Development of the Street
Svientsitskoho Street took shape during the second half of the nineteenth century in the Sofiivka district, which developed rapidly following the expansion of Lviv. The street was laid out in 1871 along the Zалізна Вода stream and was originally named Dwernickiego Street after the Polish General Józef Dwernicki. In 1946 it was renamed Instytutska Street, in 1975 it became 30th Anniversary of Victory Street, and since 1991 it has borne the name of the Ukrainian scholar, ethnographer and museum professional Ilarion Svientsitskyi.
Who Was the Owner?
The building was constructed in 1900 for the Society for Educational Aid (Towarzystwo Pomocy Naukowej), a Polish charitable organization that supported talented students from low-income families. Built on a site donated by the Lviv City Council, it became the Kościuszko House, a student residence for boys attending secondary schools in Lviv while coming from other towns and villages.
The project was designed by architects Ludwik Frygauff and Ludwik Wierzbicki, while construction was supervised by Michał Michalski.
What Does the Building Look Like?
Although erected during the peak of the Art Nouveau period in Lviv, the building is an example of Neo-Renaissance architecture rather than Art Nouveau. This was typical of many institutional buildings of the early twentieth century, whose patrons preferred restrained historicist forms.
Its architectural features include:
- façades built of exposed red brick;
- a symmetrical composition;
- restrained Neo-Renaissance decorative details;
- a high basement level and pronounced cornice;
- large rectangular windows providing abundant natural light to the former residential and study rooms.
The building combines a rational internal layout with the dignified appearance expected of educational institutions at the turn of the twentieth century. The contrast between its historicist architecture and the neighbouring Art Nouveau buildings makes it an important element of the streetscape.
Interesting Facts
- The residence accommodated around 40 students attending secondary schools in Lviv.
- It also provided free or subsidized meals for children from underprivileged families. During the winter of 1904–1905, more than 27,000 meals were served.
- The building once housed a Tadeusz Kościuszko Museum, dedicated to the Polish national hero.
- In February 1993, the building became the site of Ukraine’s first permanent Internet connection via dedicated communication lines as part of the UARNet academic network, marking a milestone in the country’s digital history.
What Is It Today?
Following the Second World War, the building served as a secondary school and later housed the People’s University of Marxism-Leninism.
Since 1991, it has been home to the Institute for Condensed Matter Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, one of the country’s leading research institutions in theoretical and experimental physics.
Sources and Literature
Melnyk, B. V. Index of Current Street and Square Names in Lviv // Directory of Street and Square Renamings in Lviv: 13th–20th Century. — Lviv: Svit, 2001. — ISBN 966-603-115-9.
Architecture of Lviv: Time and Styles. 13th–21st Centuries / M. Bevz, Yu. Biryulov, Yu. Bohdanova, V. Didyk, U. Ivanochko, T. Klymenyuk, et al. — Lviv: Center of Europe, 2008. — ISBN 978-966-7022-77-8.
https://inlviv.in.ua/lviv/bursa-dlya-nezamozhnyh-abo-de-u-lvovi-vpershe-pidklyuchylys-do-internetu