The song belongs to an eccentric called "Buvay” who used to be very popular in Lviv during the interwar period. Lviv citizens adored him for his funny couplets. Dressed in rags, Buvay earned his living singing in trams but he never asked alms. The tram has always been an inseparable part of Lviv authentic life and culture.

 

Stage-coaches and other horse drawn vehicles were the first means of public transport in Lviv and the first horse drawn tram in Ukraine appeared in Lviv in 1879. It was drawn by 3 horses up the street of Shevchenko (former Yanivska) and by one horse down the same street. The stowaways caught by the police were forced to work off on Prus Square (Ivan Franko Square nowadays) cutting the bait. The horse tram ceased to exist in 1912, and about 70 horses were sold to farmers.

 

Austro-Hungarian Empire used to take good care of its Eastern regions and the first Lviv electric tram was introduced in 1894, much earlier than the one in Vienna. Lviv citizens are kn ... Read more »