Street Formation
The street was established in 1871 along the concreted Zalizna Voda stream. Initially, it was named Dvernytskoho Street in honor of Polish General Józef Dwernicki, a participant in the 1831 Polish Uprising. Several cottages designed by Wilhelm Stengel and Johann Michel existed here before the street was formally organized. The name of the street changed several times: Bad Gasse in 1941, again Dvernytskoho in August 1941, Badgasse in 1943, once more Dvernytskoho in 1944, Instytutska in 1946, and 30th Anniversary of Victory in 1975. The street received its current name in 1991, in honor of Ilarion Sventsitsky — a philologist, ethnographer, and museum expert.
Architects and Styles
The building at 1 I. Sventsitsky Street was erected in 1900, designed by Ludwik Wierzbicki and Ludwik Fruehauf in the Neo-Renaissance style.
Who Owned It?
It was built as the “Tadeusz Kościuszko House” — a dormitory (bursa) for secondary school students from low-income families.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building is three stories tall and L-shaped in plan. The walls are brick masonry. Window and door openings on the first and second floors are rectangular, while on the third floor they are arched. The roof is hipped.
The main façade is eight axes wide. The first floor is rusticated and painted; the second and third floors feature exposed brickwork. The fourth and fifth axes are emphasized by a slightly projecting risalit topped with a pediment. The main entrance is located on the fourth axis.
Interesting Facts
The school housed around 40 students and also provided meals for small children attending public schools. During the winter of 1904–1905 alone, a total of 27,908 meals were served.
The institution was supported by the local community, but due to the limited financial resources of the “Society,” students could not stay at the “Tadeusz Kościuszko House” free of charge. However, for a small, often symbolic fee, young people could live and study there.
The building also housed the Tadeusz Kościuszko Museum.
In 1992, the UARNet project — the Ukrainian Academic and Research Network — was launched here. In February 1993, Ukraine’s first connection to the global Internet via leased lines was established as part of this project.
What’s There Now?
Today, the building houses the Institute for Condensed Matter Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
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