The Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), and is designated as its own separate raion (region) within the oblast (city municipality). Ivano-Frankivsk region is located in Western Ukraine and is the most mountainous and highest region in the country with the highest mountains in Ukraine.
BBuilt in the mid 17th century as a private fortress of the Potocki family, with the partition of Poland in 1772 Ivano-Frankivsk was passed to the Habsburg Empire, after which it became the property of the State authorities of the Austrian Empire. It was during that time that the fortress was transformed into one of the most prominent cities at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.
At the dawn of World War II, the city was annexed by the Soviet Union, only to be occupied by Nazi Germany two years later. With the liberation of Ukraine in 1944, a Soviet regime was established in the city for the next 45 years. A few years before the fall of the Soviet Union, the blue-yellow flag was raised in the city as the symbol of an independent Ukraine.
About Ivano Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk region has a rich cultural and historical heritage (more than 3.5 thousand monuments). Among them St. Panteleimon’s Church (XII century), Maiava cell (XVII century), wooden Hutsul and Boyko churches famous far abroad.
The Kolomyya museum of Folk Art of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttia named after Kobrynski and “Pysanka” museum with the unique architecture (which looks like an Easter egg) are the treasures of local folk art and crafts.
Kosiv city is a well-known center of Hutsul art.
The popular ways of tourism and recreation are winter sports, hiking, rafting and canoeing, biking and horse riding, rock-climbing, green rural and eco, cultural and city weekends.
There are more than 30 ski lifters in the region, namely in the settlements of Palianytsia, Yablunytisa, Kosiv, Verkhovyna and Vyshkiv.
The city has six universities, the Ivano-Frankivsk Institute of Management that is a local campus of the Ternopil National Economic University, and the Ivano-Frankivsk Institute of Management and Economics “Halytska Akademia”. All of those universities are state funded.
Ivano Frankivsk
National Medical University
The university is situated in Ivano city in northwest of Ukraine and it is a leading higher education establishment in the region of a classical type with a higher accreditation level. The University provides continuity of higher medical education: Junior Specialist – a Bachelor – a Medical Specialist – a Master – a post graduate. The University history started in 1945 and is listed in the WHO Directory of Medical Schools and in the US FAIMER International Medical Education Directory (IMED).
The university is one of the few Medical Universities in Ukraine to be conferred the honor of being designated as a “National Medical University” by the Government of Ukraine.
Ivano Frankivsk
National Technical University of Oil and Gas
Since its establishment in 1967, the university’s focus remains on preparing qualified and experienced specialists for the oil and gas industries. However, it has expanded to offer education in economics, management and law that is directly related to the needs of energy industry.
Ivano-Frankivsk Oil and Gas University has a two-pronged approach toward the education of its students: in the classrooms and in the field. In the classroom, students are provided with theoretical knowledge. Then, by working at university “field-classrooms” or by holding internships with regional businesses and organizations, the future specialists gain practical experience.
As is the case with most of Ukraine, the climate is moderate continental with warm summers, and fairly cold winters. The average number of days with precipitation is 170 spread almost equally throughout a year. Most precipitation takes place during the winter months and least – early fall. Thunderstorms occur mostly in summer months averaging around 25 annually. Ivano-Frankivsk averages about 296 days of fog or misty days with about 24 per month. The city is situated in the Carpathian region northeast of the mountain range, sitting approximately 120 metres (390 ft) above mean sea level.
Economy of region has industrial and agricultural character. In the industrial sector is formed a powerful mining, petrochemical, woodworking clusters. Important types of industrial activity are also electricity, machinery, food industry, production of construction materials.
10% of the total wood stock and 160 prospected deposits of 24 kinds of minerals: fuel and energy (oil, gas, lignite, peat) and chemical (rock and potassium salt, sulfur, phosphates) construction materials (gypsum, marl, sandstone, clay), balneology (ozokerite, mineral water) are concentrated in the region.
Almost 10% of the river flow of Ukraine is formed in the region (more than 8,000 rivers). Here, one will find preserved natural landscapes, forests and relict species of plants and animals more than in other parts of Ukraine . Forests cover about 43% of the area. There are 356 natural parks and reserves under the protection of the state. The largest of them are Carpathian National Park, Hutsulshchyna National Park and Gorgan nature reserve.
