Shadows of a Forgotten World

When I was Glasgow , I noticed on several buildings in the city center the same tram rosettes that are in Lviv. Thus I immediately knew that Glasgow once had a tram system. Glasgow ’s electric tram route began in 1898. In 1962 the city abandoned its tramway system  —  the last city in the UK to do so. At its peak in 1947, the city had more than 1,200 trams. Starting in 1953, they were phased out. As such, the tram rosettes haven’t supported tram wires for 50 years, but many still adorn Glasgow ’s buildings, reminders of the city’s once much-loved tram system.

Lviv’s support wires for its electric trams were attached directly to buildings to anchoring hooks with ornamental rosettes. I believe these tram rosettes date from the early 1900s, since the first electric trams were used in the city starting in 1894. The tram rosettes first stood out to me because several of them are marked with numbers. I could tell they were quite old because of their font and because they were faded, but I have had a difficult time figuring out what they mean exactly. As someone on a forum suggested, it is possible that the numbers were there so that if there was some sort of accident, breakdown, etc. , the location could be easily conveyed with the help of the number. Many of the numbers are fading away or have been painted over, and they no longer have a function, as there are more efficient ways now to communicate and convey necessary information. The majority of the tram rosettes are still in use as Lviv’s tram system is still thriving, but there are ...

At first I thought this was a ghost sign, but after looking closer at what it says and later finding that there really is a store with that name now, I understood it was not. It's a store that sells gifts, souvenirs, and postcards. I really like the sign nevertheless.

Lublin , Poland , still has some intact horse hitching rings. They are attached to the front of several buildings in downtown Lublin . These iron rings would have been used to tie up horses by people doing errands downtown. They probably started to fall out of use in the 1920s. over the years the road has risen, and now the ring is all but buried

Marker plates, which indicate the location of hydrants or valves, can be found all over Lviv. T hey are on just about every building that was built before WWII. The plates ensure that a hudrant or valve can be found, in case, for example, the road is covered in mud or snow. Many of the original metal (Austrian-era) plates still exist  —  though some have been plastered or painted over, and, of course, others have been removed or stolen. The three most common plates have the letter “H,” “S,” or “Z”  —  abbrevations for Polish words (Polish was the main official language in Austrian and interwar Galica): “H” stands for the Polish word “ hydrant ”  —  fire hydrant; “S” stands for the Polish word “ spust ”  —  the valve that flushes water from the system; “Z” stands for the Polish word “ zasuwa ”  —  the valve for stopping the flow of water (stop valve). Marker plates with the sorts of covers they point to Th...

Hundreds of these pre-Soviet small round or square manhole covers are scattered across Lviv. I believe they cover utilities connected to the city's water supply network, specifically valves. Pomiar Miasta is Polish for "measurement of the city"; PPML most likely stands for Punkt Pomiara Miasta Lwow (Measurement Point for the City of Lviv). These have something to do with creating the plan for the city for the sewers, water supply, etc.

Another remnant of the coal infrastructure is the manually operated freight elevator. Coal would have been transported into the courtyards of buildings along tracks located in the entrance ways. Then from the courtyard, the coal would have been hoisted up to each floor on an elevator. This would have been more convenient than carrying the coal up the stairs, and also would have kept the stairwells clean from coal dust. The guide rails from the elevators remain in many courtyards, but I have only found one place where much of the winch and pulley mechanism is still in its original place next to the guide rails. In this case, there were elevators on either side of the courtyard. Guide rails remain in several courtyards. This winch is located outside an antique store in Lviv's center. It was obviously placed there as an advertising tool and is not in its original location.