G sambor. Sambir - history and architectural monuments. In search of inspiration - the sights of Sambir

Old Sambir- a city in the west of the Lviv region, a regional center located on the banks of the Dniester. The city is located 98 kilometers from the regional center along the H-13 highway and the Lviv-Uzhgorod railway. The origin of the toponym "Sambir" is unknown, although there are at least five versions.

Story

Old Sambir is named so for a reason. In the Ipatiev Chronicle, under the year 1071, the town of Sambir is mentioned. It was destroyed in 1241 by the hordes of Batu Khan. The surviving residents left these places and moved to the village of Pogonich, which was renamed Novy Sambir (later simply Sambir). After some time, the inhabitants returned to the abandoned Sambir, and the settlement was named Old Sambir. The city was mentioned under this name already in 1301. Even then, there was the residence of Lev Danilovich, the ruler of the Galicia-Volyn principality.

In 1553, Stary Sambir received the Magdeburg rights and, accordingly, trading privileges. The city became an important trade center in the region. Despite wars, epidemics and other misfortunes, Old Sambir flourished. Only from the earthquake of 1837, which destroyed the city, the city did not recover. Since then, the role of the regional center has passed to the neighboring Sambir. In the first half of the 20th century, Old Sambir was a Jewish town: 80% of the population were Jews and only about 20% were Ukrainians. After the Second World War, the Jewish community "thanks" to the efforts of the Nazis disappeared. In 1939, Stary Sambir became a district center within the Drogobych region of the Ukrainian SSR.

Due to frequent fires that shook the city in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, few old buildings survived in Stary Sambir. The lost architectural monuments include the town hall, built in 1668. She was considered one of the oldest in Ukraine, but did not survive the Second World War. A cinema was built in its place. The Jewish synagogue of the late 19th century has survived, but is in a state of destruction.

sights

The surviving objects of Old Sambir include the church of St. Nicholas of 1890, the building of the railway station, separate stone houses (that is, built on old stone foundations), and there are half-timbered houses. One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries, which appeared in the 16th century, is considered an attraction.

Former possessions of Polish kings, town Sambor, located in the historical region of Ukraine called Galicia, is famous not only for its venerable age, but also for its unique shrine. In the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a particle of the relics of St. Valentine, the very patron of all lovers, is preserved. Lovers of antiquity will find in Sambir the Market Square, which is obligatory for Western Ukrainian cities, and numerous churches, the spiers of which are tangled in the clouds, and neat houses built in past centuries.

Sambor is not just one of the provincial towns of the Lviv region. This is a town with its own history. Many famous personalities were born and raised in Sambir, including Marina Mnishek, a panyanka who was unlucky enough to marry two False Dmitrievs, and Les Kurbas, a legendary actor and director with a difficult fate, and Andrey Kuzmenko, the frontman of the popular Ukrainian group Skryabin.

How to get to Sambir

Since Sambir is located in the Lviv region, the easiest way to go to it is from Lviv. Shuttle buses run regularly from the central railway station. You can also use the Lviv-Syanky train, however, it departs from the suburban station.

If you plan to visit Sambir by your own car, then you need to leave Lviv along Gorodotska Street, and turn left after the village of Lapaevka. The road, of course, as in all Western Ukraine, leaves much to be desired, but there is no choice.

The ancient city of Sambir

When did the city of Sambir appear? Long before 1241, when he was first written about in the annals. According to local historians, Sambir used to be called Pogonich. It was founded by the ancient Russian tribes, who built a fortified city on a hill next to the village, where they could hide in case of an enemy attack. There is no exact date for the founding of this village.
The Carpathian region, where Sambir is located, has long attracted people. A warm climate, a favorable location near rivers and trade routes passing through this territory - the local area had a lot of advantages. It is not surprising that archaeologists conducting excavations on one of the streets of Sambir suddenly stumbled upon objects that could be dated to the 9th-8th centuries. BC e.

Interestingly, Sambor was actually called a completely different city. It was located at a distance of 18 km from Pogonich. In 1241, it was completely destroyed by the Tatar-Mongols. Residents from Sambor quickly moved under the protection of Pogonich warriors, who eventually became known as New Sambor, and then simply Sambor.

In the Middle Ages, Sambir flourished: Eastern caravans stopped here, carrying their goods to Europe. Residents of the northern cities, going south, also necessarily passed Sambir. The influx of funds into the city did not decrease, the townspeople grew rich and blessed fate for such a successful position of their Sambor.

