interwar Poland Archives - Forgotten Galicia

Ghost Signs of Przemyśl

Areta — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 14:18:46 +0000

Today a small city in eastern Poland, Przemyśl (Peremyshl in Ukrainian transliteration) was once a major city in Galicia. Przemyśl’s population consisted of many nationalities, including Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, Germans, and Czechs. According to the Austrian census of 1830, the city was home to 7,538 people of whom 1,508 (20%) […]

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Between Myth and Memory: 1930s Galicia by the Artist who Never Was

Areta — Mon, 05 May 2025 13:33:25 +0000

By Ari Neumann *** Discover the curious case of “Lazar Weissmann,” a supposed Jewish artist who captured scenes of 1930s Galicia in 100s of watercolors, at a new exhibition of the History Museum of Kolomyia opening on May 16 at 14:00, for one month. Found as far as Canada, to as […]

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From Countryside to City: The Evolution of Ukrainian Urban Folk Fashion in Galicia

Areta — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 07:59:09 +0000

Ukraine boasts an ancient and rich tradition of embroidery. Folk embroidery was deeply symbolic and connected with a great number of beliefs, myths, and superstitions. At the heart of this tradition was the shirt, known as the vyshyta sorochka or vyshyvanka. For centuries, Ukrainian embroidery was confined to the rural […]

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

Areta — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 12:53:05 +0000

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, […]

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

Areta — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 14:39:54 +0000

“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 […]

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

Areta — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 12:04:54 +0000

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 […]

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

Areta — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 12:15:29 +0000

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 […]

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

Areta — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 11:52:00 +0000

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 […]

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The Ukrainian Cooperative Movement in Galicia: Silskyi Hospodar

Areta — Sat, 30 May 2020 11:04:08 +0000

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 […]

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Housing Developments in Interwar Lviv: Własna Strzecha

Areta — Sat, 23 May 2020 11:05:01 +0000

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 […]

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