Formation of the Street
Drahomanova Street in Lviv dates back to the 18th century, when it was known as Honcharska Vyshcha (Upper Pottery Street), named after the pottery workshops once located in the area. Over the years, the street’s name changed several times: in 1895, it became Mokhnatsky Street (in honor of Polish publicist Maurycy Mochnacki); during the German occupation, it was renamed Blumenstrasse; and in 1946, it received its current name in honor of Ukrainian thinker and publicist Mykhailo Drahomanov.
The architectural ensemble of the street includes styles such as Classicism, Historicism, Secession (Art Nouveau), and Constructivism. Among the notable buildings are the villa of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (now the National Museum), built at the end of the 19th century, and the romantic Secession-style villa of Yulian Makarevych. Today, the street retains its aristocratic charm and remains part of the historical core of Lviv.
Architects and Styles
The villa of Yulian Makarevych was built in 1909 based on the design of architect Ludwik Wierzbicki (also spelled Węltze), a representative of Lviv’s renowned architectural school of the early 20th century. Yulian Makarevych himself — a prominent legal scholar and rector of Lviv University in 1923–1925 — commissioned the villa as a private residence.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building was constructed in a romantic Secession style with elements of Neo-Romanticism. Its design features a picturesque asymmetric silhouette, a tall mansard roof, decorative carvings, wooden balconies, and stained glass windows, many of which are still preserved. The villa exhibits features of Swiss Alpine architecture, which was popular in Lviv’s suburbs at the time, and fits harmoniously into its green surroundings.
Interesting Facts
The house is built on a slope, so it has two floors on the street-facing side and only one on the others. It has no “flat walls” — the entire structure is covered in projections, niches, turrets with pointed roofs, and gables. A low staircase leads to the main entrance, with a separate door accessing the basement level. Unfortunately, the facade facing the street is largely obscured by large thuja trees. The outer walls have preserved many decorative elements: wrought-iron window grilles and a canopy above the entrance, wooden doors with intricate fittings, and a large panoramic window on the southwest facade. The windows are highly varied — single, triple, narrow slit windows, with arched or rectangular tops — most retaining their original joinery and hardware. The pointed roofs are currently covered with natural tiles and feature numerous red-brick chimneys. The walls are plastered and, as of 2019, painted yellow.
What’s There Now?
As of 2021, the new owners had not undertaken any visible renovations, and the building remained closed and unused. Reports indicated that the company planned to resell the property to a local Lviv businessman, but no confirmation of the deal’s completion has been made public.
Sources:
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Drymba. Villa of Yulian Makarevych, Lviv
– Description of the architectural style, construction history, and biography of Yulian Makarevych.
Available at: https://drymba.com/uk/1055171-villa-yuliana-makarevycha-lviv -
Infolit Lviv. What Will Happen to the Villa of a Prominent Lviv Legal Scholar on Drahomanova Street?
– Details about the villa’s current state, sale to private owners, and future prospects.
Available at: https://inlviv.in.ua/lviv/shho-bude-z-villoyu-vidomogo-lvivskogo-pravoznavtsya-na-vulytsi-dragomanova