Ivano-Frankivsk

Gateway to the Carpathians

Ivano-Frankivsk is the capital of Ivano-Frankivsk region, in western Ukraine. Situated on the Bystrytsia River, it is a rail junction and industrial center situated in a fertile agricultural zone of the Carpathian foothills. The city has diverse light industries such as woodworking, machinery and furniture making, and food processing.

Previously named Stanislav, Ivano Frankivsk was founded as a Ukrainian settlement in 1662 as the Polish town of Stanis &lstrok. Despite Tatar and Turkish raids, it flourished as a trade center in the 17th and 18th centuries and became the bishopric of the Ukrainian Catholic Uniate Church in 1850. Stanislav became part of Austria in 1772, Poland in 1919, and the Soviet Union in 1945.

The city and oblast were renamed in 1962 in honor of the Ukrainian poet and writer Ivan Franko. Ivano-Frankivsk began with Rynok (Market) Square and the town hall. In a slightly modified form, they are preserved to this day. Its further development reflected the urban planning ideas of the Baroque era about the “perfect town”, embodied in the planning of its central part, its streets and churches. For the originality of architecture, Ivano-Frankivsk is sometimes called “small Lviv”.

Over the past few years, Ivano-Frankivsk has been talked about as one of the most innovative and modern cities in Ukraine. When reconstructing streets and creating public spaces, the wishes of pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities are taken into account. Ivano-Frankivsk has a fairly well-developed infrastructure with a lot of shops, hotels, bars, and cafes.

Fairs, music and cultural festivals are regularly held in Ivano-Frankivsk and its surroundings. From this city in Western Ukraine and from its railway station, a lot of tourists begin their journey to the Ukrainian Carpathians. (UkrainTrek.com)

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