Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukrainian: Івано-Франківськ, IPA: [iˈwɑno frɐnˈkiu̯sʲk] ^ⓘ), formerly Stanyslaviv, Stanislav and Stanisławów,^{[lower-alpha 1][2][3]} is a city in western Ukraine.^[4] It serves as the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast as well as Ivano-Frankivsk Raion within the oblast. Ivano-Frankivsk also hosts the administration of Ivano-Frankivsk urban hromada.^[5] Its population is 238,196 (2022 estimate).^[6]

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Ivano-Frankivsk Івано-Франківськ
City
From top, left to right: Market Square Church of Virgin Mary Forestry National Medical University Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Frankivsk (Франківськ), Franyk (Франик), Stanyslaviv (Станиславів)
Ivano-Frankivsk Location of Ivano-Frankivsk Show map of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine
Coordinates: 48°55′22″N 24°42′38″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Raion	Ivano-Frankivsk Raion
Hromada	Ivano-Frankivsk urban hromada
Established	1662
Subdivisions	List city municipalities town municipalities rural municipalities ----- Total settlements: cities urban-type settlements villages settlements
Government
• Mayor	Ruslan Martsinkiv [uk] (Svoboda)[1]
Area
• Total	83.7 km2 (32.3 sq mi)
Elevation	260 m (850 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	238,196
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	76000–76030
Area code	+380 342
Website	mvk.if.ua

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Built in the mid-17th century as a fortress of the Polish Potocki family, Stanisławów was annexed to the Habsburg Empire during the First Partition of Poland in 1772, after which it became the property of the State within the Austrian Empire. The fortress was slowly transformed into one of the most prominent cities at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. After World War I, for several months, it served as a temporary capital of the West Ukrainian People's Republic. Following the Peace of Riga in 1921, Stanisławów became part of the Second Polish Republic. After the Soviet invasion of Poland at the onset of World War II, the city was annexed by the Soviet Union, only to be occupied by Nazi Germany two years later. With the liberation of Soviet Ukraine in 1944 and the shifting of borders, the city remained part of the Ukrainian SSR and was renamed in 1962 after Ivan Franko. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city become part of newly independent Ukraine.

Ivano-Frankivsk is one of the principal cities of the Carpathian Euroregion. There are elements of various cultures intertwined in the city's architecture, including the Polish city hall, the Austro-Hungarian city's business centre, the Soviet prefabricated apartment blocks at the city's rural–urban fringe, and others.

The town was founded as a fortress known as Stanisławów where it was named after the Polish hetman Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki.^[7][8] Some sources claim it was named after his grandson Stanisław.^[9] Following the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the name was transliterated as Stanislau in German, as the city became part of the Austrian Empire, and later Austria-Hungary; however, after the Revolutions of 1848, the city carried three different linguistic renderings of its name: German, Polish, and Ruthenian (German: Stanislau, pronounced [ˈʃtaːnɪslaʊ]; Polish: Stanisławów, pronounced [staɲiˈswavuf]; Ukrainian: Станісла́вів Stanislaviv, pronounced [stɐn⁽ʲ⁾iˈslɑwiu̯], or Станиславiв^[10] Stanyslaviv, pronounced [stɐnɪˈslɑwiu̯]). Other spellings used in the local press media included Russian: Станиславов Stanislavov and Yiddish: סטאַניסלאוו.

After World War II it was changed by the Soviet authorities into a simplified version Stanislav (Ukrainian: Станісла́в, pronounced [stɐn⁽ʲ⁾iˈslɑu̯]; Russian: Станисла́в, pronounced [stənʲɪˈslaf]). In 1962, to honor the Ukrainian writer Ivan Franko on the city's 300th anniversary, it was renamed Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukrainian: Івано-Франківськ) or Ivano-Frankovsk (Russian: Ивано-Франковск). It is sometimes colloquially called Franyk (Франик)^{[11][verification needed]} by its residents.

