Lviv Town Hall
Medieval Town Hall
The first town hall in Lviv appeared shortly after the city government rights (Magdeburg rights in 1357). The building was made of wood and soon it burned down (1381). After the fire the construction of a stone town hall was started. By the end of the middle age the Lviv city hall was a conglomeration of buildings. The middle part of the building was its oldest part, dating from the 14th century. The western part was built in the years 1491–1504. The dominant feature of the composition was the tallest tower, topped by a mannerist shako (1619, architect A. Bemer ).
Modern building
A new tower was laid in 1827 and built between 1830 and 1835 following a Viennese Classical style. Authors of the project were architects: Alois Wondraszka, Jerzy Głogowski , Joseph Markl and Franz Trescher. The City Hall is a four-story building with a patio, and features a town hall clock tower.
On 25 June 1848 two blue and yellow banners were hung on the building, the first verifiably documented use of the current yellow-and-blue flag of Ukraine. It is unknown who hang the banners and the Austrian authorities (current Lviv was then named Lemberg and situated in the Austrian Empire) dissociated themselves from this action, as did the Supreme Ruthenian Council (a Ukrainian political organization). The banners hung for almost a week. At the request of the Supreme Ruthenian Council, on 15 May 1849 a yellow-and-blue flag hang again on the building, this time for one day.
In 1848, during the revolutionary events in Lviv city center the original clock tower collapsed. In 1851, the building was repaired.
Since 1939, the building has been housing the Lviv city council.
Since 2000, the Town Hall and its tower is open for entrance.
References
- ^ Zhuk, Ihor. "Pl. Rynok, 01 – The City Hall building". lvivcenter.org. Center for Urban History of East Central Europe. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ "175 років тому у Львові на ратуші замайорів синьо-жовтий прапор – як національний символ українців" [175 years ago in Lviv on the town hall of the Zamayors a blue-yellow flag – as a national symbol of Ukrainians]. Radio Free Europe (in Ukrainian). 25 June 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Синьо-жовті кольори незалежності. Як на світ з'явився український прапор і які труднощі здолав" [Blue and yellow colors of independence. How the Ukrainian flag was born and what difficulties it overcame]. Ukrainska Pravda – Zhyttia (in Ukrainian). 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.