Lviv National Museum

The Ukrainian city of Lviv situated in western Ukraine is considered to be one of the richest in culture and heredity. A visitor who loves architecture, culture and heritage can find notable museums and galleries displaying a wide collection of arts and historical objects. Lviv is considered to be one of the oldest places rich in historical artifacts and cultural relics. Lviv National Museum is considered one of the most famous museums in Lviv.

Lviv National Museum is one of the largest museums in Ukraine, dedicated to Ukrainian culture. The museum was established by Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky in the year 1905. The museum was originally known as Lwow Ecclesiastical Museum.

The history of the museum is connected with the democratic movement in Western Ukraine for the national and social liberation and for the establishment Ukrainian rights for their own culture. Ivan Franko, Ivan Trush, Fila ret Kolessa and some other prominent personalities played an important role in the foundation of the museum.

The Museum houses a wide collection of manuscripts, sculptures, paintings, and icons, decorative carvings, repoussage, embroidered materials, and sand handicrafts since 14th century. All these items are immaculately maintained and exhibited till today. The museum houses works by artists like Pinsel, Filewicz, Polejoweski and many others. The National Museum houses a large number of manuscripts some of which are Cracow publications Schweipolt Fiol 91491-1493, Prague and Vienna printings by Francysk Skaryna and all of Ivan Fedorovs publications. Icon- paintings of at least 4000 forms form one of core collections of the museum. A set of Ukrainian folk and professional engravings of 17th and 18th century are also displayed by the Lviv National Museum. In all, the museum collection reaches upto 140, 000 items.

The founder of National Museum donated 10,000 items to the museum and contributed funds for proper maintenance of the items. After the Second World War the museum was renamed as Lviv Museum of Ukrainian Arts. The collection of the museum was increased by adding items confiscated from other Lviv museums. By 20th century the museum was considered largest in terms of collection of Ukrainian folk arts and icons. The Lviv National Museum has recently shifted into an ornate building of the former Polish Industrial Museum. The Sokalshchina Museum in Chervonohrad and different memorial houses are affiliated or associated with the National Museum.

An ample of artistic works by various Lviv painters and sculptors from different ages can best found in museums of Lviv. However the collection of The National Museum is perhaps the best of the lot.