The LEOPOLIS GRAND PRIX , or BIG PRIZES OF LYVOV, was a circuit car race that had the status of a Grand Prix, which was held on the street circuit of Lviv. The stage was part of the international Grand Prix series, the predecessor of Formula -1. The circuit was conceived in 1927 — two years earlier than Monaco, but the first competition was held a year later — in 1930.
On September 8, 1930 the first circuit races on the streets of Lviv started, which were called «Lviv Triangle» because of the characteristic shape of the track (a triangle with cut corners). The route ran along Vitovsky Street, Frank Square, Stryjska Street, and Gvardejska Street.
This track has remained unchanged until now. Its characteristic feature, compared to the then European (for example, Monte Carlo in the Grand Prix of Monaco), was the presence of a significant part of the track streetcar track. It is more than 800 meters (Vitovsky and Frank’s Square), which, along with the covering of the carriageway with basalt paving stones and significant height differences (8% on Gvardeyskaya) made it one of the most difficult, according to the most prominent racers of that time, in Europe. The races are organized like the circuit races on the city streets of the Grand Prix of Monaco (Monte Carlo), which started for the first time in 1929, only a year earlier. The Lviv races, according to both spectators and participants, were the best automobile races in the history of Ukraine and Poland.
Already in June 1931, the circuit races in Lviv received international status. And since 1932 received the name and status of Grand Prix of Lviv. Therefore, to date in the history of the Grand Prix of Lviv, and not the country, which in itself is a unique phenomenon, given to the city A.I.A.C.R. (International Association of Automobile Clubs — the predecessor of the FIA).
The Grand Prix of Lviv has since become one of the best race tracks in Europe at the time.
In the Grand Prix of Lviv started the stars of the then automobile sports from more than ten European countries (Germany: Hans Stuck i Rudolf Caracciola, France: Pierre Veyron and Annette Rose — Itier). Annette Rose — Itier, Italy: Renato Balestrero and Victoria Orsini, Austria: Maximilian Hardegg and Hans Tschaikoff, Czech Republic: Bruno Sojka and Jan Kubicek. Given the crisis situation in the economy and world politics, the 1934 races were canceled. All attempts to restore them in the following years failed because Europe was approaching war.
After World War II, any information about the Grand Prix of Lviv was consigned to oblivion as a legacy of «good old Europe», which has nothing to do with the history of the USSR.
The festival «Leopolis Grand Prix» is included in the official festival program of world retro — festivals in Lviv. «Grand Prix Lviv» is not only car racing «Lviv Triangle» and restoration of historical plain races outside Lviv. The festival program includes a lot of various actions: exhibitions-presentations of classic cars, retro — parade through the central streets of the city, shows of specialized fashion collections on automotive themes.
In addition to the show-race on classic cars in the Program of competitions in the national class of cars: the owners of antique Ukrainian «Zaporozhtsy ZAZ-965», invited from different parts of Ukraine and abroad, compete for the Cup of 5-time champion Ukraine on autorally — Vasyl Rostotsky. Special awards are provided for women motorists.