The Halychyna Town Costume: Modern Folk Attire for Galician Urban Folk

Following the dissolution of the Austrian Empire at the end of World War I, Galicia became a part of Poland, which exerted pressure on Ukrainian cultural identity. In response, a wave of Ukrainian national consciousness emerged among the middle class and urban populations. While desiring to express their Ukrainian heritage, […]

A Piano with Russian Bullet Holes: On War, Family, Displacement, the Power of Music, Sich Riflemen Songs, and Russia’s Attack on Ukrainian Culture

“Did they not know that the Ukrainian people sing their beautiful songs, composed over the centuries by national heroes, not only in joy but also in sorrow, misfortune, and grief, during work and at rest, in peaceful times and in times of war? Had they heard the Sich Riflemen song […]

A Look at 1920s Galicia: Photographs of Daily Life in the Countryside

Below is a collection of photographs that depict daily life in the Galician countryside in the 1920s. The photographs were found on eBay by German collector Wolfgang Wiggers, who subsequently published them on his Flickr page. At the time the photographs were taken, Galicia was part of interwar Poland. All […]

Lviv’s Jewish Quarter in the Faded Memories of Witold Szolginia

An excerpt from Tamten Lwów—an eight-volume monograph about Lwów (Lviv)—in which Witold Szolginia describes the Jewish quarter as he remembers it from his visits in the 1930s. Witold Szolginia (1923-1996) was an architect, a native of Lwów until he was expelled to present-day Poland in 1946. Called “the encyclopedist of […]

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

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 […]

The Ukrainian Cooperative Movement in Galicia: Silskyi Hospodar

Name: Silskyi Hospodar (The Village Farmer)Type: Agricultural organizationGoal: To teach peasants modern farming methodsFounded by: the Revs. Toma and Julian DutkevychYears active: 1899-1944 The Ukrainian Cooperative Movement, which began in Galicia in 1883, addressed the economic plight of the Ukrainian people through the creation of financial, agricultural, and trade cooperatives that enabled Ukrainians to […]

Housing Developments in Interwar Lviv: Własna Strzecha

Location: 1-39 Panasa Myrnoho St. (formerly ul. Własna Strzecha)Built for: City officials and civil servantsYears of construction: 1928-1932Architects: Władysław Klimczak, Maksymilian Koczur, and M. KolbuszewskiStyle: Villas in Polish Manor style (styl dworkowy) After overcoming World War I and the financial crisis, housing developments (often called “colonies”) started to be built […]

Antique Roller Shutters of Lviv

Antique steel roller shutters dating from before WWII can still be found around Lviv, covering the windows and doors of former storefronts. Some of these shutters are still used; many, however, look as if they haven’t been opened in decades. These remnants of the past are especially interesting because their […]

Housing Developments in Interwar Lviv: The Professors’ Colony

Location: Main streets – Iryny Wilde St., Nishchynskoho St., Mizhhirna St.Built for: EducatorsFunded by: Society for Lending and Construction for Employees of Secondary and Higher Educational Institutions in LvivYears of construction: 1935-Architects: Tadeusz Wróbel, Leopold Karasiński, and Maximillian KochuraStyle: Functionalism (Modernism) After overcoming World War I and the financial crisis, […]

Housing Developments in Interwar Lviv: The Officers’ Colony

Location: Chereshneva St., Samiylenka St. and Oleny Pchilky St.Built for: Polish military officersYears of construction: 1923-1931Architects: W. Jakimowski, R. Voelpel, T. Wróbel, W. LembergenConcept: Garden City (Ebenezer Howard’s vision as promoted by Ignacy Drexler)Style: Polish Manor Style (styl dworkowy), some elements of Art Deco After overcoming World War I and […]