Cyrillic Hand-Painted Sign in Pre-WWII Lviv

I haven't come across many Ukrainian or Russian store signs in photos of prewar Lviv.
On Ruska Street there are some Cyrillic ghost signs, in particular one in Ukrainian, which can be found here. I've also found a Ukrainian ghost sign in Przemysl.

Below is a photograph of furniture shop. In addition to Polish, there is also Russian (though in contemporary Russian it should be "Магазин Мебели" not "Магазин Мебелей"). If it is indeed Russian, it likely dates from 1914-1915 when Lviv was briefly under Russian rule during WWI. Otherwise, as was pointed out to me in a comment, it could be Iazychie, a language used by Ukrainian Russophiles.

I like the couch in front of the store and the "ghost" near it.


Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 12, 2015 at 12:02 PM

    I actually don't think it's russian. Язычие, which was used by quiet some of Russofiles is more possible. Plus Ukrainian wasn't very standartisized, so people wrote as they spoke.
    Not a lot is because most of the customers were either polish of polish-speaking. And since there were tensions between Ukrainians and Poles, owners didn't want to lose wealthy Polish customers.
    Among Ukrainian ones in Lviv, personally I like "Рукавички Спожарского". Couldn't find the one with better view on that sign, so here's the one I found https://www.facebook.com/lvivretro/photos/a.500185703359837.115446.500183736693367/1045772848801117/?type=3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AretaNovember 12, 2015 at 12:50 PM

      Interesting, very good points. I haven't seen "Рукавички Спожарского" before, so thanks for sharing!

      Delete
    2. UnknownNovember 12, 2015 at 3:41 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. AretaNovember 12, 2015 at 10:55 PM

      In the 1930s my grandmother worked at the Народнa Торговля in Brody. I have a picture of her in front of it, and the main sign says "Народна Торговля" (and next to it is also the Polish version "Narodna Torhowla"). Interesting that it was spelled differently in different cities.

      Delete
    4. UnknownNovember 13, 2015 at 12:18 AM

      Interesting) Did you post it? I remember seeing some of your old family photos somewhere here

      Delete
    5. AretaNovember 13, 2015 at 12:15 PM

      Not yet, but maybe I will soon :)

      Delete
  2. UnknownDecember 24, 2015 at 8:15 PM

    Hi Areta: Where on Ruska Street is the sign in Cyrillic? Between which cross streets or what building number? Thanks - Tom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AretaDecember 25, 2015 at 10:39 AM

      Hi Tom, the sign is on the building that is on corner of Rynok Square and Ruska Street - on the building that houses the Coffee Mine (Kopalnia Kava) coffee shop and souvenir store.

      Delete

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