Formation of the Street
Stepana Bandery Street is one of the most important thoroughfares in Lviv, connecting the city center with its western districts. The street began to take shape in the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century, a period of rapid urban expansion beyond the historical core of Lviv.
Originally, it was called 3 Maja Street, in honor of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, and kept this name until 1939. During the interwar period, it became one of Lviv’s most prestigious streets, home to educational institutions (notably the Polytechnic, now Lviv Polytechnic National University), administrative offices, and elegant residential buildings.
In the Soviet era, the street was renamed Dzerzhinsky Street, and in 1991 it was given its current name — in honor of Stepan Bandera, a prominent leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement.
The street’s layout followed major transportation routes, including a railway line connecting the main station with the city center, as well as the expanding neighborhoods of Klepariv and Zamarstyniv. From the beginning, the street was planned as a broad urban avenue, with a tram line and a tree-lined median.
Builders and Style
The building at 31 Stepana Bandery Street was constructed in 1907 in the ornamental Secession style (Art Nouveau). It was built for Józef König, with the architectural design by Władysław Hertman and Józef Piątkowski.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building is designed in the Secession style. It is three stories tall, with a complex layout, made of brick and plastered. The internal layout follows a sectional type, typical of apartment buildings of the time.
The main façade is symmetrical, with two side risalits (projecting sections). The ground floor is emphasized by linear rustication and fitted with large display windows. The second and third floors are vertically divided by pilasters, ending in stylized capitals decorated with Secessionist stucco ornamentation.
Balconies with wrought-iron railings project at the second and third floors, supported by ornate brackets. Above the third-floor windows are inserts with rich vegetal Art Nouveau decoration. Beneath the windows of the risalits, there are panels with colorful ceramic tiles, featuring light interference effects.
The main entrance portal, located at the center, is adorned with rusticated pilasters and a massive arched frame with a keystone. The building is crowned with a profiled cornice and a low central attic, while the side risalits are topped with high, cornice-less attics typical of the Secession style.
Interesting Facts
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During the Polish era, the building housed the “Argon” chemical goods store.
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In the Soviet period, it was used for a grocery store and bread shop.
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” // 1,243 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 Interior Decoration Program of Residential Buildings in Eastern Galicia from the Late 19th to the First Third of the 20th Century” // Bulletin of the Lviv National Academy of Arts. — 2019. — No. 42. — pp. 79–87.