Formation of the Street
Knyazya Romana Street is one of the oldest streets in Lviv. The first known references to it date back to 1382, when it was called Honcharska (Potters’ Street), reflecting the settlement of potters in this area. In 1885, due to administrative changes, a section of Halytska Street was separated and renamed after Polish King Stefan Batory. Throughout the 20th century, the street underwent several renamings: Sverdlova (1940–1941), Wehrmachtstrasse (1941–1944), and Vatutin (1944–1992). The current name — Knyazya Romana — was assigned in 1992 in honor of Roman Mstyslavych, the founder of the Galicia-Volhynia Principality.
The architecture along the street reflects various historical periods, from Classicism to Constructivism. Many of its buildings are listed as architectural monuments of national and local significance.
Building No. 6
Builders and Styles
The five-story tenement house at 6 Knyazya Romana Street was built between 1912 and 1913 according to a design by architect Adolf Piller for the merchants Ludwik Stadtmüller and Karol Chudżak. It is a striking example of early modernist architecture, blending elements of Jugendstil, Neo-Gothic, and Secession. The façade is adorned with sculptures of knight-atlantes, bas-reliefs of lions, and the caduceus — the symbol of Mercury, the patron of commerce.
Who was the owner?
Originally, the building was a revenue-generating tenement, with commercial premises on the ground floor, a restaurant on the second floor, and residential apartments above. In the 1920s, it housed the Bank of Polish Land, and from 1929 — Lviv Radio. After World War II, the building was nationalized. Today, it hosts the Lviv Regional State Radio and the Lviv Regional Radio and Television Transmitting Center.
What does the building look like?
The structure is notable for its monumentality and restrained decoration that corresponds to the clarity of its architectural form. The façade is symmetrical, composed of five vertical axes. The first two floors, with large display windows, are separated by a horizontal cornice. The central entrance is accentuated by a portico with granite Neo-Romanesque columns and is adorned with bas-reliefs of lions and a caduceus. On the second and fourth axes are two symmetrical polygonal bay windows, each crowned with Neo-Gothic spires. The roof is gabled and covered with sheet metal.
Interesting facts
In 2023, the building became home to the first UNESCO Cultural Hub in Ukraine, located on the first and second floors of the tenement.
During a façade restoration project, authentic gold background details were discovered and restored.
What is there now?
Today, the building serves cultural and media-related purposes. It houses the Lviv Regional State Radio, the Lviv Regional Radio and Television Transmitting Center, the café-museum of film and photographic equipment “Fiksazh,” and the UNESCO Cultural Hub.