It’s a clear thing, the Lviv station is not the first. Dvirets – predecessor of 1861 was relegated to oblivion. It was situated on a place of a modern suburban station, and after 1866 it received a popular name “Chernovitsky”. You can see here how it looked.

The press wrote about it in such a way:

"... As to the main building it is one of the best constructions in Europe. Its length is 70 sazhens, and width is 10 sazhens... (The Austrian sazhen is equal to 1,8965m.). In the future it will serve as a basic point for four railways: from Lviv to Krakiw, to Chernivtsy, to Brody and to Tomashev the total length of which will make 110 miles".

Its construction finished in October of 1861, and in a month, at 10 a.m. on November, 4th, in day of a name-day of grand duke Karl-Ljudvig, the long-awaited train left Pshemisl. It was hauled by brand new locomotive "Yaroslav". The capital of Galicia and Lodomeria eventually received a railway communication.

Let’s quote "Gazeta Lwowska":

"After long expectation a joyful day from which regular movement on the railway of Karl-Ljudvig will begin, brings closer. It will directly connect Lviv with the whole network of the European railways. By mean of railway the East Galicia will be connected with the civilised Europe... will form a way which will lie from eastern frontiers of Austria up to coast of Adriatic sea. The capital of region, as well as in general Galicia, will have henceforth the possibility to increase the activity of the craft and the facilitated trade".

The station which is the main Lviv door in the world now, had been built for two years (quickly enough!) was unveiled on March, 26th, 1904. Thenadays it was one of the biggest and the most convenient stations of Europe.

Nevertheless at the beginning of ХХ century the need of a new Dvirets took shape: a huge passenger traffic passed through a city, the compact Chernovitsky station did not contain all the travelers.

A new Dvirets was necessary. The matter was solved seriously: among townsmen of Lviv the referendum was held (!) to resolve the question where exactly a new station to be placed. Among the offered places there were both the city centre, and the crossing of the present streets of S.Bandera and O.Nevskij, and the top part of the Jesuit garden (this park is near to the university). The chosen place was selected not in the last resort through the relative cheapness of the price of the ground area.

Tenders for a contract were invited. The project-winner was worked by architects Kupriainov, Sadlovskij and Zaritskij on. The sculptural design of the main portal was executed by known Lviv sculptors Piotr Wójtowycz (he is the person who created allegories of Lviv and railway which hold a cartouche with the city arms) and Anton Popel (its figures "Trade" and "Industry" are placed in niches near to a main entrance), and the basic civil works were performed by the widely known firm of professor Ivan Levitskogo. A roof was projected by the Czech masters.

The length of Lviv Dvirets makes 150 hec. Before the construction was one-storeyed, in Viennese setsession style. It is already later after ruins of the Second world war reorganisations introduced the corrective amendments to the purity of style. There were economic premises and baggage compartment on the left, a post office was constructed later on the right. A facade was painted in white, a dome and gate was painted in green.

Now many stations arrive at an idea that waiting rooms, these limbos of a travelers’ life, to be divided into a hell of free halls and paradise of paid halls. After several decades of the general egalitarianism the history turned on 360 degrees: such a situation was also a century ago. Passengers of the first and the second class could have a rest in fine armchairs at the special halls decorated with a moulding, or at a restaurant. And for those who travelled in the third class, a waiting room was designed in folk style. In principle, it is logical. "Passengers of the third class" were prohibited to come through the main entrance: their way run directly through underground passage to the 5th platform, whence suburban trains departed.

There was the royal (or deputy) hall for VIP-persons.

During the war the railway station was a target for the enemy. In 1916 Dvirets was bombarded. Not unsuccessfully. In 1919 it was destructed again. The facade was saved by a miracle.

In 1930 during the restoration of construction Dvirets grew up on one floor and in nine years, in the first day of the war, on September, 1st, bombs again stroke the station. In 1941 the landing-stage was badly cut up in bombing. After the war the construction was in such awful condition that the possibility of building of a new station was discussed.

By a century celebrated in 2004, Dvirets was thoroughly repaired. And on lithograph which is near, you can see the predecessor of the present Lviv station of the sample of 1867.

Translated by Dictum Factum (Kyiv)