The Department of Polish Philology was established at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv on April 1, 2004 by dividing the Department of Slavic Philology into two: the Department of Slavic Philology and the Department of Polish Philology which is headed by Alla Kravchuk. Polonistic traditions at Lviv National University can be traced back to 1817 when the Austrian Emperor Franz I signed a decree establishing the Department of History of the Polish Language and Literature, and in 1826 the first department began its work. In some time, a few more departments of Polonistics were created. After the Second World War, Polish Philology (already as a foreign language) was developed within the framework of Slavic Studies.
Today the Department of Polish Philology trains specialists of three educational degrees (Bachelors, Masters, PhDs). Students acquire competencies related to basic knowledge in Polish Philology and Translation Studies, practical skills in working with texts in Polish and Ukrainian, oral and written communication skills, translation and teaching skills within the relevant educational programs in the Polish Language and Literature. The educational programs provide a wide range of opportunities for academic mobility given that the Department actively cooperates with numerous Polish universities.
Teachers invited to Lviv from abroad constantly hold lectures and practical classes at the Department. The Department successfully develops scientific research in the field of Modern Polonistics, Comparative Polish-Ukrainian Linguistics, Literary Studies, and Linguodidactics. Scholars of the Department are the authors of important textbooks in Polish for Ukrainian-speaking users, which are popular in Ukraine and abroad, teachers are also translation practitioners and promoters of Polish literature in Ukraine and Ukrainian literature in Poland. In 2017, the Senate of the Republic of Poland and the Council for the Polish Language of the Polish Academy of Sciences awarded the Department with the honorary title “Ambassador of the Polish Language outside Poland” for its contribution to the development of Polonistics in Ukraine.