The City as a Multicultural Project: The Case of the City of Lviv (Ukraine)
Abstract
There are few monocultural cities, especially in areas that have always been in the crosshairs of global geopolitical change. New political realities have sometimes completely changed the ethnic composition of the city, but the memory of the former inhabitants remains alive in the planning, architecture of buildings, and monuments.
The city of Lviv, located in western Ukraine, is one of those cities whose ethnic composition was very diverse: the city was inhabited by Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, Italians, Armenians, and other nationalities. However, the ethnic composition of Lviv was changing. The most dramatic changes were associated with the events of World War II in 1939-1945. However, immediately after gaining independence in 1991, Lviv’s community chose to restore the representation of multiculturalism and demonstrate its rich past. In this regard, over the past 30 years, many urban planning, architectural, and design projects have been implemented in Lviv aimed at restoring and visualizing the historical memory of not only Poles and Jews, but also representatives of other nationalities, such as Armenians and Italians. Today, the identity of Lviv is enriched by a new ethnic group - the Crimean Tatars, who arrived in the city after the occupation of Crimea in 2014. Today, Lviv’s architectural space has regained its multicultural dimension.
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Article Details
Accepted 2025-06-04
Published 2025-07-31