Shadows of a Forgotten World

Barta & Tichý Praha was one of the most famous ceramic factories in Europe.  Here is an example of their work which I found in Prague:  This factory has a connection to Lviv, for in the 1880s the famous architect Jan Lewiński opened a store in Lviv where products from Barta & Tichý were sold. A few examples of these tiles can still be found in Lviv:

Most of the antique roller shutters that I found were made by the company DUKO, which also made shutters for Mukachevo , thus they likely date from the interwar period. Antique shutters made by other companies. I've seen the same lion symbol on shutters in  Vienna , Berehovo , and Lviv.

"Vodovod" means "water supply" in Czech František Friedl Praha Radlická Slévárna (Radlice Foundry) Likely dates from interwar period Ústřední elektrická stanice královského hlavního města Prahy The Central Electric Station of the Royal Capital City of Prague (The power plant was built in 1898)

I recently visited Uzhhorod to see the blooming sakuras. Along with the beautiful sakuras I came across quite a few remnants of Uzhhorod's prewar past. I have two previous posts ( ghost signs  and more ) about Uzhhorod, so t o repeat what I wrote before,  Uzhhorod  (Ungvár  /  Užhorod  /  Ungwar) , a city in Transcarpathia (Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine), which is near the borders of Slovakia and Hungary, has a multicultural history. For a long time the region around Uzhhorod was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After WWI, it was annexed to Czechoslovakia. In 1938, Uzhhorod was transferred to Hungary, and in 1945 it was annexed by the Soviet Union. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the city became a regional capital in Ukraine. Manhole Covers K Blahut "tűzcsap" means hydrant in Hungarian Demeter Ungvar Demeter Zoltan Uzhorod Fire Hydrants I came across quite a few of these around the c...

A new burger joint opened up in an Austrian-era building near Lviv's Rynok Square. It was built as a revenue house by Ukrainian sculptor and architect Mykhailo Makovych in 1912. The following year it also housed a small traders association. Fortunately, when the owners of the new establishment renovated the space, they preserved the 100-year-old Vienna-made metal roller shutters. They also kept and renovated the locksmith's manufacturer's mark on the front door. Before and After Roller shutters made by E.S. Rosenthal can still be found in Vienna, as seen here . And here's my original post about Lviv's antique roller shutters. Original Handle P.S. The burgers are quite tasty, and in my opinion the veggie burger is the best in Lviv :)

A third update on the Hungarian-made roller shutters on Kopernyka Street. After many years or even decades, this old pharmacy has reopened - but rather than selling medication, now it's a store that sells fancy soaps. A lot of the old wooden furniture is still in place, as well as an old mural on the ceiling. And fortunately, the original shutter is also in place - freshly painted over (though already graffitied) and now in use once again. The building was built in 1892, and the shutter could date from that time too, making it well over 100 years old. I first posted pictures of these shutters a few years ago, found here ,  and up update after it had been graffitied . Last time I was in Mukachevo, I found a shutter made by the same Hungarian company, as seen  here .

My friend sent me pictures of these lovely antique tiles in Drohobych, which were made by Joachim Sternbach's company, probably in the interwar period.

In Vienna one can still find the covers to WWII civilian bomb shelters. Originally I thought these metal grates were either storm drains or vaults lights with missing glass, but I discovered that in fact they were covers for ventilation shafts and emergency exits. Across the territory of Nazi Germany basements in cities were designated as bomb shelters and sometimes ventilation shafts and emergency exits were built from them and covered by special covers. On the outer walls of these buildings "LSR" was painted in white along with an arrow pointing to the entrance. Emergency exits were marked with arrows and the letters "NA" ( examples of which can be found even in Lviv ). The air-raid covers that I found were made by a company called Mannesmanm.  "Luftschutz" means air-raid. 

Traces of the past in Klosterneuburg, an ancient town right outside of Vienna. Boot Scraper Guard Stones  Hoist for Lifting Goods  Building Number and Conscription Number  Metal Shutter  Erbaut 1910 (Built in 1910)  Building Year (1876) and Conscription Number (286) 1339 - year the building was built? If so, super old!