The history of the Frankivskyi district of Lviv City Council began in 1973. However, here we have a case when prehistory is more interesting than history. These lands were settled and built long before the 20th century. Moreover, many important moments for Lviv happened in these territories before their transformation into a modern administrative unit.
The first depot of electric transport and the first power plant in the city, the beginnings of the history of Lviv's "Karpaty" - it's all about the Frankivskyi district.
Kastelivka and Frantsivka neighbourhoods are becoming more and more popular among tourists.
Finally, in the Frankivskyi district, residents know how to move into the future without breaking the connection with the past.
Background
Frankivskyi district covers the southern and central outskirts of the city. It was created in 1973 as a Soviet district. The district received its modern name after Ukraine declared independence. There are several higher educational institutions in this area, and the history of some of them dates back to Austrian times. There are many green areas and a good offer of recreation complexes.
Frankivskyi district includes the following polling stations: Na Baikakh (or Novyi Svit), Bohdanivka (partially), Kulparkiv, Kastelivka, and Vulka. Urbanization of this space began only in the nineteenth century, but it was quickly integrated into city life. One of the first tracks for electric transport in the city was laid here, and the first electric tram depot was built.
The history of electrification of Lviv also began with the Frankivskyi district, where the first power plant in the city was opened. One of the most important enterprises in the city operates in this district: "Lvivelectrotrans".
Sections of the district and their history
The first settlements on the territory of the modern Frankivskyi district, the villages of Kulparkiv and Na Baikakh, are mentioned already in the XV and XVI centuries, respectively.
However, from that time until the 19th century, the situation in this area did not change much. Actually, in the 19th - 20th centuries, the settlements were annexed to Lviv. Then these territories, often deserted, began to be inhabited and built up. The space between the centre and the main railway station was urbanized in the second half of the 19th century and the interwar period.
The area of Volodymyra Velykoho and kniahyni Olhy, Naukova and partly Stryiska streets acquired its modern look in the Soviet period. There are typical residential and administrative buildings in the style of Soviet modernism.
The architectural dominants of the area are the building of the fiscal service (tax office), the main bus station, and the former printing plant. In the 50s of the 20th century, the first trolleybuses appeared in Lviv. Frankivskyi district, to some extent, is their homeland because the trolleybus depot and the enterprise "Lvivelectrotrans" are based here.
The visiting card of the Frankivskyi district is Kastelivka and Frantsivka. A lot of elegant villas are in these areas. Each of them is an amazing microcosm with many unique details. These are real masterpieces of the masters who worked here.
Kastelivka is a unique architectural and design experiment, which from the initial project to the implementation of small details, was embodied by architects Julian Zakharievich and Ivan Levynskyi.
It was a separate town for teachers of Lviv Polytechnic.
The masters implemented the concept of a garden city with the maximum amount of greenery and comfortable for people. Levynskyi's firm built dozens of villas here, after which this area became one of the most prestigious in Lviv. Today in Kastelivka, there are streets named after these architects, the Zakharievich villa and the Levynskyi factory.
Only in the Frankivskyi district
The history of the legendary football club "Karpaty" began in the Frankivskyi district. This club held its first matches at the stadium "Silmash". The south-central part of Lviv has unusual objects with a history that has come down to us since the Austrian times. In particular, in 1875, a psychiatric hospital was built on the territory of Kulparkiv. It is one of the oldest medical institutions in Lviv.
At the beginning of Bandera Street, there is a building of the former administration and barracks of the city police. Part of the premises was turned into a prison for political prisoners under Polish, Soviet and German rule. You can learn about these pages of history in the museum "Prison on Lonskoho", opened in the former prison.
Green oases and recreation areas
Frankivskyi district was created in Soviet times. At the same time, its industrialization began: "LAZ", "Lvivprylad", " Kineskop", and armoured and jewellery factories. Along with industrial facilities, green areas were also arranged. It is the botanical garden of Forestry University. It is a cosy location; there is an ash tree, the age of which reaches 200 years. Also, the park "Sand Lakes" appeared on the site of ancient sand quarries. The Bodnarivka Park was created for the anniversary of the revolution. It once housed an An-10 aircraft, it was the "Airplane" cinema. The largest park in the district - "Horikhovyi Hai", was laid out between Volodymyra Velykoho and kniahyni Olhy streets. It is a good area for family recreation: a cinema, a lake, playgrounds, paths and lighting.
There are many options for recreation and leisure in the Frankivskyi district. In addition, to the already mentioned, there is the Palace of Sports "Ukraine", sports complexes "Dynamo" and " Medyk", water park "Beach", one of the largest in the region shopping and entertainment complex "Victoria Garden".
Memory and revitalization
Frankivskyi district is inferior to other Lviv districts in terms of the number of monuments. However, some of the existing monuments deserve special attention. For example, it is the symbolic and conceptual memorial on Vuletskykh Hills. It was erected in 2011 after the joint efforts of Lviv Polytechnic University and the Lviv and Wroclaw City Halls. The symbolic arch was installed at the site of the execution of Lviv professors by the Nazis in 1941.
Looking at global practices, Lviv is actively looking for modern applications for the industrial infrastructure of the past. In the Frankivskyi district, the buildings of the old tram depot, which were built in the Austrian times, were given a second life. Now it is a museum of retro technology and Lem Station - a venue for concerts, festivals and other cultural events. In this way, the past remains useful today, and we do not allow ourselves to let it go and forget.
