Street Formation
Initially, Hnatyuka Street served as a country road leading from Lviv’s city walls to the estate of the wealthy townsman Stanzl Scholz, who, in the mid-16th century, founded the village of Stanzlova Volia. It was located near the present-day main building of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. In 1602, the Jesuits purchased this land and established a large garden, which later became part of Ivan Franko Park. Within the city, access to this road was created through the so-called “Jesuit Gate,” and a bridge was built over the Poltva River. It is hard to imagine today, but the area where the street now lies was once a vast wetland where people hunted ducks up to the early 19th century.
The area began to develop actively during the Austrian Empire (from 1772), when the city fortifications were demolished by imperial decree, and Lviv started expanding beyond its medieval core. In the first half of the 19th century, private estates and villas began appearing here. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the district evolved into a hub of Austro-Hungarian Lviv’s business quarter.
Builders and Styles
The project for the building at 2 V. Hnatyuka Street was designed by Lviv architects Władysław Derdecki and Witold Minkiewicz and took first place among 16 entries in a 1911 architectural competition. During implementation, the design was modified by Czech architect Matej Blecha. That same year, Lviv architect Zbigniew Brochwicz-Lewiński criticized the changes made to the original design in the journal Czasopismo Techniczne. The building, completed in 1912 by Matej Blecha, was constructed in the style of Prague or Rational Modernism (late Secession).
Who Owns It?
Until 1921, the building housed a branch of the Prague Credit Bank.
What Does the Building Look Like?
This monumental building stands on the corner of present-day Svobody Avenue and Hnatyuka Street (formerly the corner of Karol Ludwik and Jagiellonian Streets), forming a striking visual pair with the nearby old building of the Galician Savings Bank. Together, they form one of the most prominent architectural highlights of the southwestern section of Lviv’s “ringstrasse.”
The five-story brick structure features plastered façades, reinforced concrete elements, and a high roof. It has an L-shaped floor plan and is designed in the style of Prague or Rational Modernism (late Secession).
The façade composition is marked by vertical rhythms, with a dominant corner bay window (erker) above the entrance portal, topped by a dramatic dome. Two smaller bay windows are symmetrically placed on either side. The façade ends in gables and is decorated with bas-reliefs by sculptor Emanuel Kodet. The windows are tall and rectangular.
In 1912, sculptural decorations in the Secession style were created for the Czech Bank in Lviv by renowned Czech artist Emanuel Kodet, invited by architect Matej Blecha. The exterior ornamentation includes figures of Mercury and Demeter, as well as bas-reliefs of dancing women and animals that symbolize the building’s function and emphasize the structure’s segmentation.
The building is crowned with a tall dome, which, although utilitarian in function, also serves a decorative role. This dome construction is considered one of the early steps toward the Art Deco style. The total bank area was 1,996 square meters. The interior layout follows a corridor-hall design. The central interior feature is the banking hall with a vestibule, located in the corner section on the ground floor. Surviving interior elements include stained glass, painted overdoors (supraportes), original furnishings from the time of construction, and a pneumatic tube system.
Interesting Facts
In the early 20th century, Lviv was the largest administrative, industrial, and economic center in Galicia. Metalworking, light industry, and chemical, food, electric, oil, logging, and construction sectors were rapidly expanding. The growth of these industries led to increasing capital and monetary circulation. Profits from oil extraction and logging soared, and additional credit resources were required to support further development and workforce expansion.
Galicia was home to numerous banks serving different purposes, including the Galician Savings Bank, the National Bank of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, the Federal Joint-Stock Bank, and others. One of the notable institutions supporting Galician industry was the Prague Credit Bank.
This bank dates back to the second half of the 19th century. It was established in Kolín, Czech Republic, on March 3, 1870, with a share capital of 200,000 gulden. A general meeting decided to open a branch in Prague. In 1899, the bank was renamed the Prague Credit Bank (PCB). On September 12, 1906, its third branch opened in Lviv.
By 1912, the bank had offices in Kolín (Bohemia), Olomouc (Moravia), Brody and Lviv (Galicia), and Belgrade (Serbia). Later, a branch was also opened in Sofia (Bulgaria).
The decision to open branches in Brody and Lviv was likely connected to the bank’s early involvement in financing joint-stock companies engaged in oil extraction in Kolín. The Prague Credit Bank supported the development of oil industries and established the Galician Mining Joint-Stock Company in Lviv. The bank also financed timber supplies for state road construction in Galicia and supported forestry operations. Galician construction companies and brick manufacturers also received considerable funding.
What Is It Now?
Today, the building houses various businesses, including offices, shops, and cultural centers.
Sources and Literature
Rozstrzygnięcie konkursu na szkice gmachu Banku pragskiego we Lwowie // Architekt. — 1911.
Architecture of Lviv…; Cielątkowska, R. Architecture…; Lewiński, Z. O prawa i zasady // Czasopismo Techniczne. — 1912.
Lviv in the Past and Present: The Building of the Prague Bank. Rare Photographs
Biryulov, Yu. The Work of Bricklaying Masters and Decorative Sculptors of Lviv Buildings in the Late 19th – Early 20th Century // Bulletin of Lviv Polytechnic National University. Architecture. — 2015.
Lviv Branch of the Prague Credit Bank, or One of the Financiers of Galician Industry • Photographs of Old Lviv
