Cistern in Pohulyanka Park

The first water supply system in Lviv was built in 1407. The ​​German Peter Schtecher was responsible for drafting the plans for the construction of cisterns and water pipes. As information about the work associated with the laying of water pipes was strictly classified, no documents with the precise locations of the early water supply facilities have been found. The first cisterns are likely to have been located on the Lychakiv hills, east of Lviv.


The Pohulyanka cistern is located on a steep hillside in Pohulyanka Park. The cistern collected water from nearby springs and piped the water to the city. The type of vault and the use of broken stone instead of crafted stone blocks are signs that the cistern itself dates back to 1407.



In 1839 the current façade was built and the interior vaults were renovated. The two massive buttresses are decorated with reliefs of sea nymphs (Nereids) holding gifts of the sea: shells and branches of coral. The author of these reliefs, according to Yuriy Biryulov, was Paul Eutele (1804-1889). (Павло Гранкін: Brunnenstube [водяна комора] або водозбірник на Погулянці". "Ринок інсталяцій" №9 - 2004, С.79.)



The spring that supplied water to the cistern was called Wenglin, which was first mentioned in 1407. It was one of Lviv’s most important springs. It supplied drinking water to the four fountains on the Market Square around the city hall and to several nearby streets. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Metal Roller Shutters in Lviv

Image
Lviv still has quite a few Austrian- and Polish-era metal roller shutters, which cover windows and doors of old storefronts. Some of the shutters are still used; most, however, look as if they haven’t been opened in decades. The panels with the locks are stamped with the manufacturer’s mark – typically the company’s name and location, some even with a street address, such as the company N. Bielicki Lwów , which was located on ul. Gródecka 43 (Horodotska St.). this panel is upside down - I think because several old shutters were used to patch up this door as seen in picture below Prague
Read more

Antique Iron Fences in Chicago

Image
I discovered some old fences while in the States this summer  –  first I found several beautiful antique fences on Hoyne Street in Chicago, and then I came across some in my suburb and in Annapolis, and now back in Lviv I have also started paying attention to them.  In all three places  –  Chicago, Winnetka, and Annapolis  –  I found fences made by Stewart Iron Works. This is not surprising as at one point this company was the largest iron fence maker in the world. *** The Stewart Iron Works Cincinnati Ohio Stewart Iron Works, an ironworks plant located in Covington, Kentucky, was founded in 1886 and incorporated in 1910. A branch in Cincinnati operated from 1903 to 1915.  Cincinnati Iron Fence Co. – Inc – Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.  Produced fences from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries W.T. Barbee Fence Works It’s hard to find information about this company: "This company was apparently located i
Read more

The Ukrainian Alphabet and the Soft Sign

Image
There are several differences in the Ukrainian alphabets used in the diaspora and in Ukraine, in particular, what we call the alphabet, the way we pronounce the letters, the melody we use when singing the alphabet (or the lack there of a song), as well as the difference I only recently discovered - the placement of the soft sign. In Ukraine the soft sign "ь" doesn't come at the end of the alphabet as I learned, but third to last. It was quite a big shock for me to discover. However, this was a relatively recent change. In 1990, the soft sign was moved from the end of the alphabet to the place after the letter "щ" as it is in the Russian alphabet. I'm surprised it wasn't moved back a year later when Ukraine gained its independence. First of all, we usually say "азбука" or "абетка" while in Ukraine it is more common to say "aлфавіт" or "абетка" (for children). When we (at least my Chicago diaspora community) sing
Read more