Tramway Rosettes and Numbers in Lviv

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 some areas where trams no longer run and where the rosettes have become only reminders of the trams' old routes. The numbers, however, seem to be vanishing rather quickly as more buildings in the city center are being renovated.

Until 1972, a tram went to the very end of Ivana Franka Street (now it runs down only half of the street). The old rosettes (below) can still be found on many of the buildings on the rest of the street (and the tracks are also visible along much of the road). (Rosettes and tracks can also be found on other streets where trams no longer run.)