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Forgotten Galicia

Forgotten Galicia

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

Tag: Boykos

A Protection Symbol for the Home: The Six-Petal Rosette оn the Crossbeams of Galicia

October 22, 2018

The Six-Petal Rosette The six-petal rosette (also known as a hexafoil), the flower-like symbol created by overlapping seven circles, as well as the expanded variants with 7 interlocking rosettes and 19 interlocking rosettes (the latter is called the “Flower of Life” in the New Age movement), is an ancient symbol […]

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November 23, 2015

Boyko Music: ‘At the Foot of the Carpathian Chain’

My paternal grandfather was born in the village of Lybokhora (Turka District), the “capital” of Boyko instrumental music. His parents, who were from the Sambir and Lviv regions, moved to this Carpathian village in the early 1900s to direct and teach at the local school. This is a picture from […]

Forgotten Galicia

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Dornfeld, the former German name for the village o Dornfeld, the former German name for the village of Ternopillia, was established in 1786 by German Lutheran settlers during the Josephine colonization. The name Dornfeld, which translates to “Thorny Field,” reflects the local landscape and inspired the thorn blossom depicted on the colony’s coat of arms—a symbol that has been preserved in the village’s modern coat of arms.

The colony was primarily formed by Protestant settlers from southwestern Germany, primarily from the Palatinate region who were granted land for agricultural purposes. According to the 1808 census, Dornfeld had a population of 412 Protestants, showing active development in its early decades. Over the following years, the population continued to grow.

The village was laid out in a grid pattern: four strictly parallel streets run from north to south, and another four run from west to east, dividing the settlement into equal squares with the church at the center. The Protestant church, built in 1812, served as the focal point of religious and cultural life for Dornfeld and surrounding German colonies. During the German occupation and the postwar period, the church was repurposed as a warehouse and gradually fell into disrepair. In the 1990s, the ruins were removed, and a new Orthodox church was built on the site.
After World War II, in 1944, the German population was largely forced to leave the area due to resettlements and deportations. A new Ukrainian population later settled in the village.

Traces of the former German colony remain, including the historical German cemetery founded in 1786 (a memorial cross was erected there in 2000 to honor the German colonists), the former Evangelical school (built in 1929), a mill from the 1930s, and the former German community hall.

#galizien #galicia #galiciancountryside #austrianempire #ukraine
The Neo-Gothic Church of St. Francis Borgia in Roz The Neo-Gothic Church of St. Francis Borgia in Rozluch is one of the few surviving churches built by German colonists in the Lviv region. It is also listed among the 11 remaining wooden Roman Catholic churches in Lviv Oblast dating from the first half of the 20th century.

The church was constructed between 1901 and 1902 as a chapel for German Catholic settlers from Swabia, who had first settled in the village around 1780. By 1903, the community numbered about 230 people. The project was initiated by Father Ignacy Kułakowski, the parish priest from Turka, and financed through parishioner donations and support from the Boni Pastoris (“Good Shepherd”) Society.

Restoration and reconstruction work took place in 1917–1919 and again in 1933, with new bells installed in 1935. After World War II, the church was repurposed—first as a collective farm fertilizer warehouse and later as a grain storage facility. Since 1994, efforts have been underway to return it to the Roman Catholic parish.

Today, the church remains closed but has been preserved in its original form, retaining authentic architectural elements.

#oldchurches #woodenchurch #woodenarchitecture
#galiciancountryside #ukraine #thevillageua @thevillageua
The historic Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa in The historic Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa in the village of Demnya is set to be restored. This neglected architectural monument will be transformed into a modern cultural and educational center — a space designed not only to preserve the site’s unique heritage, but also to boost tourism and cultural engagement in the region.

Standing at the heart of Demnya, the church was built between 1911 and 1914 using white limestone from local quarries. It was commissioned by the village’s Polish Roman Catholic community and designed in the neo-Gothic style with elements of neo-Romanesque architecture.

The church survived World War I, Soviet occupation, and difficult times, serving variously as a storage facility and a gymnasium. Today, it is in a state of disrepair, but the community of the Trostianets village council, which includes Demnya, has taken on the task of its revival. 

#galiciancountryside #galicja #oldchurch
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas in Demnya was built in 1879 with the financial support of Skarbek Foundation. The church was consecrated on May 12, 1881.

In 1908, in-front of the entrance to the church, a kind of "triumphal arch" was installed, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom and the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. An inscription about this is on the central arch, which is crowned with a cross and the coat of arms of the Austrian Empire — the Habsburg double-headed eagle. 

The church was severely damaged during the First World War and was rebuilt in 1925. At the same time, the sculptural group Road to Calvary was restored and placed in the churchyard.

#habsburgeagle #doubleheadedeagle #coatsofarms #oldchurch #triumphalarch #galiciancountryside #галичина #ukraine #austrianempire #oldorthography
The old cemetery in Demnya, established in 1834, i The old cemetery in Demnya, established in 1834, is a remarkable open-air museum of stone crosses and tombstones. Its artistic and historical value stems not only from its age, but from the craftsmanship of local stonemasons who transformed it into a place of quiet beauty and cultural significance.

Thanks to nearby deposits of high-quality limestone, stone carving became a long-standing tradition in the village. Over time, entire families of artisans honed their skills and passed them down through generations. Demnya’s stonemasons came to be regarded as among the finest in the region.

Their work is rich in symbolism and noted for its artistic value — many of the tombstones and stone crosses are true works of folk art. The cemetery is especially known for its detailed sculptures of the Virgin Mary in an open mantle, St. Nicholas — the village’s patron saint — and small angels. The monuments also feature finely carved imagery: flowers, garlands, oak leaves, grapevines, and sometimes even birds or human hands are worked into the designs.

The skill of Demnya’s artisans was recognized far beyond the village. They were invited to work in major cities, including Lviv, where they contributed to the Lychakiv Cemetery and adorned the Church of St. Elizabeth (now the Church of Saints Olha and Elizabeth).

#burialground #necropolis #oldcemetery #galicia #galiciancountryside #ukraine #sculpture #gravestone
These cute cats inhabit one of the cutest hidden c These cute cats inhabit one of the cutest hidden corners of Lviv 🐱

#catsofinstagram #catsoflviv #catscatscats #catsandarchitecture #archihunter #archilovers #lviv
Autumn in the Carpathians 🍁 #karpaty #carpathi Autumn in the Carpathians 🍁

#karpaty #carpathians #mountains #galiciancountryside #oldhouselove #ukraine #autumnvibes @thevillageua
#lviv #architecturalheritage #archidetails #oldbui #lviv #architecturalheritage #archidetails #oldbuildings #ukraine #vines
Twins #archidetails #architecturalheritage #archi Twins

#archidetails #architecturalheritage #architecturehunter #archilovers #neogothic #lviv
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