Shadows of a Forgotten World

A handful of pre-Soviet (I'm guessing Austrian-era, so pre-WWI) advertising columns are still found in the center of Lviv. These are still used for their original purpose – to post concert and theater announcements.

My sister recently visited a ghost town in Montana called Bannack. The town was founded in 1862 and was the site of a major gold discovery. Today sixty historic structures remain standing in the town. The last residents left in the 1970s. A ghost sign remains on the ghost hotel. (Photo credit goes to my sister, Adrienne Kovalsky.)

A few weeks ago NPR posted on its photoblog a picture show with photos from the 100 Abandoned Houses project, which documents abandonment in Detroit. "These beautiful architectural portraits are the ghosts of Detroit's past ."

Few pre-WWII windows with signage remain – not surprisingly as glass is the most fragile of all remnants of the past. Windows were (and are still) used for street names and building numbers, conscription numbers , names of establishments, and decorative designs.   The following are probably some of the oldest as they include both conscription numbers and buildings numbers. the glass is located inside a building, in an entrance way The following include the street name and building number Most likely the glass on the right-hand side used to have the word "Boże" to complete the Polish phrase "Szczęść Boże," which means "God Bless You" In the 1920s and 1930s the third floor of this building housed the The Union of Female Teachers (Związek Nauczycielek), a humanitarian aid institution This one is located inside, on a door leading to a stairwell. Hence, the window says "schody,...

It's very sad to see ghost signs defaced. Graffiti is just one of the many threats to ghost signs. Recently I noticed that an interesting ghost sign in Lviv has been vandalized.