Lychakiv Cemetery

Lychakiv Cemetery, on the eastern edge of Lviv's old town, is far more than a burial ground. Founded in the late 18th century under Austrian rule, it is a working museum of sculpture, history, and national memory, where monumental stone angels, obelisks, and classical sarcophagi mark the graves of artists, writers, professors, and soldiers across three centuries. The grounds are park-like and beautiful, shaded by old trees, with paths that wind through sections representing different eras and communities.

The Polish section, maintained by Poland and covering the graves of Polish officers and soldiers from both world wars, is one of the most elaborate parts of the cemetery. The cemetery also contains graves from the Soviet era, the Habsburg period, and the early Ukrainian independence movement. Allow at least an hour and a half if you want to do it justice. Entrance is cheap and guides are available near the gate.

things to do sight
A story
Lychakiv contains the graves of Ivan Franko, the great Ukrainian poet and novelist, and Maria Zankovetska, the actress considered the founder of Ukrainian theatre. But perhaps its most striking section is the field of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the recent conflict with Russia — rows of new graves with photographs and fresh flowers, adjacent to the 19th-century monuments. It is one of the few places where you feel Lviv's entire history — and its present — in a single walk.