Royal arsenal
While taking a stroll around the historic city of Lviv, you've likely passed through the street known as Pidvalna, near the local book market next to the monument of the first printer Ivan Fedorov. Just behind the monument, you can spot an interesting building - this is the Royal Arsenal.
The Royal Arsenal is a baroque architectural monument of the 17th century. It was a part of Lviv's fortification system, which consisted of four lines of defense. The building was erected between 1639-1646, according to the project of the fortification engineer and artillery general - Pavel Grodzitsky. It received the name "Royal" because a significant portion of the construction cost was paid for by the Polish king, Vladislav IV. His intention was to use the arsenal to accumulate weapons that could be used during the war against Turkey.
The Royal Arsenal was attached to the High Wall (which was the first line of defense) and thus was part of the city's fortification system. The complex of the arsenal consisted of three two-story buildings arranged around an inner courtyard. By the way, in case of a siege, the inner courtyard was a kind of trap for the enemy since every point of the courtyard was fired upon from the windows.
The arsenal was used to store the city's weapons, and it also housed various workshops and a foundry where church bells and cannons were cast, and weapons were manufactured and repaired. Not far from the arsenal, opposite the Assumption Church (in the 19th century), there was a stable where horses were kept for its service.
As for its appearance, the Royal Arsenal building was made of stone. The facade of the building is decorated with a loggia and a Baroque pediment. Today, the building looks quite picturesque, and you wouldn't immediately guess that it served as an armory. The only things that remind us of the Arsenal's purpose are the two gun ports mounted above the entrance. An interesting fact is that there used to be a sculptural group called "Archangel Michael striking Satan" above the inner portal, made by the Lviv master Kaspar Franke. It had been involved in various unfortunate incidents: it was damaged by a Swedish cannonball (in 1704), and later the sculpture suffered when it fell due to a strong wind. It remained in storage for a long time and eventually ended up in the Historical Museum, where it is still kept today.
The Royal Arsenal fulfilled its functions until 1768 when it lost its defensive significance. As the medieval defensive walls became obsolete in the 18th century, the Austrian authorities ordered them to be dismantled. The arsenal underwent significant reconstruction. During renovations in 1929, some of the loggia columns were partially restored, and the building's ancient appearance was recreated in the 1950s.
Today, the State Archive of the Lviv region is located in the former Royal Arsenal building.
