Staryi Kropyvnyk

Staryi Kropyvnyk (Ukrainian: Старий Кропивник) is a village in Skhidnytsia settlement hromada, Drohobych Raion, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine.^[1] It is located in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the historic region of Galicia.^[2][3]

The village lies in a mountainous valley between the ridges of Knyaziv Dil (833 m) and Bukovets (804 m). A local stream flows through the settlement and drains into the Stryi River.^[2]

Staryi Kropyvnyk stretches for approximately 4 km along the valley floor.^[2]

The first recorded mention of the village dates to around 1250.^[2] Historically, the settlement developed as part of the rural communities of the Carpathian highlands.^[4]

According to local tradition, the name “Kropyvnyk” derives from the Ukrainian word kropyva (кропива), meaning “nettle.” After a historical raid traditionally attributed to the Tatars, the abandoned site reportedly became overgrown with nettles, giving rise to the name. The prefix “Staryi” (Old) distinguishes it from a nearby settlement known as Novyi Kropyvnyk.^[2]

The wooden Church of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas was built in 1715 on a hillside in the center of the village.^[2][3] Local tradition holds that the site was chosen after oxen transporting materials for a new church stopped at the hill and refused to move further. The church was damaged by fire in 2003 and later restored.^[2]

On 12 October 2014 a monument to Taras Shevchenko was ceremonially unveiled in the village.^[3]

Due to its proximity to spa and resort settlements such as Skhidnytsia and Truskavets, the village participates in regional tourism and rural green tourism initiatives.^[2]