The theme aims to analyze the
historical development and the localizatoin of Lviv cemeteries, as well
as to provide a general evaluation of their historical and cultural
significance.
Story
Cemeteries of Lviv are among the most well-known necropoli in
Ukraine and Europe. They emerged in Lviv as suburban cemeteries after
related orders were issued by Emperor Josef II in the 1780's.
The theme aims at tracing the historic development and
location of the cemeteries of Lviv. It is planned to research the
Lychakivskyi Cemetery that includes the Austrian Military Cemetery, the
Polish War Memorial and the Hill of Glory, the Yanivskyi Cemetery, the
Jewish "Kirkut" (the old cemetery that no longer exists and was once
located behind the Hospital of Mauricio Lazarus and the so-called "new
one" near Pilikhovska Street). In addition, theme goals include making
descriptions of old church cemeteries and the following cemeteries that
no longer exist: Stryiskyi, Horodotskyi and Paparivka.
The theme will make it possible to significantly compliment
the existing country study materials on the history of the architecture
and artistic heritage of the necropoli of Lviv. Besides the historic
development of the cemeteries, the theme is designed to provide a
general assessment of the monuments of historic and cultural heritage
that form the architectural and artistic image of the necropoli. In
particular, the theme envisions providing a detailed description of
the cemeteries complimented with features from old publications. Archive
plans and maps of cemeteries completed at different times, realized and
unrealized projects as well as projects of cemetery buildings and
constructions will make a vivid supplement to the theme's
texts.
The
cemetery was opened in 1855 owing to the closing of the old Jewish
cemetery. It was destroyed during the German occupation. In the
postwar period, the remains of the Jews from the destroyed old burial
places and of those executed in 1942-1943 were reburied there, and an
obelisk was set up. The cemetery deserves special attention as some
remains of the early twentieth century gravestones, which are in fact
unstudied monuments of art, have been preserved there. The cemetery
has been attached to Yanivsky cemetery since 1962.
The
old Jewish cemetery was located within the limits circumscribed by
contemporary Rappaporta, Kleparivska, Brovarna and Bazarna streets,
in the place of the contemporary Krakivsky market. It was one of the
oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe mentioned for the first time in
1414. The cemetery has not been preserved.
Lychakivsky (Lychakiv) cemetery is situated close to Mechnykova street; its territory occupies the Lychakiv plateau and its vicinities. As for today, this is the oldest preserved cemetery in Lviv which was officially opened in 1786. It is one of the best known European necropolises containing a lot of artistic monuments. The cemetery has been declared a historical, archaeological and artistic monument of national significance. There one can see the graves of many prominent persons, military burial places belonging to the times of the First and Second World Wars etc.
The Polish military memorial or the
Cemetery of the defenders of Lviv, also called the Cemetery of Eaglets (Cmentarz Orląt), is located
on a plot below Lychakivsky cemetery. The Poles who fought against the Western
Ukrainian People’s Republic in 1918 and against the Bolsheviks in 1920, those fallen
in the German-Polish war of 1939 and participants of the Resistance Movement (1922-1944)
were buried there. In 1971 the cemetery was destroyed by the Soviet
authorities; a part of its territory was occupied by Banakha street which was
built in the same year. In 1989-2005 the memorial was partially reconstructed.
Yanivsky
(Yaniv) cemetery was founded in 1883; it is situated on Shevchenka
street. The area of the cemetery is about 38 hectares now; over 200
thousand persons are buried in its 68 fields. One can find there
numerous burial vaults of high artistic value as well as civil
and military graves from the First and Second World Wars, including
those of the Ukrainian Galician Army riflemen, Polish military men,
Nazi, the Yaniv concentration camp of 1941-1943 victims. In 1962 the
territory of the nearby Jewish cemetery, which was founded in 1855,
was attached to Yanivsky cemetery. Since
the early 1980s the cemetery has been closed for burials because of
lack of free area.
