The 'Toy Orphanage' Of Ukraine

This is the "Yard Of Forgotten Toys" in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The inner-city courtyard reportedly began to fill up with soft toys years ago when a resident of the building alongside found a lost teddy bear and propped it against a wall in the hope its owner would return.

The owner never did claim the toy. But according to Pavel Morozovski, who runs a small museum alongside the courtyard, young locals then began dropping off toys they had outgrown instead of throwing them away.

Soon the toys began to accumulate, and local kids were encouraged to come and pick up anything that caught their fancy.

When RFE/RL visited, this girl spent several minutes browsing through the courtyard...

...before walking away with a stuffed Garfield and a book. 

The courtyard is now drawing tourists from around the world.

A dog facing up to a pack of lions at the entrance to the yard.

A neighbor who emerged from the building said the yard now attracts around 100 camera-toting tourists each day.

But the neighbor, who declined to be named, was not a fan of the unusual yard, telling RFE/RL the toys are "garbage."

Many of the unclaimed toys are indeed looking worse for wear. 

But with the site now becoming increasingly popular as a place to pick up or drop off a toy, or grab a quick selfie, it seems unlikely this little quirk of western Ukraine will disappear anytime soon.