The town of Stanisławów was founded as a fortress in order to protect the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Tatar invasions and to defend the multi-ethnic population of the region in case of armed conflicts such as the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648. The fort was originally built next to Zabolotiv village (known since 1435),^[12] and Knyahynyn (1449).^[9] The village of Zabolotiv and the land around it were purchased by Andrzej Potocki from another Polish nobleman, Rzeczkowski. Stanisławów was issued by Potocki and his declaration establishing the city with Magdeburg rights on May 7, 1662; but the city and its rights, however, were not recognized by the Polish Crown until August 14, 1663, when John Casimir had finally approved it. By 1672, the fortress had been rebuilt from wood to stone, brick, and mortar. Also a new large fortified Potocki palace was erected in the place of an older wood structure. Today this building serves as the military hospital. In the same year Jews were granted the right to become permanent residents, who could work, conduct commerce and travel in and out of the city as they pleased.^[13]

Originally the city was divided into two districts: Tysmenytsia and Halych. Sometime in 1817–1819 the neighbouring village of Zabolottya, that had a special status, was incorporated into the city as a new district, while Tysmenytsia district was divided into Tysmenytsia and Lysets districts. Each district had its main street corresponded with its name: Halych Street (Halych district), Tysmenytsia Street which today is Independence Street (Tysmenytsia district), Zabolotiv Street – Mykhailo Hrushevsky Street and Street of Vasylyanok (Zabolottya district), and Lysets Street – Hetman Mazepa Street (Lysets district). Later the city was split into six small districts: midtown where the rich Catholic population and patricians lived, pidzamche (subcastle), and four suburbs – Zabolotiv, Tysmenytsia, Halych and Lysets where the plebeians lived.^[14]

In October 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) was proclaimed.^[15] In the early months of 1919 (from January to May) the city became a temporary capital of the West Ukrainian National Republic, while still recovering from World War I. All state affairs took place in the building of Dnister Hotel where the Act Zluky (Unification Act) was composed and signed on January 22, 1919 by the Ukrainian People's Republic.^[16][17] The same year it was subjected to the Polish–Ukrainian and the Romanian-Ukrainian skirmishes eventually being annexed by Poland as part of the Second Polish Republic as the centre of the Stanisławów Voivodeship. It was occupied by the Romanian army for the summer months from May 25 through August 21, 1919. During the Polish–Soviet War in 1920, the Red Army took over the city for a brief period. After the Soviet retreat, Ukrainian troops loyal to Symon Petlura occupied the city for a few days. At this period of history the city was in complete disorder.^[18] It then became part of Poland until the start of World War II.

In the 1939 invasion of Poland by German and Soviet forces, the territory was captured by the Soviets in September 1939 and annexed to the Ukrainian SSR. Between September 1939 and June 1941, the Soviet regime ordered thousands of inhabitants of the city to leave their houses and move to Siberia, where most of them perished. Numerous people were taken out of the city prison and simply shot outside of the city when Soviet forces were leaving it in 1941. Ivano-Frankivsk was occupied by German forces from July 2, 1941 to July 27, 1944. There were more than 40,000 Jews in Stanisławów when it was occupied by the Nazi Germany on July 26, 1941. The Stanisławów Ghetto was formed. During the occupation (1941–44), more than 600 educated Poles and most of the city's Jewish population were murdered.^[19][20]

In early 1944, the city became part of the Soviet Union and was again renamed Stanislav. The Soviets forced most of the Polish population to leave the city, where most of them settled in the Recovered Territories. In 1962, the city was renamed Ivano-Frankivsk after the Ukrainian writer Ivan Franko.^[2]

During the post-war period, the city was part of the Carpathian Military District housing the 38th Army (70th Motor Rifle Division) that participated in Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Until 18 July 2020, Ivano-Frankivsk was incorporated as a city of oblast significance and the center of Ivano-Frankivsk Municipality. The municipality was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast to six. The area of Ivano-Frankivsk Municipality was merged into the newly established Ivano-Frankivsk Raion.^[21][22]

On 24 February and 11 March 2022, Ivano-Frankivsk was struck by Russian missiles during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[23] See 2022 bombing of Ivano-Frankivsk.