Galicia in past centuries was considered a very tasty morsel, so almost all neighboring powers fought for it. It became part of the Hungarian and Polish kingdoms, was part of the Galicia-Volyn principality and the Austrian Empire. However, all the rulers paid enough attention to the expansion and improvement of Sambir. Thanks to governors, kings and queens, many historical monuments appeared in Sambir, which still delight local residents and tourists.

In search of inspiration - the sights of Sambir

Any traveler who finds himself in Sambir, first of all, goes to the historical center of the city for main square, which is called Market. The dominant feature of the square is the Town Hall, built in 1606, as evidenced by the sign above the entrance. The local city hall, one of the oldest in Ukraine, which the locals are incredibly proud of, is decorated with a 40-meter tower, on which an observation deck is located. There are 110 steps leading upstairs, overcoming which you can get a wonderful reward: a panorama of Sambir spread out in full view with its 13 temples, as well as green parks and shady gardens. When considering the city and outlining objects for inspection, you should be more careful and not lean against the railing that encloses the observation deck. In some places they are quite dilapidated and can cause an accident.

When climbing the town hall, you can inspect the mechanism of the clock that is installed on the tower. They were made in Prague and purchased by the city in 1885.

underground city

In past centuries, there was a prison in the cellars of the town hall, where state criminals were kept. Now it is being renovated, after which the city will receive a new museum. Once upon a time, a local pharmacist served as an executioner here. He saved the townspeople from various diseases, and cut off the heads of those especially guilty. This is just one of the stories about the local dungeons. Local historians assure that a whole network of underground corridors has been laid under Sambir, which are connected near the Church of St. John the Baptist.

In the 16th century, dungeons so wide appeared in Sambir that a carriage drawn by horses could pass through them. Underground corridors were created so that during fires or in the event of an attack by enemy armies from the city center, one could easily reach its outskirts. The modern city is now suffering greatly from these underground communications: the earth is constantly subsiding, and in some places even collapsing.

local shrines

One of the most beautiful temples of Sambir - Church of John the Baptist. This is an amazing church, since its altar is located on the eastern side of the temple, as is customary in the Orthodox tradition, and not on the western side, as Catholics usually place it. This happened because the original church was built by the Orthodox community. However, the construction cost too much, so the unfinished church was handed over to the Catholic Poles. They decided to save money and not break what had already been done, so the church was finished as it was originally intended. The walls of this temple remember Marina Mnishek herself, since it was here that she was engaged to the Russian impostor Tsar False Dmitry I.

Another amazing temple is located on Church Square almost in the very center of Sambir. Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the first Orthodox church built within the city. Before the appearance of this church, Ukrainians prayed in a small wooden chapel that stood on the outskirts. When a real shrine appeared in the old church - the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which exuded myrrh, the Poles, who at that time ruled Sambir, allowed the local Orthodox parishioners to build a church to store this icon. The image, called the Sambir Mother of God, is still kept in the temple.

Particles of relics are also displayed here Saint Valentine's brought to the church from Italy in 1759. This saint, seeing sincere prayer, helps to save the marriage and bestows love on those who seek. Therefore, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is considered a very romantic place where newlyweds come even after wedding ceremonies in other churches.

Sambir is a quiet, calm town, which is now going through hard times. It seems that time has stopped here somewhere in the century before last. At 18.00, shops and various entertainment venues close, but real fun begins on the streets: the whole city goes out for a walk.

There are few tourists here, so the infrastructure does not yet meet the high requirements of experienced travelers. But history is known and loved here, they can tell a lot of interesting legends associated with this or that architectural object, or even conduct a whole excursion for guests.

Sambor will definitely appeal to romantic people who believe in signs associated with the name of St. Valentine. Those who are fond of history will also be pleased with the trip to this Western Ukrainian town.

It is a regional center, but it is not included in the Sambir district, as it has the status of a city of regional subordination. Sambir lies 75 kilometers southwest of the regional center on the highway Lviv - Uzhhorod. The railway station is a junction where branches from Poland, Transcarpathia, Lviv and the Carpathian region converge.

Story

The origin of the city dates back to the beginning of our era, when early Slavic settlements existed here. The predecessor of Sambor is the ancient Russian town of Pogonich, about which very little is known. In 1241, the Mongol-Tatars, who invaded Galicia, ravaged many cities, including the princely city of Sambir. The surviving residents settled in Pogonich, which has since been called New Sambor. The destroyed Sambir was subsequently rebuilt - now it is the city of Old Sambir. The origin of the toponym has many versions. According to the most common, "sambor" in this region was called a tower above the entrance gate of a fortified settlement. Probably, such a sambor was in both the New and the Old City.

