Lviv Historycal Museum (Guide-book)

Lviv Historycal Museum

The Lviv Historical Museum is one of the richest and oldest scienti-
fic and educational institutions of this country. Its stock collections
total nearly 300 thousand exhibits. It was founded in accordance with the
resolution of the Ukrainian SSR Council of People's Commissars of
May 8, 1940 and based on two former small museums. To display and
store the Museum's collections it was allotted buildings No.4, 6 and 24 in
Rynok Square, Lvov's unique architectural and historical monuments.
The exhibits displayed in the 36 halls feature the major social develop-
ments in western regions of the Ukrainian SSR from the earliest times to
the present.

The material remains and illustrations displayed in the Section of
the History of Primitive Society outline the earliest history of the deve-
lopment of human society in the territory of western regions of the Re-
public. Here one can see relics of the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages as
well as the work tools of the inhabitants of today's Pre-Carpathian area
and Volyn.

In the 4th-8th centuries the primitive communal system decayed,
tribal and military alliances of eastern Slavs (Rusichi) appeared, in
this class community conditions, were ripening for the development of
new, feudal, social relations. The logic conclusion of the process was
the establishment of a single old Russian state — Kievan Rus.

The displays show the development of land cultivation, handi-
crafts and trade, as well as a high level of cultural development in
Kievan Rus.

A further development of productive forces and the rise of big
landownership resulted in the disintegration of the Old Rus State and
appearance of a number of independent principalities. The largest
among them was that of Galicia and Volyn which reached its prime
under Daniil Romanovich. It was at the time of his reign that Lvov was
founded.

In the 14th century a considerable part of Ukraine, its western
lands including, was seized by Polish and Lithuanian feudal lords.

Numerous exhibits visualize the hard social, national and religious op-
pression which the indigenous population was subject to, they high-
light the struggle of working people for their freedom. The struggle
reached its peak in 1648—1654 during the Liberation War of the Uk-
rainian people against Polish gentry. The displays include maps sho-
wing the major battles of the peasant-and-Cossack troops, the portraits
of B. Khmelnitsky and his fellow-fighters, specimens of weapons. This
thematic exhibit ends with a picture by L. Levitsky presenting the at-
mosphere of the Pereyaslavl Rada (1654), assembly of representatives
of the Ukrainian people convened by Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky in
the town of Pereyaslavl to adopt the historic decision on Ukraine's
reunification with Russia.

A great many exhibits elucidate the class struggle in the 18th-
century Ukraine — the Oprishki movement and a people's liberation
anti-feudal uprising known as Koliivshchina (1768).

The incessant wars as well as the decentralizing policy of the Polish
feudal lords undermined the bases of gentry Poland and led it to de-
cay. In the late 18th century in consequence of the three partitions of
its territory between the neighbouring monarchal states Poland ceased
to exist as a state. Galicia and Bukovina became part of the Austrian
Empire. Socio-economic life of working people remained as hard as
before. The peasants being under serfdom oppression were eking out
a miserable livelihood. The exhibits show the conditions of work and life
of peasants in the late 18th — early 19th centuries and Galicia's
backward economic development.

Among the thematic exhibits elucidating the development of culture
under feudalism of special attraction are those treating the history of
book-printing and publishing activity of 1. Fyodorov, the first Russian
and Ukrainian printer, numerous manuscripts of the 17th-18th cen-
turies, paintings, articles manufactured by local craftsmen.

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The History of Capitalist Society collection opens with the displays
on the revolutionary developments of 1848 in west Ukrainian lands.
Among the exhibits the visitor can see the ..Manifesto of the Communist
Party" by K. Marx and F. Engels published in 1848, papers documen-
ting the uprising of peasants headed by Lukian Kobylitsa and the re-
volt in Lvov in November 1848.

After the revolution of 1848 the peasantry was freed from serfdom
and this was the first step towards capitalist way of development here.
But with respect to Galicia the Austro-Hungarian government pursued a
policy of colonial oppression turning it into an agrarian and source-of-
raw-materials appendage of the monarchy. The exhibit shows the colo-
nial nature of industry and agriculture and hard life and working condi-
tions of Galician workers and peasants.

A separate hall holds exhibits illustrating the development of Ukrai-
nian culture in Galicia, state of public education, struggle for the Ukrai-
nian school and university under hard conditions of social, economic
and national oppression.

