Rynok Square

Rynok Square — Market Square — is the heart of Lviv's old town, a handsome Renaissance enclosure surrounded by merchant townhouses built by the city's Italian, German, Armenian, and Jewish communities over several centuries. The town hall tower in the centre is the obvious landmark, and you can climb it for views over the surrounding roofscape. The square itself is lined with outdoor cafes in summer and rarely feels empty at any hour.

Each of the townhouses tells a story. The Black House on the southwest corner is the darkest limestone building on the square, decorated with Renaissance carvings. The Korniakt Palace to the east has a magnificent Italian courtyard hidden behind its facade — one of the finest in Ukraine. The Pharmacy Museum at the corner of the square occupies a building that has housed an apothecary since the 18th century and contains an extraordinary collection of old laboratory equipment, medicine jars, and pharmaceutical curiosities. Rynok Square alone could occupy several hours of attentive wandering.

things to do sight
A story
The square's four fountain statues — Neptune, Amphitrite, Diana, and Adonis — were installed in the 18th century and survived wars, occupations, and Soviet rule. During the Nazi occupation, the German administration cleared the market stalls and used the square for military parades; local legend has it that some residents threw rubbish from their windows onto the parading columns.