Street Formation
This narrow street has been known since the early 19th century. Initially named Kryva Slipa (“Blind Curved”) in 1828, it was later shortened to Kryva (“Curved”) in 1871. During the German occupation, it was renamed Krummgasse, but in 1944 the prewar name was restored. Another section of the street, formed in the early 20th century, was named after Victor Bourliard in 1908. During the German occupation, it was called Handelstrasse (“Trade Street”), and after 1944 it reverted to Bourliard Street. In 1950, it was renamed Boika Street, and in 1963, a section of Kryva was merged into it. In 1992, the street was renamed Nyzhankivskoho Street, in honor of the Ukrainian composer Ostap Nyzhankivskyi.
Builders and Styles
The building at 2/4 Nyzhankivskoho Street was constructed in 1908 in the late Secession style, based on a design by architect Tadeusz Obmiński.
Who Owns It?
The building was commissioned for Victor Bourliard’s charitable institution — the Saint Lazarus Shelter for the Poor.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building is four stories tall, U-shaped in plan, with a basement. The windows are rectangular, and the doorways are arched. The roof is gabled.
The main façade is nine axes wide and rusticated. The third and seventh axes are accentuated with oriel bays extending through the second, third, and fourth floors, supported by four brackets and topped with decorative gables. Balconies, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, span the second to fourth floors and are supported by pairs of brackets. The main entrances are located under the oriel bays (on the third and seventh axes) and are framed with stone surrounds topped by keystones. The main decorative elements include a rusticated wall surface, pilasters with garland finials between the axes, and window surrounds with garlanded cornices.
The side façades are four axes wide and also rusticated. Balconies in a checkerboard pattern span the upper floors, with the same bracketed support system. Decorative elements mirror those of the main façade: rusticated surfaces, pilasters with garlands, and garlanded window cornices.
Interesting Facts
During the Polish period, the building housed the Hygiene Museum, the Lviv Cardboard Box Factory, a bookbinding workshop, and the Klepper & Igel Bookstore. From 1880 to 1893, it was home to the first editorial office of the newspaper “Dilo”, founded by Volodymyr Barvinskyi. The building was renovated in 2009.
What Is It Now?
Today, the building houses the Lviv College of Culture and Arts.
Sources and Literature
Melnyk B. V. Index of Modern Names of Streets and Squares of Lviv // Directory of Renamings of Lviv Streets and Squares. 13th–20th Centuries. — Lviv: Svit, 2001. — ISBN 966-603-115-9.
Hromov S. Names of Prominent People in the Streets of Lviv. — Lviv: NVF “Ukrainian Technologies”, 2001. — ISBN 978-617-629-077-3.
Melnyk I. The Galician Suburb and the Southeastern Outskirts of the Royal Capital City of Lviv. — Lviv: Apriori, 2012. — 352 p. — (Lviv’s Streets and Buildings) — ISBN 978-617-629-076-6.