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Forgotten Galicia

Forgotten Galicia

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

Tag: vault lights

Vault Lights in Vienna

July 30, 2015

The most intersting vault light that I found in Vienna was the one made by the German copmany Luxfer, examples of which can also be found in Lviv.

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October 3, 2013

Vault Lights in Tallinn

I found a few vault lights in Tallinn made by а Russian company before the Russian Revolution. The inscription says: “С.-Петербургское стекольно-промышленное акц. о-во” The St. Petersburg Glass Work Manufacturing Company (Санкт-Петербургское стекольно-промышленное акціонерное общество) existed between 1911 and 1918, but as St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd in 1914, it […]

September 30, 2013

Vault Lights in Edinburgh

Vault lights are glass prisms set into sidewalks to let light into basements below. I first came across a vault light in Lviv, but I didn’t know what it was until I saw them in Edinburgh and Tallinn and started researching what they were. Hayward Brothers In Edinburgh, I found a […]

Forgotten Galicia

forgottengalicia

Entering Lviv's Old Town | Early evening on a sunn Entering Lviv's Old Town | Early evening on a sunny day 🌞 in early autumn 🍁 | Photo taken yesterday on my way home from work
Kraków Hotel (today the Court of Appeal of the Lv Kraków 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 Michał Łużecki. 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. Żeleński stained glass workshop in Kraków 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. Żeleński 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 #sgżeleński #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 #lwów #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’s 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’s 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 Józef Sosnowski and Alfred Zachariewicz in 1910.
When architecture poses a threat Sadly, some of L When architecture poses a threat

Sadly, some of Lviv’s historic buildings have fallen into disrepair—crumbling 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’s architectural heritage. The need to safeguard our historical buildings remains as urgent as ever.
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