(Stanislav till 1962)

The city is located in the southwest part of Ukraine at the foot of the Carpathians between two rivers – Bystrytsya Nadvirnyanska and Bystrytsya Solotvynska. It is a city of considerable economic, educational and cultural importance. Ivano-Frankivsk occupies the territory of 3.89 hectares and its population amounts 252.3 thousand people.

The city was founded by Andriy Potocki – a Polish magnate and owner of numerous latifundia in the Pokuttya region of Ukraine. Originally it was founded as a fortress city. Its exact foundation date is unknown. However, it is known, that in 1692 Stanislav was granted the Magdeburg Charter.

From the middle of 1660s the city was located at the crossroads of major trade routes leading from Hungary and Bulgaria to Lviv and Lithuania. Several churches and the City Hall (first wooden and later – stone) were built in spite of a number of wars during the 18th century. The city may be proud of many exquisite architectural monuments dating back to the 17th and the 18th centuries. Many trade guilds, development of which gained an even stronger momentum after granting of the Magdeburg Charter, appeared in the city. At first these guilds united builders, traders, blacksmiths and other craftsmen, but with time new crafts appeared and developed. By the middle of the 18th century there were 20 guilds. Regular regional fairs turned the city into an economic center. Leather works and morocco production together with the production of exotic “Persian goods” dominated in the city.

The 19th century was the period of rapid industry and construction development, starting from 1866 the city became an important railway terminal. Discovery and operation of oil, gas and salt fields in the Precarpathian region increases the importance of Stanislav as a transport center.
Ivano-Frankivsk has always been a cultural center of the Precarpathian region. A great number of architects, sculptors, writers and musicians lived and created their masterpieces here. Ukrainian State Gymnasia (high school) and seminary were established here alongside with the First Union of Ukrainian Women (initiated by Natalia Kobrynska). Anthology “Pershy Vinok” (“First Wreath”) was published here. In 1934 the First Women’s Congress and the Day of Peasant Women were held. Creative work of Ivan Franko, a great writer and poet, who frequently visited the city and in honor of whom it was renamed, is closely connected with the city’s history.

During the years of 1918-1919, after the end of World War I. Stanislav became the capital of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic for a brief period. After World War II Ivano-Frankivsk transformed into an industrial center with numerous production facilities, cultural establishments, health care and educational institutions, banks.