Ukraine: Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a an oblast (region) capital in the western Ukraine and a historic city, originally built in the 17th century as fortress by the Polish (it was named Stanisławów then). The center of the town, aka old town, is very compact and can be quite easily and quickly explored on foot in about an hour or two – it’s a mixture of architectural styles and religious buildings. The very central Rynok or Market Square has an elegant Art Deco Ratusha tower on the middle of it, just around the corner is the baroque Museum of Art (formerly Catholic Collegiate Church of Virgin Mary), and the Catholic Holy Resurrection Cathedral is on the same square. Also beautiful is the blue and gold Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin. And who could miss the utterly ugly Soviet-style local government administration building!
