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Regional Landscape Park Znesinnya

Regional Landscape Park Znesinnya is the largest park in Lviv, Ukraine. It is located in the north-east part of the city and reachable within a 20min walk from the City Hall (Ratusha) and the Market Square (Plosha Rynok). Together with the High Castle (Vysokyi Zamok) the hills of Park Znesinnya form Lviv’s distinctive city skyline, known from drawings going back to the 16th century.

The historical village of Znesinnya which is named after the Christian holiday of Ascension is located inside the park. It is one of the first areas settled by men inside the present boundaries of Lviv. Founded within the territory of a huge city and being commenced due a public initiative in 1993, Park Znesinnya is one of the first of its kind in Ukraine. The NGO “Regional Foundation Znesinnya” started to claim for the protection of the area informally in 1990, getting registered in 1991 as a non-governmental, non-profit organization.

The park is managed by the park administration as subunit of the city administration as well as by „Regional Foundation Znesinnya”. Following Ukrainian legislation on natural environment protected areas the park provides not only typical recreational park functions with tourism, but also environmental protection and environmental education.

Including the open-air Museum of Folk Architecture in Shevchenkivskyi Grove it contains one of the most famous tourist attractions of Lviv. Located close to the old town and the area under UNESCO protection, Znesinnya has several entrances from various streets, free for one’s choice to walk.

Geography
The park covers a total area of 312 hectares and includes rare specimens of plants, sandstones, limestones containing fossils, hills covered by forests and picturesque valleys with ponds and streams.

The highest point of the park is Lewa (Lion's) Mountain (389 m above sea level) and is declared a geological monument of nature. As traces of the sea covered the landscape 20-25 million years ago, marks of shells of extinct mollusc can be found in the limestone. Lewa Mountain is easiest to reach by feet coming from the High Castle (Vysokyi Zamok) and Krivonosa street.

In the eastern part of the park Khomec' Mountain (306 m above sea level) is situated – a unique monument of steppe vegetation, as sleep-grass dev'yasyl, tarragon and flax can be found here.

Further interesting natural spots are „Stara Strilnycya” park, as well as Stefana and Baba Mountain and the streams of Hlybokyj and Khomec'.

The park contains the forest “Kaiserwald” which was established during rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Park visitors can cross it on the so-called Kaiser-Pass. It is widely vegetated by pine and spruce as well as birch and red oak. In spring the colourful blossoms on pear, cherry and apple trees can be observed here.

Regional Landscape Park Znesinnya is located near the main European watershed that separates the Baltic and the Black Sea.

Historical points of interest
Park Znesinnya contains a huge variety of traces of the past, such as relics of old Ruthenian settlements, churches, monasteries, sacral objects and an old cemetery. Furthermore one can find examples of industrial construction from the beginning of 20th century, former sandpits, stone quarries as well as traditional cottages.

Important archaeological sites inside Park Znesinnya are the relics of fortified settlement and worship on Baba mountain (9th – 11th century; 13th century), the settlement at the Svitovydove Field (10th – 11th century), the foundations of a defensive tower (13th  – the beginning of the 14th century) that earlier were a place of worship and defence in the 9th – 5th century B.C. and are currently occupied by the St. Illya Greek-Catholic Church from the 17th century.

An important historical place is the old Znesinnya cemetery (19th century) with the common military grave of the Ukrainian Sitchovi Stril’ci (Sitch Riflemen), unique in Lviv as the only military one being not destroyed after World War II, containing also the grave of the Talerhof concentration camp prisoners as well.

One of Lviv's most popular tourist sport is the Museum of Folk Architecture in Shevchenkivskyi Grove (Shevchenkivskyi Hay). Here examples of 17th – 20th century Ukrainian architecture as well as some rich ethnographic collection are shown. St. Mykola Church from the 18th century is as well located here.

Further architectural and religious points of interest are St. Illia Greek-Catholic Church (17th century), St. Adalbert Monastery Complex (16th century) and Ascension of Jesus Greek-Catholic Church (beginning of 20th century) situated at the place of a former wooden Orthodox Church from the 16th century. Moreover examples of housing and industrial buildings – an alcohol and pharmaceutical factory from the beginning of the 20th century – can be found inside Park Znesinnya.

Activities
The park area is having a convenient microclimate and is a suitable choice of options for ecotourism as it provides various opportunities for recreation. It has numerous natural facilities as well as picturesque forest round tracks and excellent viewpoints. People use Znesinnya area for a huge variety of sports such as running, hiking, cycling, gymnastics and fishing. Providing a ski slope Znesinnya is Lviv's top spot for skiing and sledging in wintertime.

There are historical railways placed inside the park's territory which are unsteadily used for tourist trains.

Education
The park contains an educational center that offers trainings in natural environment monitoring and environmental-friendly management of natural resources to pupils and students. In summer international environmental youth camps are organized.

Threats to the park
Besides erosion of the soil and trash in the area the park is currently threatened by illegal construction sites inside the park.