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Forgotten Galicia

Forgotten Galicia

Remnants of the past found in Lviv, Galicia & the former Austrian Empire

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Ghost Signs of Lviv: A Look into the City’s Faded Past

June 1, 2020

I love ghost signs. These messages from the past are one of my favorite parts of the urban landscape. I get overly excited every time I discover a new one. Ghost signs (aka fading ads or brick ads) are old hand-painted signs that have been preserved on a building for […]

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February 8, 2020

Photographs of Prewar Lviv: Hand-Painted Signs

I’ve combed through hundreds of old photographs of Lviv (Lemberg / Lw贸w) in search of hand-painted signs that are visible today as “ghost signs.” While I’ve only been able to find one such example – a photograph of a milkhouse, the search was not in vain: I came out with […]

February 27, 2018

Medieval Signage in Lviv

Medieval ads and signs have survived in and around Lviv鈥檚 Rynok Square. These are metal signs or stone carvings located above entrance ways. The emblems marked the locations of guilds, workshops, stores, taverns, etc. Signage during this era used symbols since the general populace was illiterate. Entrances to taverns were […]

April 25, 2016

Prague’s House Signs

Before Empress Maria Theresa introduced identifying numbers to Prague in 1770, houses were known and located by allegorical symbols. Many of them originally had alchemical significance. The Two Suns The Golden Key Castle goldsmiths lived in this house in the 17th century They paid fees to the city and thus […]

September 15, 2014

Chimney Sweep Sign in Lviv

Lviv, like most cities in the nineteenth century, needed chimney sweeps to keep chimneys clean from the soot that accumulated from burning coal. The bas-relief of a chimney sweep on Anhelovycha Street is one of the only reminders of the era of chimney sweeps. At the beginning of the twentieth […]

Forgotten Galicia

forgottengalicia

Entering Lviv's Old Town | Early evening on a sunn Entering Lviv's Old Town | Early evening on a sunny day 馃尀 in early autumn 馃崄 | Photo taken yesterday on my way home from work
Krak贸w Hotel (today the Court of Appeal of the Lv Krak贸w Hotel (today the Court of Appeal of the Lviv Region) was built in 1913. Based on the first-prize-winning design by Henryk Zaremba and Rudolf Matsura, the final project for the hotel was developed by architect Micha艂 艁u偶ecki. At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest and most modern hotels in the city, combining Secession style with elements of the Renaissance and Gothic.

The stairwell features stained-glass windows created by the S.G. 呕ele艅ski stained glass workshop in Krak贸w in the Secession style (Art Nouveau). Today, the stained-glass windows on the top two floors are boarded up from the outside to protect them from bomb blasts. The window on the second floor has the S.G. 呕ele艅ski inscription. 

Other historical inscriptions in the main vestibule and stairwell include the Bracia Mund company mark on the black and white tiles, which they supplied, and the Polish inscription "szatnia," which is still etched above the door to the former cloakroom.

#stainedglasswindows #sg偶ele艅ski #archidetails #archilovers #tileaddiction #staircase #lviv
A new observation deck has recently opened in one A new observation deck has recently opened in one of the towers of the Lviv Organ Hall (@lvivorgan), a concert venue housed in the former Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary Magdalene, which dates back to the 17th century

#lviv #lw贸w #oldchurches #organhall #cityview #architecturalheritage #ukraine
Greek Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Bless Greek Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pidtemne. The wooden church was built in 1900 on the site of an earlier, also wooden, church.
An abandoned Roman Catholic church in Pidtemne (Po An abandoned Roman Catholic church in Pidtemne (Podciemno), built in the 1930s in the functionalist style, a variant of modernism. Characteristic features of this style, visible here, include simple geometric forms, minimal ornamentation, and an asymmetrical composition. Other distinctive elements are the round porthole windows and sections of exposed red brick.

Most likely the church was never fully outfitted or consecrated. After the resettlement of the Polish parishioners to Poland in 1946, the chapel was closed and later repurposed as a village club. Today, it stands empty, though its overall condition remains relatively sound. In recent years, crosses have even been reinstalled on the chapel.
Historically, coat hangers (for drying, brushing, Historically, coat hangers (for drying, brushing, and airing them out) were often integrated into the ironwork of gallery banisters across Lviv鈥檚 courtyards. While most feature simple, curved designs, here is a unique example in which the coat hangers take on the shape of a menorah. As we can see here, nowadays these fixtures are sometimes used as plant hangers.
Additionally, this courtyard retains traces of an old coal lift, a feature originally included in the building鈥檚 plans.
#lookup #courtyards #lviv #lookup #courtyards #lviv
The striking stairwell in a late Secession buildin The striking stairwell in a late Secession building designed by architects J贸zef Sosnowski and Alfred Zachariewicz in 1910.
When architecture poses a threat Sadly, some of L When architecture poses a threat

Sadly, some of Lviv鈥檚 historic buildings have fallen into disrepair鈥攃rumbling facades, unstable balconies, and falling plaster all pose dangers to those passing by. Makeshift warning signs serve as reminders that even beautiful architecture can become hazardous when neglected.

Yet amid numerous hardships Ukraine faces, in particular the ongoing war, restoration efforts continue, and progress is being made to preserve and revive Lviv鈥檚 architectural heritage. The need to safeguard our historical buildings remains as urgent as ever.
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