The house at Berinda P. Street, 3 was built in 1909 in the style of late secession according to the project of Michal Ulyam.
Formation of the street
Until the 19th century, Berindy Street was a nameless alley that rested against the city wall near the wax factory. After the demolition of the walls at the end of the 18th century, it became through and was called the Narrows. In 1829, the street was called Near the Vienna Coffee House. Since 1871, it has been named Kilinski, in honor of the Polish rebel. During the German occupation (1942–1944), the street was called Hellerstrasse, after the war the name Kilinskiy returned. The street received its modern name in 1992 in honor of Pamvo Berinda, a writer, linguist and lexicographer of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the development of Berinda street, there are buildings in the style of classicism and secession.
Who is the owner?
The client of the construction was the banking firm “Union”, the owners of which were Adolf Lilien and his son Edward.
What does the house look like?
It is a five-story residential building with an inner courtyard, located on the corner of two streets. The corner of the building is rounded and accentuated by a long corner balcony with wrought iron grills on the third floor and small semi-circular balconies on the fourth. The first two floors are made with rustication. The facade decor is restrained, with classical elements on the fifth floor – pilasters with Ionic capitals, a frieze with triglyphs and garlands, a horizontal thrust with a meander, and arched and rectangular window frames.
A feature of the building is two risalites at the level of 3-5 floors, completed with triangular roofs. The roof of the house is of a complex shape, high, with round dormer windows, spiers-vases and partially covered with tiles. The entrance gate is wooden with window inserts, and the portal is decorated with stucco with an oval rosette and garlands. The entrance is rectangular and elongated, with walls and ceiling decorated with profiled planes and stucco inserts with geometric and floral ornament.
The stairwell is semi-oval in plan, made of reinforced concrete, with stone steps and simple metal handrails. There is an elevator in the middle of the stairs. The interior has preserved authentic wooden doors and windows, parquet floors, as well as old heating batteries, one of the first in Lviv.
Interesting facts
The building on Berinda Street had a significant impact on the life of the city. In addition to the first floor, where the branch of the Viennese bank “Union” was located, the fifth floor was also popular. Until 1914, the Kordian photo studio and the Radio Films Society’s film warehouse were located there, and later the premises were used by the Paramount film distribution company.
The Jewish organization “Keren Kayemet le-Israel” worked on the third floor, and the Jewish sports club “Gasmonaia”, known for its football and table tennis sections, was located on the fourth floor. Jewish organizations operated here until the Second World War, after which their members died in the ghetto or the Yaniv concentration camp.
After the war, the premises were used by various banking institutions, and during the Soviet period, the “Mayak” deli was located here. Currently, a jewelry store and a designer clothing boutique are located on the first floor.
What is here now?
Now there is a jewelry store and a designer clothing boutique on the first floor, and the “Old City Hostel” is located on the upper floors of the building.
Sources and literature
Who is Pamvo Berinda and what secrets does the Lviv street named after him hide
St. Berindy, 3 – residential building | Interactive Lviv
Michal Ulyam Construction Bureau: Art Nouveau, revolutionaries’ hotel and the first Lviv “skyscraper”
Ilko Lemko, Mykhalyk V., Beglyarov H. Berindy str. // 1243 Lviv Street (1939-2009). — Lviv: Apriori, 2009.
