The Tourist Information Center team visited the Lviv Organ Hall
And to be honest, we were fascinated!
Lviv Organ Hall (Lviv House of Organ and Chamber Music) is a concert hall located in the church of St. Mary Magdalene (XVII c.), on Bandera Street, 8.
It is one of the three largest concert venues in Lviv, which can accommodate about 300 visitors. The organ hall has been destroyed and devastated so often, that it has been rebuilt many times. During the Soviet Union, there was a sports hall, and later - a dance and concert hall. But Organ and Chamber Music House itself was founded in 1988. Here take place various concerts of symphonic organ and chamber music, and also Roman Catholic worship services have been taking place in the building since 1998.
The organ was ordered from Gebrüder Rieger in 1932 and installed in 1936. It is one of the largest in Eastern Europe, the largest in Ukraine and probably the most beautiful :) Did you know that the organ is "built" during installation? We cannot just transport it by a truck as our favorite grandmother's piano. Installing an organ is the same as building a house.
An interesting feature of the Lviv Organ Hall is that, unlike others, the organist is actually on stage and the audience can observe all his or her movements. At first, this makes many musicians uncomfortable, since the audience is watching them play. That’s why a nice costume and a cute dress have become an attribute of organists in Lviv.
In addition to the organ hall and the throne of St. Mary Magdalen’s church, there is a local exhibition that actually changes every month. At the time of our visit, there was presented the exposition of Alexandra Grigorieva. Unlike other galleries, each artwork is given its own space which allows us to understand it without any distractions.
Furthermore, it is a nice place to spend your free time. There are several pianos on which any visitor can play as much as he/she would like.
All the above listed and many more are the ideas of a young and creative Organ Hall team. Thanks to them the Hall was restored. The repertoire is frequently developed and carefully selected. While reading a fresh newspaper you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with the staff who speaks English.
Summing up, we can confidently say that the Tourist Information Center team recommends the Organ Hall to the citizens and the tourists of Lviv.
How to get there?
If you prefer by foot - walk Doroshenko Street. up to Bandera Street. On the tram - # 2 and # 1 from the bus stops Rus’ka and Doroshenko - get off at the Lviv Polytechnic stop - the Organ hall will be behind to the left.
Working hours? - The Organ Hall is open daily from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm, but it’s closed on Monday. The lighting plays an important role, so we recommend that you visit the building both in the afternoon and in the evening. Most concerts are held at 7:00 pm, but we recommend you check the announcements before planning the visit.
What is the price?
- to visit the organ hall building - 25 UAH.
- concert tickets vary from 80 to 220 UAH. You can buy it online at the Organ Hall, or at any city's ticket offices.
