Restorers showcased the restored sculptures at Lychakiv Cemetery.
A team of Polish and Ukrainian restorers has completed the season of work at the Lychakiv Cemetery. The group leader, Anna Kudzia, showcased the results of this year’s efforts. This includes five sculptural tombstones belonging to Polish families that lived in Lviv.
“We managed to complete the planned work for this season and restore the beauty of yet another Lychakiv tombstone. We are preserving monuments despite the war. Together, as a Polish-Ukrainian team, we are protecting our shared cultural heritage,” – wrote the restoration group leader, Anna Kudzia.
Among the restored sculptures:
- The tombstone of the Kilanowicz family, created by the Kraków sculptor Piotr Kozakiewicz on behalf of the sculptural-stone firm of Leopold Szynzer. The sculpture depicts a grieving woman leaning against a stone pillar shaped like a broken tree, adorned with an ornament of twisting ivy leaves, making it the only one of its kind in the cemetery.
1 - The grave of the Armatys family. One of the family members, Karol, was involved in the fur trade in Lviv, selling pelts, and served as a city councilor and director of the mutual aid fund. The Armatys family were related to the Moerl family, who owned a shop on Halytska Street, selling silver and gold watches.
A delicately carved figure of a weeping woman holding a large floral garland leans against the sarcophagus. Art historians believe this work was created by the German sculptor Paul Evtel, who was a student of Anton Szynzer.
- The family tomb of the Moshynski family, which houses 12 family members, including five children under the age of five. The sculpture depicting two angels features the signature of the sculptor Julian Markowski. Angels were a hallmark of this sculptor, and he created the tomb in partnership with Antoni Kurzawa.
- The tomb of the Kulchytsky family. The authorship is attributed to Hartman Witwer. A female figure in a long dress rests on a pedestal with memorial plaques, topped with an urn with a lid. It is believed to represent Petronela Kulchytska, mourning her loved ones and commissioning this monument.
Anna Kudzia clarified to ZAXID.NET that her team has fully restored five graves, with two more currently in progress. Meanwhile, other restoration groups have been working at the cemetery as well. The work is funded by the Polish Institute Polonika.
Another photo showcasing the restoration results was shared by Michal Lashkovsky, the director of the Polish Institute of Heritage Protection. This is the grave of the Governor of Galicia, Franz Hauer.
Lychakiv Cemetery is one of the largest European necropolises and the oldest in Lviv, established in 1786. The cemetery currently spans 42 hectares and serves as a museum.