While I write this, the Russian army is bombing and shelling Ukraine, targeting and killing civilians indiscriminately. Whole towns are obliterated and millions of Ukrainians are fleeing the front lines. So far, L'viv being the western most major city of Ukraine has been spared the worst, but individual bomb raids have reached it. Hopefully, the precious jewel that is L'viv will remain unscathed, while the Ukrainians repel the Russian army.

One justification for the war can be found in Putin's now infamous pseudo historic treatise on Ukraine. It's major claim is that there is no such thing as an Ukrainian nation. All Ukrainians are really Russians at heart; Russians who need to be bombed back into the nation they belong to.

The whole argument is bs. Nations are constructs, not natural or historic givens. By Putin's logic, Austrians and the German speaking Swiss should be German; they decidedly are not. Listen to me and Philipp discuss the abuse of the German language that is parkieren, or try to explain to me what a Paradeiser (?!) is, and you will understand. Parken und Tomate are the proper German words if you are wondering.

In 1870, when Germany unified under Prussian banners, some felt German, but most felt they were Hessians, Prussians, Bavarians, Frisian (my paternal ancestors), Polish, Danish and what not. The German nation had to be created not just by blood and iron as Bismarck succinctly put it; and there was way too much of it. But also by assembling regional myths and traditions into a coherent national story. Go listen to Neil MacGregor's podcast on Germany if you are interested how the Grimms, beer and sausages contributed to creating a German identity.

But even if you accept Putin's premise that nations are historic entities, L'viv demonstrates how inconsistently Putin (or for that matter any nationalist) applies his own logic. If you read my previous review from 2020, I reference Russia exactly zero times. Same as Els in her intro. She does mention plenty of nationalities congregating in this multicultural hub: Ukrainians, Polish, Armenians, Austrians, Germans, Jews, and even Italians (?). But Russians are pointedly missing in her list. And they are missing for a simple reason: L'viv was never part of Russia and there is no way to construe it as Russian. Unless you are Russian nationalist who enjoys pseudo history and who is eager to subdue all those lesser people around your great nation.

For the most part, L'viv was part of Poland and the Polish Lithuanian Commonweal. After the partitions of Poland it became the capital of the province of Galicia in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. As I understand it, it was the 4th most important city in the empire and blossomed. In the interwar period it became Polish again in the 2nd Polish Republic. It was only after World War 2 that the territory became part of the Soviet Union and the Polish population was expelled westwards.

I have visited L'viv twice. One time coming from Zamosc years ago. And in 2021, during the summer easing of the Covid lockdowns. Each time I came I found a splendid, lively and culturally rich city. I fondly remember the many restaurants and the busy bars and cafes, serving Austrian style coffee. I guessed that at the latest when Ukraine joins the European Union, L'viv would feature prominently on the European getaway list or the UK stag nights.

With war raging, the obvious priority is not on making this a tourist hotspot. It is on the ordinary Ukrainians suffering from the Russian aggression and making it out alive. But after the war is over I hope that L'viv will keep or regain it's unique charm quickly.