Ancient Romans cared about the quality of roads. In modern Lviv, it is considered important to maintain and restore the city gates. How you welcome a guest is how you lead them! It's about practicality and aesthetic appeal at the same time. That's why the movement to restore historical city gates is currently in vogue – everything happens without ostentation and with personal initiative. Let's delve into some specific examples.
Over a hundred years. The Gate at 34 Knyazya Romana Street
This is one of the largest historical gates that the city restored in collaboration with its residents. Like the building itself, it's over a century old. The gate features decorative elements, metal hardware, pedestals, and pilaster strips. The glazing has been restored, wooden inserts and latches have been crafted, and blacksmithing work has been done.
Gate at 10 Hoholia Street. Marconi Atlantes
The ancient oak gate was restored by the city and its residents in the building at 10 Hoholia Street. This is a beautiful and prominent structure with atlantes located near the Church of Saint Anna. A new latch was installed, and wrought iron and wooden elements were restored. The renowned sculptor Leonard Marconi lived in this building. He is the author of the aforementioned atlantes sculptures.
8 Kotliarska Street. "Carriage" Gate
Such gates are referred to as "carriage" gates. They were used to allow carriages to enter the courtyard with horses. They are slightly larger than regular gates. Due to their unsatisfactory condition and inadequate previous repairs, a significant portion of decorative elements and wood had to be replaced in the gate.
Fir Gate at 12 Fedorova Street
At this address, we see the delicate and tender Lviv gate made not of oak, but of fir wood. Due to the wood's lack of durability, during the restoration, decayed and deformed elements of the gate were replaced. The glazing was also restored. The building itself was constructed in the early 20th century.
Rare and Challenging to Restore Brass Gates. Pekarska Street, 17
An exceptional brass gate that stands out among others in Lviv. The main complexity lied in cleaning the gate and restoring its lost elements. Once, the wife of Mykhailo Hrushevsky, Maria, lived in the house at this address. Currently, the workshop of the artist Orest Skop is operating here.
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On the Corner by Mr. Edzio, 45 Rynok Square
The gate at this address is located at the corner of the "Atlas" restaurant. Restorers have revitalized the metal structure, restored the gate's authentic color, and added stained glass windows. It took almost half a year, but now Lviv residents and city visitors can enjoy yet another gate.
Olives and Sunflowers. 21 Kostia Levytskyi Street
Serious restoration work was carried out on 21 Kostia Levytskyi Street. The original appearance of the entrance gate was restored there. These are metal twin doors with a large number of decorative elements. During the process, the door structure was leveled, new latches and glazing were installed. The gate's olive color and the sunflower and leaf ornament are particularly distinctive.
Lysenko, 32 / Lysenko 33
A metal Art Nouveau gate with a floral ornament at 33 Lysenko Street. The ornamentation here takes the form of laurel leaves and exotic flowers, and the gate's color is distinctive. Due to the paintings in the interior, this structure is referred to as the "House with Roses." In contrast, the wooden oak gate at Lysenko 32 is called the "Ivy Gate." This building was constructed during the Art Nouveau period, and that's why the entrance gate is adorned with a characteristic floral ivy ornament. Wooden and metal elements were restored here.
Konyskoho, 5 and Hrytska Chubaya, 9
At the second address, there is a building from the early 20th century, where the historian Ivan Kryp’yakevych lived. Oak doors in the building have been restored. They feature an interesting pattern in the form of a circular ornament. Authentic fan-shaped doors made of pine wood are also present, and they have been restored as well. This includes the restoration of glass and the plant ornament on the wooden part.
On the other hand, the gate at Konyskoho, 5 is a doorway within a doorway. The building at this address was constructed in the late 19th century. Here, we see a wooden pine gate that could even accommodate a carriage.
Hnatyuka, 13 and the distinguished economist
An authentic gate has been preserved on Hnatyuka Street, 13. This is where the distinguished economist Ludwig von Mises was born and lived. Restorers have restored the metal mechanisms for securing the gate, as well as the carved decorative elements: cornice, sheltering plate with a capital and bracket, door portal, and floral ornaments. The restoration work was made more complex due to the gate's massive dimensions and the graffiti applied to it.