The city is situated in the Carpathian region northeast of the mountain range, sitting approximately 120 metres (390 ft) above mean sea level.^[24] One of the several main geographical features is the Vovchynets Hill also known as the Vovchynets Mountains. The hill reaches 300-350 metres (1,150 ft) above sea level and is part of the Pokuttya Highland (Upland). Around the hill Bystrytsia River branches into Bystrytsia of Nadvirna, Bystrytsia of Solotvyn, and Vorona. The last two rivers serve as a natural border between the Pokuttya Highland and Stanislav Basin. The Vovchynets Hill is located just outside and northeast of Ivano-Frankivsk. Located southeast from the Stanislav Basin in the direction of the Prut Valley is the Khorosnen (Prut-Bystrytsia) Highland. The highest point of that highland is Mount Hostra, 425 metres (1,394 ft).

The closest neighboring city is Tysmenytsia, less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east. Other cities that lie in the radius of 25 to 30 km (16 to 19 mi) are Tlumach (east), Nadvirna (south), Kalush (west), and Halych (north). The city also administers five adjacent villages that surround it: Mykytyntsi, Krykhivtsi, Vovchynets, Uhornyky, and Khryplyn.

Note: Historical population record is taken out of Ivano-Frankivsk portal,^[29] more recent – the Regional Directorate of Statistics.^[30] There is also other information on a population growth such as the JewishGen.^[31] With asterisk there are identified years of approximate data. In the 18th century, differentiation among Poles and Ukrainians was by religious background rather than ethnic (Catholics vs. Orthodox).

Public transportation

The city of Ivano-Frankivsk has an extensive network of public transport including buses, trolleybuses, and taxis. There are nine trolleybus routes and about 52 for regular buses. Some of the routes run beyond the city into nearby villages.

Railway transportation

The city is served by the Ivano-Frankivsk railway station. There are also smaller railway stations in adjacent villages, including Uhryniv and Khryplyn. All of them are part of Lviv Railways.

Bus transportation

Until 2008, the railway terminal also housed a bus terminal which provided several inter-city bus routes, including some to international destinations. In 2000, construction began on a new bus terminal next to the railway terminus on Zaliznychna Street. Inauguration of the new bus terminal took place on 22 May 2010. At the opening ceremony the Mayor of the city, Viktor Anushkevičius, noted that the new bus terminal was only partially completed, and for a period it would be necessary to offload passengers at the Pryvokzalna Square, which is already saturated with traffic. He also emphasised the need for another bus station on the outskirts of the city.^[39]

Airways transportation

The city is served by Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport, which was granted international status in 1992. The airport shares its facilities with the 114 Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. Since 2002, the airport has been leased to the private enterprise company Yavson, and from 2005 the Public limited company Naftokhimik Prykarpattia, a (subsidiary of Ukrnafta). The contract with Naftokhimik Prykarpattia expired in 2013.

Lodging

There are many lodging options in Ivano-Frankivsk. Ivano-Frankivsk has one four-star hotel ("Park Hotel"^[40]) and three three-star hotels ("Nadia",^[41] "Auscoprut",^[42] "Pid Templem"^[43]).

The city has over 25 public schools of general education for grades 1 through 11. There are also some privately owned schools and lyceums. In addition, the city has several professional public institutes.

There also numerous sports schools: Fitness Sport Association "Ukraine" – 5 schools, MVK – 3 schools, Fitness Sport Association "Spartak" – 2 schools, Fitness Sport Association "Kolos" – 1 school, and the others.

Press

• "Reporter" – Ivano-Frankivsk weekly^[46]
• "Halytskyi Korespondent" – a social-political weekly^[47]
• "Halychyna" – regional newspaper^[48]

Radio

• "Zakhidnyi Polius (104.3 FM)" – city's radio^[49]
• "Vezha (107 FM)" – city's radio^[50]

Television

• "Ivano-Frankivsk ODTRK" – regional state broadcasting company^[51]
• "3-Studia" – regional broadcasting company^[52]
• "Halychyna" – regional television^[53]
• "Canal 402" - regional television^[54]

