Sightseeing in Ivano-Frankivsk (Ivano-Frankovsk)

Ivano-Frankivsk (Stanislaviv or Stanislav till 1962) is the royal free city which spreads out in interfluve of the Nadvirnjanskaya and the Solotvinskaya Bistrizi, in foothills of the picturesque Carpathians, near the ancient Galich – the capital of Galitsko-Volinskoe principality. In 1662 the city received the Magdeburg right. It was established on the place of the village Zabolottya as a fortress for protection against the forays of the Crimean- Tartar troops and as a base station of Pototskie (polish barons) on the Galitskaya Zemlya. Stanislaviv began from the marketplace and the town hall which has remained till now though has changed. In its further reconstruction the ideas of the Renaissance about the "perfect town" have reflected greatly that embodied in the planning of suburb, its streets and temples.

Walking along the historical center (it coincides with modern administrative and business center), the both citizens and visitors feel free and relaxed. It is just because reinforced-concrete buildings do not “suppress” a person.
Who was lucky to come there in modern times, he or she discovers with astonishment the renovated and reconstructed Ivano-Frankovsk.
Ivano-Frankovsk is one of the home cities where in less changed form the past has remained. In the center of the town stands 49, 5-meter temple with the gold-filled cupola and neighboring Marketplace.

Armenian Church
Armenian Church, 1742 – 1762.In baroque, it is built on the place of the wooden church which was found in 1665.During the Fire in 1668 the building was partly destroyed. After the unsuccessful restoration which was in 1868 according to the project of engineer Trelle, the building then changed its habitus. Two round towers, flanking main façade have become considerably low and their endings, the headpieces of baroque silhouette, have replaced with the common domes in bell-form. The pediment has changed according to its previous configuration, a small temple, crowned the roof, disappeared. The monument was rebuilt in 1919 – 1930.The wooden sculpture which maybe belong to the chisel of M.Polievsliy is used in the designing the interior of the church. There are frescos on the walls which are made by Ja.Soletskiy. In 1970 the monument was reconstructed and adjusted to the museum of religion and atheism. In 1990 the building was passed to YAPZ (Armjanskaja Street).

Town Hall
Town hall, 1695.It gains the cruciform after the restoration in 1929-32.The dungeon of the town hall was a place of imprisonment for oprishki. On the 15-th April 1990 the red flag was taken off the town hall and the Ukrainian national flag was put on that place.

The Cathedral of St.Voskreseniya
The cathedral of St.Voskreseniya, 1753-63. In baroque. The foundation was laid in 1720.In 1729 the construction was finished. But while the construction was lasting, there were made several technical mistakes and in 1753 the construction was disassembled. At once the new construction which was headed by an engineer-fortifier S.Pototskiy (the author of consolidations of Kemenets-Podolskiy and Chenstukhow) began. Such engineers as Kh.Dalke and Yu.Karshnitskiy participated in this construction. The subsequent restorations and renovations did not change the architectural form and planning- structural structure of the building. In 1885 and in 1955 the monument was restored. It belongs to the Byzantine-rite Catholic Church of the Ukraine.

The Board of Jesuits
The board of Jesuits, 1744. In baroque, brick-red, rectangle, three-storeyed. It is used as an academic building of the Ivano- Frankovsk Medical University.


The Kostel of Virgin Mary
The kostel of Virgin Mary, 1672-1703.The construction was headed by engineers-fortifiers F.Korassini and K.Benoye. The construction received several changes in 1737.In 1877 the interior of the kostel was painted by E.Fabianskiy. While the Fire in 1882, the roof, tower and dome with painting were burnt. But soon they were restored. After the restoration in 1979 the monument was used as a gallery, in which there are more than 10 000 artworks.

Brewhouse
The brewhouse, 1767.It consists of several buildings, two of them (cook room and brewing room) are built in 1767.The monument represents the unique example of Ukrainian industrial architecture of late 18-th century. It has been used according to its primary plan. (Vorobnicha Street 47).

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