One of the most interesting revelations for me in researching my family history has been discovering ancestors of different ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds. Growing up in the Ukrainian diaspora, I had always assumed all of my ancestors were Greek Catholic Ukrainian-speakers, but the more I have learned about my family, […]
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At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Art Nouveau spread across Europe and the United States. In the Austrian Empire the new art movement was called the Secession Style. The transition from historicism to modernism—which took place during this period as part of the struggle against academic art—chronologically […]
Warsaw’s remaining guard stones differ quite a bit from those that can be found in Lviv and Galicia. I am especially fond of the ones that look like gnomes. For well over a century, these little old men have remained on duty, protecting the walls behind them from damage by carriages. […]
A look at early twentieth-century life in Bila (Polish: Biała), a village bordering Ternopil in eastern Galicia. The description is from the autobiography of Katherine Rychly Pylitiuk, who was born in Bila in 1904, grew up there, and immigrated to the United States in 1922. This post is taken from […]
By Chris Wilkinson At the intersection of Shevska and Teatralna Streets in Lviv’s Old Town is Stefana Yavorskoho Square. It does not strike a visitor as a particularly historic place. The square has a couple of cafes, eating establishments and a boutique store. Across the street is the St. Peter […]
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 […]
Karl Auer (German: Karl Auer; Czech: Karel Auer; Polish: Karol Auer) (1818-1859) was a lithographer and graphic artist of Czech descent who worked in Lviv and Galicia for over 20 years. After graduating from the University of Vienna in the 1830s, Auer came to work in Lviv at the invitation […]
By Iwona Dakiniewicz The journey to America was long, costly, and tedious. The majority of emigrants came from remote villages. Peasants began their journey with teams of horses or on foot, to get to the nearest railroad station. This article gives you a possibility of locating the railroad station from which […]
Teodor Axentowicz (1859-1938), a renowned Polish-Armenian painter and the first elected rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, was born in Braşov, Hungary (now Romania). His father’s family had Armenian roots and owned a small property in Ceniów, near Brody. Axentowicz grew up in Lwów (Lviv) and after […]
A look at early twentieth-century life in Bila (Polish: Biała), a village bordering Ternopil in eastern Galicia. The description is from the autobiography of Katherine Rychly Pylitiuk, who was born in Bila in 1904, grew up there, and immigrated to the United States in 1922. This post is taken from […]
By Iwona Dakiniewicz It’s a stroke of luck for those researching Galician ancestors, the next potential source of genealogical information — and, to the delight of those interested, it can be browsed online. The Schematyzm Galicyjski [Galician Schematism] — a staff yearbook with personnel details of authorities, offices, societies, and institutions — was […]