• Eliezer Adler (born 1866), founder of the Jewish Community in Gateshead, England
• Svetlana Alexievich (born 1948), Belarusian journalist and writer, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature
• Yuri Andrukhovych (born 1960), Ukrainian writer
• Daniel Auster (1893–1963), Mayor of Jerusalem
• Menachem Avidom (1908–1995), Israeli composer
• John Banner (1910–1973), Austrian-American actor. Star of Hogan's Heroes
• Naftali Blumenthal (1922-2022), Israeli Member of the Knesset
• Maxim Bugzester (1909–1978), Polish painter
• Arthur F. Burns (1904–1987), American-Jewish economist and politician
• Yaroslav Huzar (1897–1963), Ukrainian public figure, father of Liubomyr Huzar
• Ana Casares (1930–2007), Polish-Argentine actress
• Zbigniew Cybulski (1927–1967), Polish actor
• Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski (1881–1942), Polish general, politician and diplomat
• Albin Dunajewski (1817-1894), Roman Catholic cardinal
• Wiktor Eckhaus (1930–2000), Polish–Dutch mathematician
• Feliks Falk (born 1941), Polish film director
• Moshe Flimann (1905–1973), Mayor of Haifa
• Fritz Grossmann (1902–1984), art historian and Professor of Art History
• Ludwik Hass (1918–2008), Polish historian
• Moses Horowitz (1844–1910), playwright and actor of Yiddish theatre
• Alfred Johann Theophil Jansa von Tannenau (1884–1963), Austrian general
• GreenJolly (active 2004–2005), Ukrainian rap band
• Tina Karol (born 1985), Ukrainian singer, actress, and television presenter
• Orest-Vasyl Kuziv (born 1997), Ukrainian artist
• Maria Antonina Kratochwil (1881–1942), nun beatified by Pope John Paul II who tried to save Jews during the Holocaust
• František Kriegel (1908—1979), Czechoslovak politician and physician
• Manfred H. Lachs (1914–1993), Polish diplomat and British jurist^[55]
• Oksana Lada (born 1976), Ukrainian actress
• Chaim David Lippe (1823–1900), Austrian Jewish publisher and bibliographer
• Alfreda Markowska (born 1926), Polish-Romani woman who during World War II saved approximately 50 Jewish and Roma children from death in the Holocaust and the Porajmos genocide
• Leo Aryeh Mayer (1895–1959), Israeli scholar of Islamic art and rector of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Bernard Mond (1887–1957), Jewish general of the Polish Army
• Itzhak Nener (1919–2012), Israeli jurist
• Yevhen Nakonechny (1931–2006), Ukrainian historian, librarian, library scientist, and linguist
• Daniel Passent (1938–2022), Polish journalist
• Anastasiya Petryshak (born 1994), Ukrainian violinist
• Józef Potocki (1673–1751), Polish nobleman, son of the Polish founder of the city
• Mikhail Prusak (born 1960), Russian politician
• Bohdan Rozvadovskyi (born 2004), better known by his stage name SadSvit, Ukrainian post punk singer
• Horacy Safrin (1899–1980), Polish poet, comedian, author, and translator
• Max Schur (1897–1969), physician
• Anna Seniuk (born 1942), Polish actress
• Tryzuby Stas (1948–2007), Ukrainian singer and writer of humorous songs, bard
• Klemens Stefan Sielecki (1903–1980), Polish engineer and technical director of Fablok
• Stanisław Sosabowski (1892–1967), Polish general, hero of Arnhem
• Mordechai Surkis (1908–1995), Israeli politician
• Gabriel Talphir (1901–1990), Israeli poet, art critic, publisher, editor, and translator
• Vasyl Velychkovsky (1903–1973), bishop of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
• Taras Voznyak (born 1957), Ukrainian political scientist, editor-in-chief and founder of Independent Cultural Journal
• Alexander Wagner (1868–1942), Polish chess theoretician
• Ksenia Zsikhotska (born 1989), Ukrainian dancer
• Nadia Parfan (born 1986), Ukrainian film director and creative producer

Ivano-Frankivsk is twinned with:^[56]

In February 2016 Ivano-Frankivsk City Council terminated its twinned relations with the Russian cities Surgut, Serpukhov and Veliky Novgorod due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.^[57]

Local orientation

Regional orientation

• Dem'ianiv Laz