Formation of the Street
Stepana Bandery Street is one of the most important thoroughfares in Lviv, connecting the city center with its western districts. It began to take shape in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, during a period of rapid urban expansion beyond the historic city core.
Originally named 3 Maja Street (Third of May), in honor of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, the street retained this name until 1939. During the interwar period, it was one of the most prestigious streets in Lviv, home to educational institutions (notably the Polytechnic, now Lviv Polytechnic National University), administrative offices, and elegant residential buildings.
In the Soviet period, it was renamed Dzerzhinsky Street, and in 1991 it was given its current name — in honor of Stepan Bandera, a leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement.
The street runs along major transportation routes, including a railway line connecting the main train station to the city center and to the developing neighborhoods of Klepariv and Zamarstyniv. From the outset, it was planned as a wide urban boulevard, with a tram line and a tree-lined median.
Builders and Style
The building at 24 Stepana Bandery Street, known as the Berl Finkler Tenement House, is a notable architectural landmark of early 20th-century Lviv. It was built in 1913 to a design by architect Ferdynand Kassler, in the style of rational modernism with elements of ornamental Secession (Art Nouveau). The façade features decorative reliefs by sculptor Zygmunt Kurchynski, which lend the building artistic richness and expressiveness.
Who Was the Owner?
The original owner of the building was Berl Finkler, who commissioned its construction as an income-generating property through apartment rentals.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building stands at the corner of Stepana Bandery and Karpinskogo Streets, giving it a distinctive shape reminiscent of a ship or flatiron. The façade is designed in the style of rational modernism, with grotesque reinterpretations of classical elements, which result in a bold and unique architectural composition.
What’s There Now?
Today, the building houses Post Office Branch No. 13.
Sources
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Architecture of Lviv: Time and Styles. 13th–21st Centuries / M. Bevz, Yu. Biryulov, Yu. Bohdanova et al. — Lviv: Center of Europe, 2008. — 720 pages.
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Encyclopedia of Lviv / Edited by A. Kozytskyi and I. Pidkova. — Lviv: Lytopys, 2007–2010. — Vols. 1–3.
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Ilko Lemko, V. Mykhalyk, H. Behliarov. “Bandery Street” // 1243 Streets of Lviv (1939–2009). — Lviv: Apriori, 2009. — pp. 78–80.
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Ihor Melnyk. “Shyroka—Kopernyka. Kopernyka Street” // The Halych Suburb and the Southeastern Outskirts of the Royal Capital City of Lviv. — Lviv: Apriori, 2012. — pp. 56–58.
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Uliana Shcheviova. “Artistic Murals in the Decoration Program of Entry Spaces of Residential Buildings in Eastern Galicia, Late 19th – First Third of the 20th Century” // Bulletin of the Lviv National Academy of Arts. — 2019. — No. 42