We continue our section of articles about new/old streets. Today we are going to offer you a walk along Ivana Vakarchuka St. Until recently it was named by Kindrat Ryleev.
By the way, at first, it was planned to rename the street in honour of the revolution the Spring of Nations that swept across Europe in 1848-1849. However, the decision was subsequently changed, and on October 7, 2022, the street of the Russian Decembrist poet became a street perpetuating the memory of Ivan Vakarchuk, the famous Ukrainian physicist, initiator of many reforms in the field of education and science, including the implementation of External independent evaluation, rector of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.
History of the street
The street is located on Sviatoiurskyi Hill and got its first name in 1895 in honour of Badeni Counts. During the Second World War, the name was changed several times: Poltavska, then Hans Sachsstraße, then Badeni again... Since 1946, the street has been named after K. Ryleev.
And in October 2022, within the de-russification of the city, the street began to bear the name of I. Vakarchuk. There was a big crowd at the renaming ceremony. The son of Ivan Vakarchuk, a famous singer, musician and politician Sviatoslav Vakarchuk in his speech noted that for his father the most important thing was to make young people educated and responsible for their actions.
What is worth seeing on Vakarchuk street?
Well, let's start the walk. On the corner of Vakarchuka and Mateika streets at № 8, there is a luxurious neo-baroque building. It was built for himself in 1894 by architect Wincenty Rawski Jr. The corner of the house is crowned with a tower. The windows have frames with mascarons heads. Now the "Raiffeisen Bank Aval" is situated there.
On the opposite side is the Dnister Hotel modernistic building, built by Soviet architects A. Konsulov, L. Nivina and J. Mastika on the site of a former sports ground.
Nine presidents, the First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton and cardinals of the Catholic Church - the list of honourable guests and this is not completed! Now on the top floor of the hotel, there is a cosy Dnister Panorama Bar, where you can pamper yourself with something delicious and admire the views of the city.
House № 3 was built in the early XX century for Emil and Fanny Kleiner. Stylistically, it is designed in the traditions of historicism, and the most interesting details of the facade are two balconies located above the entrance gate.
House № 5 is also built in the style of historicism. The courtyard here is like a parallel dimension in which time has stopped. You can relax on the bench, enjoying the silence…
It is also worth looking inside the house at № 7! Behind the old wooden gate, there is a luxurious hall. The spacious staircase is illuminated through a huge skylight window on the ceiling of the house. The wrought iron handholds have delicate patterns in the form of flower petals and leaves. Authentic tiles are preserved on the floor everywhere. A little bit of history: the house was built in the late 19th century by S. Choloniewski. In the interwar period, there was even a private medical office for emergencies.
House № 8 is also a period of historicism. There are a lot of authentic decorations on the facade. The wooden entrance gate has two nice oval windows.
House № 9 was built by architect S. Choloniewski for his own needs. It is very luxurious, perhaps the most beautiful on the street. The facade looks very interesting thanks to two symmetrical bay windows. Above the windows, there are triangular cornices. Also, there are many mascarons in the form of heads of some creatures with big fangs, whether dogs, wolves or something else...
And finally, at the corner of Vakarchuka and Ustianovycha streets, pay attention to the house at № 12. It was built in 1907 by K. Rzeczycki for L. Bogusiewicz.
The bay window turns into a balcony at the level of the third floor, so the structure looks light and not massive. The rustication in the shape of wooden boards on the first floor, sharp roofs with towers - all this reminds us of village buildings, with which secessionist architects were inspired. The house has an electric elevator from the early 20th century, but now it is not functioning. The famous writer, literary critic, and teacher Denys Lukianovych lived here.
In 1938-47, lawyer and professor of law Oleksandr Nadraha lived in this house. The Soviet authorities sent him and his family into exile to Siberia because they supported the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Upon their return, they were not allowed to live in Lviv. Nadraha dedicated his essays and memoirs entitled "In Lviv Parks" to his city.
In general, Sviatoiurskyi hill is called "Lviv Montmartre". The picturesque area attracted creative people. In particular, the famous Ukrainian artist Olena Kulchytska lived nearby, at 7 Lystopadovoho Chynu Street. Now there is a museum of her works, which can be visited for free with a Lviv City Card. Also with Lviv City Card, you can walk through the Metropolitan Gardens near St. George's Cathedral. This is a cosy place that not even all locals know about, besides, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the entire St. George's complex!
Have a nice walk and to new routes!
