A Historical Town

Komarno is a small town in Horodok District of Lviv region. Its population is about 4,000 residents and the area is only 10 sq.km. The town lies on the rivers the Vereshchytsia and the Struga in the southwestern part of Lviv region. There were many marshes along the bank of those two rivers. The marshes swarmed with tons of mosquitoes. It is from these masses of mosquitoes that the settlement got it name.

The first mention of Komarno was made in 1427. The year 1471 is considered the foundation year of Komarno. The town of Komarno was granted Magdeburg rights back in 1473. Archaeological excavations were held on the territory of the modern town in 1936. Those excavations led to the discovery of finds dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. Next to them, they found objects dating back to the era of the ancient state of Kiev Rus that clearly demonstrated the existence of a fortified settlement in the past.

July 31 is the Town Day in Komarno.

We, Matt, Urszula, Sonja and I, had a great VT Meet in Truskavets in May 2015. During our stay there, we paid a visit to this place thanks to Matt and Urszula who had arrived to Truskavets by car. We visited the wooden church and took lots of pictures there.

The small town of Komarno has several architectural monuments, among them the ruins of Lanckorona Castle and Komarno Castle (moats and ramparts).

The temples of Komarno include:

• Archangel St.Michael’s Church , built in 1910, is a special attraction here. Archangel St.Michael’s Church is one of the best examples of Galician folk wooden architecture. It was built on the site of its predecessor - Trinity Church - in 1754. This is evidenced by the date on the central dome. Several times there was restoration of the temple. During the restoration of 1965 - 1967 the temple regained its original appearance. To protect the church from being demolished by the Communist authorities, the temple was declared to be the national museum. However. The church remained in a poor condition. The community of Komarno proceeded to restoration work. Now Archangel St.Michael’s Church is an architectural monument of national importance. It adorns not only Komarno, but the entire region.

Archangel St.Michael’s Church, Komarno

Archangel St.Michael’s Church

Archangel St.Michael’s Church

• Nativity of the Virgin Church is another ancient temple of Komarno. This temple dates back to 1656. The building has distinct features of a fortress. Rich sculptures decorating the façade are another feature of the church. In the Soviet period, the church was used as a furniture warehouse. The church was returned to the Roman Catholic community in 1992, but soon it was transferred to the Greek Catholic community. Now the temple is closed.

• St.Peter and St.Paul’s Cathedral, located in the western corner of the former market square. It was built in 1848 to replace an old wooded church. Thus church was severely damaged during the World War I.

If you have to stay in Komarno, there are at least two hotels here:

1) Komarik (“Little Mosquito”) Hotel located downtown at 8 Ivan Franko Street. Tel. +38 067 948 32 00, +38 098 585 13 28. There is a café attached to this hotel. The café is called Komarik as well.

2) Lybid ("Swan") Mini-hotel located at 27 Ivan Franko Street; tel. +38 067 394 03 94. This is the most central hotel of Komarno: a new two-storeyed building with an attic. The hotel has a sauna with a large swimming pool. Overall, the hotel has 5 rooms. In addition, there is Lybid Restaurant.

The town council approved the modern coat-of-arms of Komarno on February 21, 1997. You can see a golden letter "K" on an azure field, and under it - a golden cross. The shield is enframed with a cartouche and is crowned by an urban silver crown made of bricks and having three battlements. They say the golden letter "K" has been on town emblems since the 16th century.

The Town Council works at 34 Sich Riflemen Street, tel. +38 03231 43066. The mailing area code is 81563; Email: [email protected]

I found out that there was a classification of towns and cities. Therefore, the number of residents plays an important role in this classification, and not the city amenities or sights. A town starts with 11,000 residents, and any smaller number than that means a large village or a settlement. However, in case of Komarno, we should remember that Komarno was granted Magdeburg rights back in 1473, even though its present population is like that of an ordinary village...

You can take Bus 190 from Lviv Regional Bus Station. It will take you about 1.5 hours to get to Komarno. There are five local trains From Lviv to Komarno and visa versa: two in the morning and three in the afternoon. The train journey is about one hour.