that provided water to technical ponds and lakes. To this day, four of them remain, including the cascade of lakes called "Green Eye".
After World War II, the area that is now the park was a wasteland, with neglected sand and clay quarries from former brick and tile factories. Over time, from 1960-1963, the largest stadium in Lviv at that time was built on the hills of Snopkivske Uzghor’ia (it began functioning as a training base for the football club "Karpaty"), and it was planned to develop a park in the area of the former quarries.
Thus, from 1959-1963, a park area was established between Lipova Alley, Stusa, Krymska and Zelena streets. The park received the same name as the stadium - "Druzhba" (Friendship). Later, it was renamed Snopkivsky. Over 200 species of trees and shrubs were planted in the park, as well as a continuous flowering garden of 5 hectares and a round rose garden, which had over 40 varieties of roses. In order to develop the park here, it was necessary to completely level the area of 60 hectares, fill in the quarries.
Park Today
Snopkivsky Park today is a peaceful natural place where one can take a walk in the fresh air, escape the noise of city streets, and for children, play on the playgrounds. To this day, the park has preserved chestnut, lime, maple, and other alleys. The total length of the alleys is 13,800 meters. There are over 200 species of trees and shrubs in the park. The predominant species are chestnut, maple, poplar, pine, oak, fir, birch, willow, and hawthorn. One can even see exotic and valuable plant species here. The upper terrace of the park has a regular layout, and the lower part is planned in a landscape style.
On the territory of Snopkivsky Park is the Lviv Municipal Children's Ecological and Naturalistic Center - a multi-profile institution of extracurricular education, where children's ecological clubs operate, various workshops are held, and there is also a mini-zoo with exotic animals, birds, reptiles, and plants. Also located within Snopkivsky Park is the Benedict Dibowski Dendrological Park, which was founded by the renowned botanist, zoologist, and dendrologist in 1910. The dendrological park is adjacent to the northwest part of Snopkivsky Park. Here, one can find one of the largest dendrological collections in Lviv, consisting of approximately 113 species of trees and shrubs, including trees over 150 years old, such as the yew, which is included in the Red Book of Ukraine.
