What European city has fallen under the rule of the Polish Empire , the Hapsburgs , the Soviets and the Nazis ? Here 's a clue : It 's lined with cobbled roads and features some of the world 's most eclectic examples of historic architecture -- from renaissance to baroque to art deco . Answer : Lviv , Ukraine 's official capital of culture . Never heard of it ? You 're not alone . With its independent coffee houses and traditional chocolatiers , Lviv looks , smells , and tastes like the best of Europe . Indeed , its Western flavor has earned it the moniker `` Little Paris of Ukraine . '' And yet , compared to other prized European cities , relatively few people travel here . For centuries Lviv -- located 50 kilometers from the Poland-Ukraine border -- was a significant stopping point on the main trade routes between the east and west -- and this prime location helped pay for its striking beauty . `` You had to be rich and famous to be here , '' explained local historian Yaroslav Hrytsak . During the renaissance , the city could afford Italy 's finest architects because every merchant passing through was forced to stay and sell their goods for at least two weeks . `` It was a very smart move to collect money from them , '' said Hrytsak . `` It kept the wealth in the city , and that wealth has been transformed into ( architectural ) richness . '' Read related : Gas pipes and price hikes : Ukraine , Russia 's uneasy alliance . The buildings endure but Lviv 's prosperity did n't survive its bloody history . The city has , over the centuries , shifted in ethnic , cultural and political make-up - mixing Polish , Ukrainian , Jewish and other identities during a series of gruesome upheavals . `` Here regimes changed quite a lot , '' said Hrytsak . `` We had the Polish rule , then the Hapsburg rule , then for a short period the Russians , then the Ukranian , then Russian , then Nazi . '' Then for almost 50 years Lviv was swallowed by the Soviet Union . With that , concludes Hrytsak , the city was condemned to relative obscurity . But very recently things have started to change -- and fast . According to research from the Lausanne School of hotel business , Lviv experienced a sudden 40 % increase in tourism in early 2010 , compared to the previous three-year average . This , it said , was the highest rate in Europe . Just last month , the floodgates opened even wider , when Lviv became a host city for the Euro 2012 football championships . So how has this happened ? With the USSR 's collapse , some saw new opportunities for reviving Lviv 's former wealth and fame . In the mid 90s , Yaroslav Rushchyshyn began producing women 's clothes , paying his workers $ 4 a month . Today they get a vastly improved , but still modest , $ 250 . With nine factories across western Ukraine , his company , Trottola , is now a major producer and exporter for European fashion labels . `` I 'm proud because Japan , after the Second World War , started from blouses as well . And where is Japan now ? '' he said . The unlikely parallels do n't end there . Strolling through Lviv 's old streets , you 'd never guess the city is now a booming international hub for the I.T . industry . Limelight networks is a U.S.-founded , Nasdaq-listed company specializing in online content delivery . It 's one of many up-and-coming digital tech firms to have opened offices in Lviv over the past few years . `` It had good growth and experience in the U.S. , however the company needs more talent to do the new cool projects and products for our customers . This is why we 're here in Ukraine . '' Lviv 's unexpected abundance of I.T . talent is in fact a legacy of the U.S.S.R. To help the military , many Soviet universities focused on turning out world-class engineers and Lviv 's university is still producing them . The city boasts a disproportionately large educational center with 23 higher education institutions . Most tellingly of all , seven of these are dedicated to training support staff for work in the tourism industry . It 's clear the city of Lviv does not intend to remain a hidden gem for very much longer .
Since the Euro 2012 football championships , little-known Ukrainian `` capital of culture '' Lviv put back on map . City boasts architecture from the Lausanne School of hotel business and Lviv , built during wealthy past . After the past few years of Soviet rule , baroque eras fell into relative obscurity , but strong education system reviving fortunes .