The popular ways of tourism and recreation are winter sports, hiking, rafting and canoeing, biking and horse riding, rock-climbing, green rural and eco-tourism, cultural and city week-ends.
There are more than 30 ski lifters in the region mainly in the settlements of Palianytsia (ski resort «Bukovel»), Yablunytisa, Kosiv, Verkhovyna and Vyshkiv.
The mountain rivers Prut and Cheremosh create lots of waterfall cascades, which are important for water tourism development. The water trips on Dnister River are becoming more and more popular.
Ivano-Frankivsk region has rich cultural and historical heritage (more than 3,5 thousands monuments). These include St. Panteleimon’s Church (XII century), Maniava cell (XVII century), and wooden Hutsul and Boyko churches which are famous far beyond the region.
The Kolomyya museum of Folk Art of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttia named after Kobrynski and “Pysanka” museum with the unique architecture (in form of taster Egg) are the treasures of local folk art and crafts.
Kosiv city is well-known center of Hutsul art.
Popular tourist attractions of Ivano-Frankivsk region
Church of Holy Spirit (XVI century, Rohatyn city)
Burshtyn storage pond (traveling by boats, fishing)
Carmelites Castle (1624, Bilshivtsi town)
National reserve “Ancient Halych” (Krylos village, Halych district)
Panteleimon’s Church (XII century, Shevchenkove village, Halych district)
Nature complex “Dovbush’s Rocks”
Goshiv monastery (Hoshiv village, Dolyna district)
Museum of Stepan Bandera (Staryi Uhryniv village, Kalush district)
Ivano-Frankivsk Art Museum
Ivano-Frankivsk Local Lore Museum
Public transportation
The city of Ivano-Frankivsk has an extensive network of public transport including buses, trolleybuses, and taxis. There are nine trolleybus routes and about 52 for regular buses. Some of the routes run beyond the city into nearby villages.
Railway transportation
There is one railway terminal that serves the Ivano-Frankivsk train station. There are also smaller rail stations in adjacent villages, including Uhryniv and Khryplyn. All of them are part of Lviv Railways.
Bus transportation
Until 2008, the railway terminal also housed a bus terminal which provided several inter-city bus routes, including some to international destinations. In 2000, construction began on a new bus terminal next to the railway terminus on Zaliznychna Street. Inauguration of the new bus terminal took place on 22 May 2010. At the opening ceremony the mayor of the city, Viktor Anushkevichus, noted that the new bus terminal was only partially completed, and for a period it would be necessary to offload passengers at the Pryvokzalna Square, which is already saturated with traffic. He also emphasised the need for another bus station on the outskirts of the city.[7] Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport
The city is served by the Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport, which was granted international status in 1992. The airport shares its facilities with the 114 Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. Since 2002 the airport has been leased to the private enterprise company Yavson, and from 2005 the Public limited company Naftokhimik Prykarpattia, a (subsidiary of Ukrnafta). The contract with Naftokhimik Prykarpattia expires in 2013.
The city has six universities, the Ivano-Frankivsk Institute of Management that is a local campus of the Ternopil National Economic University, and the Ivano-Frankivsk Institute of Management and Economics “Halytska Akademia”. All of those universities are state funded.
The city is situated in the Carpathian region northeast of the mountain range, sitting approximately 120 metres (390 ft) above mean sea level.[6] One of the several main geographical features is the Vovchynets Hill also known as the Vovchynets Mountains. The hill reaches 300-350 meters (1,150 ft) above the sea level and is part of the Pokuttya Highland (Upland). Around the hill Bystrytsia River branches into Bystrytsia of Nadvirna, Bystrytsia of Solotvyn, and Verona. The last two rivers serve a natural border between the Pokuttya Highland and Stanislav Basin. The Vovchynets Hill is located just outside and northeast of Ivano-Frankivsk.
Both city and oblast administrations as well as the regional council are all located in a massive white building on the Hrushevsky Street locally known as Bily Dim or Bily Budynok. In front of the building are a big open space bordered by Shpytalna Street on the north-east, Hrushevsky Street on the south-east, and Melnychuk Street on the south-west. Next to the building is located a memorial to the Unification of Western Ukraine with the rest of Ukraine. The main feature of the memorial is a tall marble stele, on both sides of which are located statues: kamenyar (west) and kobzar (east).
