Soviet Lviv – Tour of Communist Lvov

Explore the Communist past of this classical city

Duration

4 hours

Group

1-15 people

Season

all year

Weekdays

Mon-Sun

Starts at

10am, 2pm

Not a typical communist city, Soviet Lviv was formed by the will of the Communist government to transform an entire city and get a rid of its past. The USSR wanted to transform Lviv to a model town and make its citizens strict followers of the Communist ideology. But there was one major problem: The people did not want that. This tour gives you an insight into the communist society, its architecture and various other aspects of Soviet power in Lviv. We also want to show you what happened to those who did not go along with Soviet ideology.

Highlights

The five best things about this tour

Explore the architecture of Soviet Lviv throughout the reign of the USSR in Western Ukraine
Find out more about life in Soviet society
Taste some typical dishes from communist times in Lviv
Learn about the most important figures of Communism in Western Ukraine
Feel what happened to those that were in opposition against the Communist Party

That's included

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Detailed description

Find out what you will be doing on the tour with us

The idea of a Soviet Lviv is actually paradox. This city with its eclectic mix of architectural styles and cultures that lived here, was not the prototype for a Communist development. However, the Soviets eventually did develop whole districts and transformed parts of the city into what they wanted to be an ideal Soviet city. With its infrastructure and apartment block housing, you can still learn a lot about the history of the Soviet Union from leaving Lviv’s city center. On our Soviet Lviv Tour we show you the Soviet areas and explain you everything about life in Communist Lvov.

Oppression and communisation in Communist Lviv

When first occupied in 1939 as part of the secret protocol added to the Molotov-Ribbentrop-Pact, Lviv went through a time of intensive persecution. The elite of the city was interned or shot, national movements sent to prison or deported. The struggle against this occupation continued until the 1950s. After this the situation normalised. The Soviet government under Khrushchev started focusing on housing.

Soviet Lviv housing and monuments

Soviet urban planning started to reshape Lviv as a city. Many microrayons were added and new representative buildings were added. On our tour we will show you the most impressive buildings, monuments and projects and explain you both the significance as well as the ideological background of any of the urban development in Lviv. We will give you a broad picture of Soviet society in Lviv and how people lived. And of course you will get to experience some of it with your own mouth, when we take you to a typical Soviet-style canteen to try some typical foods from these times.