In these essays, an attempt is made to summarize the latest research and established academic views on the history of Lviv from the moment of its foundation until the end of the Austrian period. In an effort to describe the spatial development of Lviv against the background of the history of society, the author in each topic recalls the main moments of the political background, characterizes in detail the history of changes in the urban space (the inner and outer borders of the city, its administrative-territorial division, the network of communications and settlements in the suburbs) and describes the inhabitants of the city (the structure of power in Lviv, the social and national composition of its population, some moments of everyday life).