Since 1390, only the name Sambir has been applied to the town. That year he received the Magdeburg Law. The city repeatedly passed into the composition of Poland, Hungary, Austria, was subjected to raids by the Tatars, but at the same time it successfully developed. Contributed to this location on a strategic trade route that connected Central and Eastern Europe. From 1772 until 1918 Sambir was ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs. In which period does the formation of the historical center of the city belong? In 1919-39, Sambir was the center of the eponymous county in Poland. Since 1939 - in Soviet Ukraine.

sights

Among the buildings of the historical center of Sambir, the oldest are the Church of St. John the Baptist, the town hall and the Bernardine monastery. The church was founded in 1530, but the current building (stone) was built in 1642 and later restored several times. The town hall was built in the middle of the 17th century; even the medieval portal of the old burnt town hall has been preserved on it. The monastery in Sambir has been known since the 15th century, but its modern building was erected in 1698-1751. The complex of buildings includes the church of St. Stanislaus, which is distinguished by its excellent acoustic characteristics (within its walls there is an organ music hall), cells and a fancy chapel.

In Sambir, the remains of the castle and defense structures, several more ancient churches and a large number of historical buildings have been preserved, which make the city one of the cultural and tourist centers of Galicia.

So that the most respectable public does not get the impression that there is nothing remarkable in Western Ukraine, except for, I will finally tell you about the beauties of the visited cities of the Lviv region.

Sambir (accent, in fact, on the first syllable), Drohobych and Stryi are located about a hundred kilometers south of Lviv and thirty kilometers from each other. Each of these cities resembles Lvov in miniature.
Most of them is rich in monuments Drohobych. But Sambor and Stry make up a worthy frame for him.
We started our tour from Sambir, having arrived there late in the evening from Lviv. Then they lived in Drohobych for two days, and from there they left for Stryi, from where they already went to Transcarpathia. But first things first.

So, on the second of January in the morning we woke up in the hotel "Ukraine" and went for a walk around the city.

The center of Sambir, like Lviv, is Rynok Square (looking ahead, I will say that both in Drohobych and in Stryi the central squares are called exactly the same). The layout of the square is also similar to Lviv's - a square of houses standing with a "solid facade", and in the center - the town hall.

Everything here, of course, is both more modest and younger than in Lviv, but the Sambir Market still looks very nice.

Here are just some of the houses overlooking the "market square" square and adjoining it:

Authentic buildings are fully preserved only on two sides of the square.

I liked this house with a sign in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Shevchenko, installed under the Austrians.

On both sides of the town hall there are two monuments - the Mother of God on a pillar with the Ukrainian coat of arms

and, of course, Taras Grigorievich.

Interestingly, in the place of which of them stood Lenin?

Shevchenko looks at the cinema named after himself

Near the square, almost on the same line, there are the most ancient and remarkable temples of the city.

Church of John the Baptist (based on the 17th century)

Church of St. Stanislaus of the former Bernardine monastery

Uniate Church of the Nativity of the Virgin (XVIII century)

The church has a wonderful bell tower

In this frame you can see all three temples and the bell tower

There are also a couple of new churches in Sambir.

This is the cathedral I really liked. Of all the temples I have seen built in the post-Soviet space in the post-Soviet period, this one is perhaps the most brutal.

It will be a pity if it is plastered

But the sights of Sambir are not limited to the development of the square and churches of varying degrees of antiquity. On the contrary, the most interesting, in my opinion, begins just outside the Market.

The city has several representative public buildings from the Austrian era

The building of the District Court, built in 1909, now houses the Pedagogical University

The temple of justice was decorated with stucco depicting scales and mascarons with a "blinkered" Themis

But perhaps the most outstanding building of the Austrian era, which I would not have lost in Lviv, is the District Treasury.

Now it is a hospital.

Some more marvelous examples of provincial secession

very expressive mascarons. if the house was not clearly inhabited, I would have assumed that it was a funeral home.

not a secession, but also a remarkable building. Looks like it's got some medical stuff in it right now.

I really liked this school, built, most likely, already under the Poles. Looks pretty weird

Enough about Sambir for now. The city was too good for one post.
In the next part, we will walk a little further from the city center.