An enjoyable day trip to Lviv (Lvov in Polish) with a short stop in Zhovkva (Zolkiew in Polish).

ZHOVKVA - old Slavic Vinnyky. Medieval Zolkiew. Soviet Nesteriv. With each change in history this town changed its name and appearance.
In 1594 the great Hetman Stanislaus Zolkiewski (1547-1620) transformed the village of Vynnyky into a town-fortress. And in 1603 the town was granted Magdeburg Law by Polish King Sigmund III and named "Zolkiew" (Zhovkva) from the hetman's name.
Zhovkva is the only example in Ukraine saved Renaissance "Ideal" city-citadel, the real pearl of national architecture heritage. Based on a project by Italian architect B. Morando, three well-known Lviv craftsmen Pawel Szczesliwy (Shchastlyvyy), Pawel Rzymianin and Ambrozy Przychylny tried to build an "ideal" Zhovkva. The centre of their attention was the castle.
The town received the statute of state historical and architectural reserve in 1994.

More about this beautiful, historical town
http://www.geocities.com/zhovkva/history_e.html

LVIV - LEOPOLIS - CITY OF LION - through the ages it had been part of numerous states and empires, including, under the name Lwow, Poland and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; under the name Lemberg, the Austrian and later Austro-Hungarian Empires; the short-lived West Ukrainian People's Republic after World War I; Poland again; and the Soviet Union.
Lviv was founded in 1256 by the Prince of Galicia and Volyn Danylo Romanovych, who named the town in honour of his son Lev (Leo). The centre of old Lviv was on the site of today's Old Rynok Square. Situated on the crossroads of trade routes, Lviv grew fast, and soon became an important centre of commerce and crafts. Its location in the middle of Galicia-Volyn principality gave the town a considerable strategic value. In 1272 Prince Lev transferred the capital of the principality from Qalych to Lviv. In 1349 Lviv was captured by the Polish King Casimir III, who ordered it to be moved more to the south. The new town was built to the plan of a traditional European settlement: a central square surrounded by living quarters and fortifications. In 1356 Casimir III granted the city with Magdeburg rights which started a period of rapid development.
Ancient Lviv was one of the biggest and most important towns of the principality of Galicia and Volyn.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Lviv became part of the newly-independent Ukraine, serving as the capital of the Lviv Oblast. Today the city remains one of the most important centers of Ukrainian cultural, economic and political life and is noted for its beautiful and diverse architecture.
Lviv is a magical city, one of the most beautiful ones in whole Europe.

History of Lviv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lviv