The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or PACE, on April 24 awarded the 2018 Europe Prize to the Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
The prize is awarded to the town most active in promoting the European ideal.
Ivano-Frankivsk, the capital of Ivano Frankivsk Oblast, is twinned with as many as 24 European cities, the PACE said.
It has developed robust international cooperation in numerous fields, particularly in the domain of academic activities as Ivano-Frankivsk universities collaborate closely with many other European universities, the assemly added. The city also organises a range of events to mark Europe Day and the European Week of Local Democracy, the PACE said.
The city is renowned for its vibrant cultural life, attracting guests from all over Europe, notably to the International Blacksmiths Festival, Ivano-Frankivsk Half Marathon, the International Festival of Christmas Carols and the Days of Polish Culture, according to the assembly.
Five other towns, namely Bamberg and Münster in Germany, Cervia in Italy, Issy-les-Moulineaux in France, and Sopot in Poland, were also shortlisted for the Prize.
Created by PACE in 1955, the Europe Prize is the highest distinction that can be bestowed on a European town for its actions in the European domain. The prize consists of a trophy, a medal, a diploma and a scholarship to be spent on a study visit to European institutions for young people from the winning town.
Ivano-Frankivsk, among with the rest of the historic Ukrainian region of Galicia, has never been part of the Russian Empire.
The city, formerly known as Stanislawow, was built in 1664. It was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1772, the Habsburg Empire until 1918, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic in 1919, Poland until 1939, Nazi Germany in 1941 to 1944 and the Soviet Union in 1939 to 1941 and 1944 to 1991.
Like the rest of Galicia, Ivano-Frankivsk has tended to be more socially conservative but more pro-European than other Ukrainian regions.
