Belz is Returning Former Glory

There is Belz city in Lviv region with the population of 2400 people. Time has stopped in this city. And that is not an exaggeration: the phantom from 1000 year past has wrapped it like a cabbage. It was once. The same is now. But the man appeared who managed to put this past into the big modern powerful train which has already brought Belz to the perspective European spaces. Presently the city mayor Ivan Kalysh together with the group of scientists – historians, archeologists, restorer, architects –are creating unsurpassable center of pilgrimages and tourism of the world importance on the small part of land.

In Belz the State Historical and Cultural Conservation was founded by the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in 2001. Its territory is 38 hectares and is formed by four conservation zones: 1. Natural landmark “Zamochok” – the former prince’s city with outskirts. 2. Middletown where the number of architectural monuments dated XVII century is located: the ensemble of St. Mykolay Church with the cloister buildings (former cloister of sisters-Dominicans), City Hall with the ruins of the former parish church (the monastery of Dominicans), the tower-chapel dated 1606 and also the Market Square of XVII century, important historic building. 3. Christian cemetery with St. Paraskeva Church of XVII century. 4. Jewish cemetery of XVII-XX centuries and the remains of the defensive walls of XVII century.

Larysa Marchuk