In the center of Lviv, a historical oak gate has been restored, which had been lying in a basement for nearly ten years. This concerns the building located at 3 Ivan Franko Street (entrance from Bohomoltsia Street). The restoration work lasted several months and was carried out under the city co-financing program with the support of LKP "Heritage Bureau" and the German Eberhard Schock Foundation.
This unique gate, standing over four meters tall, was long considered lost. It had been stored in the basement of the building for years, in dark and damp conditions. The restoration was part of the city co-financing program, and the shop operating in this building actively supported the initiative.
“A neighbor, who no longer lives here, applied for this program. Everyone knew that this old gate was in the basement. When we mentioned that we wanted to restore it and that there was such a program, all the neighbors were shocked. They thought it had rotted and could not be restored. When we moved in, there was a metal grate with a terrible lock that always broke,” said Roksolana Khudoba, founder of the shop-gallery "Something Interesting."
The wooden panels were severely damaged, covered with numerous layers of paint, and the structure itself was filled with old Soviet parquet. The restorers carried out a comprehensive restoration, which began at the end of September 2024.
“The most important task was the vertical binding posts and the lower ones; the biggest challenge was finding oak of 3.20 m in length and with a large cross-section. We also recreated the authentic color; there were so many layers of paint on this gate that the latch was barely legible. Additionally, we restored all the hardware on the back side, which was also covered in paint. Most importantly, we restored the geometry of this gate, as it had been warped,” explained Yaroslav Stolyarchuk, architect at LKP "Heritage Bureau."
They also replaced the shutters at the top. The cost of the restoration was about 120,000 UAH. Thanks to the co-financing program, the city covered 70% of the cost with funds from the German Eberhard Schock Foundation, while the rest was contributed by the shop and the residents. All interested Lviv residents living in buildings within the historical area of the city can apply for the program.
“Applications must be submitted from September 1 to 15 through the CNAP. You need to attach either technical passports if it concerns private residences for window restoration or floor plans if it involves common areas, such as entrance doors, tambour doors, and windows of shared stairwells. Such applications are reviewed, and if everything is submitted correctly, they are placed in the queue. The status of the queue can be checked independently through the 'Co-Financing' tab on the 'Heritage Bureau' website,” explained Stefania Topylko, director of LKP "Heritage Bureau in Lviv."
In the first month of this year, three restored gates have already been installed in Lviv. For information on how to participate in the program, visit the Heritage Bureau website in the “Co-Financing” section.