Title: City Sambir Status: city of regional significance in Lviv region, the administrative center of Samborski area. Location: the city is located 73 km from Lviv on the Dniester River, at the crossroads of Lviv-Uzhgorod and Drogobych-Przemysl. Area: 20 sqm. km. Population: 36 thousand inhabitants Large ponds: River Dniester Year of foundation or of the first mention in the documents: 1241 Historical note: in 1241 the Tatars destroyed the old town Sambir (now Staryi Sambir). The surviving inhabitants took refuge in a well-fortified town Pogonich, located in the woods. Since 1390 Pogonich became New Sambir, then - just Sambir, and the old rebuilt settlement became known as Staryi Sambir. Until 1349 the town was part of the Galicia-Volyn state. In the years 1349-1390 it was a possession of Polish kings. It is also known that in 1553 queen Bona forbade to jewries to trade at the market, and allowed Ukrainians to build a church in the center of city. The wooden Rizdva Presvyatoi Bohoroditsi church was built after some time. It stood until 1738, whereupon in its place a new brick temple was built. In 1604 in the castle of Jerzy Mnishek, governor of Sambir, Gregory Otrepyev lived. He was known as the False Dmitry I, pretending to be the son of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Daughter of Mnishek, Maria, was the wife of Gregory. Since June 29, 1941 till August 7, 1944 Sambir was occupied by German troops. The occupation was characterized by mass killings of the Jewish population. Main attractions: the Ivana Khrestytelya church, the Bernardine monastery complex, the Rizdva Presvyatoi Bohoroditsi church, which the relics of St. Valentine are preserved in, City Hall. Source of information: http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Самбір