Ukraine - Western Ukraine
Cities: Zhovkva, Lviv, Olesko, Pochayiv Lavra, Kremenets, Ramparts of the Holy Trinity, Khotyn Fortress, Kamianets Podilsky, Buchach
Places: Lviv, Pochaiv Lavra, Kamianets Podilsky Castle
April - 2005

Zhovkva - a city in the Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine.
It is the administrative center of the Zhovkivskyi Raion (district).
The site of Zhovkva has been inhabited since the 14th century. In 1594 the Polish nobleman Stanisław Żółkiewski fortified the settlement and constructed a castle. In only a few years the town grew greatly in size, becoming a 17th century residence for King John III Sobieski of Poland.

Lviv - a major city in western Ukraine. For many centuries it was contested: first it belonged to the Kievan Rus', since 1340 to the Kingdom of Poland, and subsequently to the Polish half of the Commonwealth. In 1772 it became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, after World War One the city belonged to the Second Polish Republic. As a result of the joint Nazi-Soviet attack on Poland, Lviv was taken by the USSR. Now, it belongs to the independent Ukraine.

Olesko - small town in Lviv Province of western Ukraine.
It was the seat of the rebbes of Alesk, and also the birthplace of Jan III Sobieski, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Pochayiv Lavra of the Assumption of the Theotokos - has for centuries been the foremost spiritual and ideological centre of various Orthodox denominations in Western Ukraine. The monastery tops a 60-metre hill in the town of Pochayiv, Ternopil Oblast, 18 km southwest of Kremenets and 50 km north of Ternopil.

Kremenets- a city in the Ternopil Oblast Province of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenetsky District, and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Monastery. The city is situated in the historic region of Volhynia.

Okopy Svyatoyi Triytsi - Ramparts of the Holy Trinity located in the Borshchivskyi Raion (district) of the Ternopil Province, and had its origins as a fortress at the meeting of the Zbruch and Dniester rivers.

Khotyn - first chronicled in 1001, is located on the right (southern) bank of the Dniester River, and is part of the historical region Bessarabia. Important architectural landmarks within the city include the Khotyn Fortress, constructed in the 13-15th centuries.

Kamianets-Podilskyi - a city located on the Smotrych River in southwestern Ukraine. Formerly the administrative center of the Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of the Kamianets-Podilskyi District within the Khmelnytsky Oblast Province, after the administrative center of the oblast was moved from the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi to the city of Khmelnytskyi in 1941. The city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast.
Kamianets-Podilskyi was first mentioned in 1062 as a town of the Kievan Rus' state. In 1241, it was destroyed by the Mongol Tatar invaders. In 1352, it was annexed by the Polish King Casimir III, and became the capital of Podole Voivodship and the seat of local civil and military administration. The ancient castle was reconstructed and substantially expanded by the Polish kings to defend Poland from the southwest against Ottoman and Tatar invasions.

Kremenets- a city in the Ternopil Province of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenetsky Raion District, and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Monastery. The city is situated in the historic region of Volhynia.

Buchach - a small city located on the Strypa River (a tributary of the Dniester River) in the Ternopil Oblast Province of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Buchatskyi Raion District, and rests 135 km south east of Lviv, in the historic region of Galicia