The buildings, streets, and squares of Lviv are like exhibits in a huge museum of Life. Here, each structure differs from the previous one and deserves attention. Floral and animal ornaments, unique sculptures, ancient and biblical motifs - all of this is what we admire in Lviv. Let's take a closer look at some decorative elements on the facades of Lviv buildings.
Sanctuaries
Images of animals, plants, or birds are not exactly what you expect to see on the walls of sanctuaries. However, in Lviv, there are many such moments. In the Garrison Church of St. Peter and Paul, the former Jesuit church, we see a lamb at the very top. It is quite fitting. "Agnus Dei" (Lamb of God) is one of the most well-known symbols of Jesus Christ. In contrast, on the St. Andrew's Church of the UGCC (former Bernardine church), there is an image of an eagle and a knight on a horse. Here, historical contexts come into play. These are the coats of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of the Polish Kingdom. These were the states that formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a political entity that included Lviv for centuries.
A unique artifact associated with the Church of Saint Lazarus is the ancient reliefs. Authentically, they belong to the wall that surrounds the sanctuary. On one of them, Saint Lazarus is depicted, with dogs licking his wounds. Since the funds for the Church of Saint Paraskevi Pyatnytsi in Lviv were provided by Moldavian landlords, we see their coat of arms - the head of a bull - on the wall of this sanctuary. The Dominican Order's coat of arms features a dog. Therefore, on the former Dominican church in Lviv, this animal is also present, symbolizing the mentioned monastic community.
Near the center
The symbol of the Lviv beasts is the lion. Images of this animal, according to folk tales, are encountered several thousand times. We see "lions" on the facade of the Lviv radio building. There are two of them, moving towards each other, and between them, there is a caduceus - the staff attributed to Mercury. Like the building itself, this decorative element is dated to the early 20th century. At the intersection of Halytska and Staroevreiska streets, there is a lion with a split torso, on the Venetian House - a winged lion with a book, and on Market Square, 24 - a putto with a lion. Lions can be found on small squares, narrow streets; there are truly many of them.
Numerous interesting elements adorn the "Black House" in Lviv. Among them is a horse, or more precisely, the figure of a rider. It depicts Saint Martin on horseback, cutting a part of his cloak and giving it to a beggar. Nearby, on the Bernatovich House, there are horses pulling a chariot with the sea god Poseidon. Above the coffee mine, you can observe a sculpture of an eagle preparing to take flight. On the Bandinelli House, dolphins are depicted. They were believed to promote trade and protect merchants during long and perilous journeys. Dolphins can also be found on Krakivska Street, 11, and Ruska Street, 8, on Market Square, 3, and, among lizards, on the house of Jona Shprecher.
The facade of the "Seasons" building is particularly rich in decorative elements. There is a zodiacal series visible between the third and fourth floors. Additionally, storks are depicted on the building, symbolizing the changing seasons.
Far (not) center
After lions, dolphins can be considered the "beloved" creatures of Lviv. It turns out you can see them not only in the center. There is a dolphin on the National Bank building at the beginning of Kopernika Street, on the buildings of Doroshenka Street, possibly even on Slovatskoho Street. There are quite a few peacocks in the city: buildings on Doroshenka Street, 32, Kotlyarevskoho Street, 24, Knyazya Romana Street, 26, and so on. Not far from the center is the so-called Chestnut House: 5 Kotsiubynskoho Street. It is a former revenue house designed by L. Tsibulsky. It was built in 1906, and its facade is adorned with chestnut leaves. The building housed archaeologists and architects. A similar story is with the building at Hlybova Street, 2. It is decorated with sunflowers. Prominent scientists and mountaineers, the Smoluchowski brothers, lived in the building. In the center of Lviv, there is the Philharmonic building. Above it, there is a swan, and on Lysta Street, 7 - an eagle.
Turning in a slightly different direction, on Pekarska Street, there is the former palace of Semensky-Levynsky. Its owners loved horses, and on the right side of the main gate, where the entrance to the stables was, we see decorative elements in the form of horse heads. Not far from this location is the unique Bohomoltsia Street. Here, we pay attention to building No. 6 with plant ornamentation.
A life-size sculpture of a horse can be seen on the wall of the Bavorovsky Palace at 2 Bibliotechna Street. The author of this project is the renowned Lviv sculptor Johann Shymzer. On Hrebinky Street, 8, there is the head of a boar. Heroes of Maidan, 6, is a Lviv building with chimeras. However, there is also an owl among the latter.
