I recently visited Uzhhorod to see the blooming sakuras. Along with the beautiful sakuras I came across quite a few remnants of Uzhhorod’s prewar past. I have a previous post about  ghost signs in Uzhhorod, so to repeat what I wrote before, Uzhhorod (Ungvár / Užhorod / Ungwar), a city in Transcarpathia (Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine), which […]

I recently finished reading Daniel Mendelsohn’s book The Lost: The Search for Six of Six Million about his search for what happened to six of his relatives during the Holocaust. He searched specifically for the fates of relatives who lived in Bolekhiv, Ukraine, a place where his Jewish ancestors settled many […]

As part of Ukraine’s efforts to decommunize the country, in Lviv a few streets are being renamed and a number of memorial plaques and other objects that have Soviet symbols are being dismantled, including Soviet-era flag holders. Here’s a small collection of the hammer and sickle and star flag holders […]

The western Ukrainian news outlet ZIK released a series of videos explaining the origins and meaning Galician words and phrases. Traveling around the region, including to Lviv, Ternopil, and the Hutsul region, the hosts tell interesting stories about the word as well as examples of its usage. Below are a […]

I suppose it was common for buildings in Lviv’s center and wealthier neighborhoods to have the architectural infrastructure for servants who lived with the families. These now largely antiquated architectural elements would have included a servant staircase, sleeping quarters, and a separate wash area. Fortunately, the planning of my apartment […]

Last night someone stole the antique metal mail slot from my front door and the front door of my neighbor’s apartment. Mine was old but without an inscription, while my neighbor’s had the Polish inscription “Listy” (letters). To see the empty spaces on our doors this morning was quite depressing, […]

On Lviv’s ghost signs from the book “The House with a Stained Glass Window” (by Żanna Słoniowska, 2015), which takes place in the early 1990s: I had always tried my best to read the city like a great book, but it turned out he was the one who knew its […]

A new burger joint opened up in an Austrian-era building near Lviv’s Rynok Square. It was built as a revenue house by Ukrainian sculptor and architect Mykhailo Makovych in 1912. The following year it also housed a small traders association. Fortunately, when the owners of the new establishment renovated the […]

To supplement my “diaspora” dictionary, here’s a list of Galician culinary terms. Some I have on my list, but here are many more. ГАЛИЦЬКИЙ КУЛІНАРНИЙ СЛОВНИК -А- Аєрконьяк – яєчний лікер Андрути – перекладений вафельний торт, вафлі. Аниж – аніс Арак – алкоголь Афини – чорниці -Б- Баняк – горщик, […]