The show-cases contain first editions of works by Yu. Fedkovich
1. Franko, 0. Kobylyanskaya, 0. Makovey and V. Stefanik, a series
of documents on the activity of the T. Shevehenko Scientific Society
founded by progressive scholars of Ukraine and maintaining closf
links with progressive-minded people of Russia and other countries
A considerable place is dedicated to the art of the theatre, music anc
folk arts of the time.

The rise of class-consciousness, the spreading of works by K. Marx
F. Engels and V. 1. Lenin brisked up the development of the revolutiona-
ry and emancipation movement of the working people which was espe-
cially intensified by the revolution of (905 as the documents on display
testify. World War I added to the aggravation of economic and po-
litical crisis and led to the throw of tsarist autocracy in Russia. The
victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution had a great effect on
the struggle of the working people of west Ukrainian lands for the
establishment of Soviet power. The exhibition contains material covering
revolutionary risings of working people for the power of Soviets, among
which the Drogobych uprising of 1919 was the most significant.

Authentic materials of the collection elucidate the liberation march
of the Red Army to East Galicia in 1920 and the establishment of the
Galician Socialist Soviet Republic which left a deep imprint on the
minds of working people of west Ukrainian lands and inspired them to
struggle for their social and national lideration. In the 1920s—1930s.
when Western Ukraine was part of bourgeois-landowner Poland, the
struggle was headed by the Communist Party. The displays centre on
the materials of congresses and conferences of the CPWU (Communist

Party of Western Ukraine), documents of its organizational and propa-
gandistic activities. Numerous exhibits are indicative of the internatio-
nal character of the revolutionary struggle, they testify to the efficient
ant consistent policy of the Party aimed at the creation of a united anti-
fascist front. Extensive material is devoted to the mass political action
of the Lvov proletariat in April 1936 and the well-known trials against
communists.

The collection of the History of Soviet Society gallery begins with
the reunification of west Ukrainian lands with Soviet Ukraine as a con-
stituent of the USSR. The Museum exhibits help recall scenes of the
stirring events: people's welcoming of the Red Army in September 1939.
the establishment of the first provisional people's government bodies.
first democratic election to the People's Assembly, session of this consti-
tuent people's government body which adopted the historic docu-
ments — the Declaration on Establishment of Soviet Power in Western
Ukraine, the Declaration on Inclusion of Western Ukraine into the Uk-
rainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Declaration on Confiscation of
Landed Estates Owned by Lords, Monasteries and Government Offi-
cials and the Declaration on Nationalization of Banks and Large-scale
Industry. Photographs and documents tell about the first successes in
socialist construction and cultural development.
Soviet people's peaceful labour was interrupted by the treacherous
attack of Nazi Germany on our country. The show-cases contain mate-
rials narrating about the valour of Soviet frontier-guards who were the
first to parry the enemy's sudden blow. Among the displays there are
arms, personal things of the men who took part in the defence of Kiev.
Leningrad and Moscow. The documents tell about the crimes of the
fascists and their myrmidons — the Ukrainian bourgeois nationalists in
the occupied western regions of Ukraine, about the partisan warfare and
the underground activity of anti-fascists. Owing to the heroism of the
Red Army, the heroic efforts of the toilers on the home front and ef-
ficient leadership of the Communist Party, a fundamental change was
achieved in the course of the Great Patriotic War. The visitors of the
Museum can trace the main stages of the war, the major military ope-
rations waged by the Soviet troops and particularly the Lvov-Sandomir
offensive operation in the course of which Lvov was liberated.With the
help of the fraternal Republics the working people of wes-
tern regions of Ukraine restored the national economy wrecked by the
war. New branches of industry have emerged and developed here, such
as chemical industry, instrument engineering, powerful machine buil-
ding and the power-generating fuel base securing socialist industrial
development. The documents highlight the leading role of the Commu-
nist Party in mobilizing the working people for the fulfilling of five-
year plans, feature the achievements of production collectives in so-
cialist emulation devoted to jubilee celebrations: the 50th anniversary of
the Great October, the 50th anniversary of the USSR, Lenin's birth
centennial, etc.
Special exhibits highlight the realization of the CPSU agrarian
policy and further development of the agro-industrial complex in the
Lvov region.
Comprehensive and extensive material treats the development of
science, education and culture. Here visitors can learn about Lvov's
secondary and higher schools, the attainments of chief research institu-
tes and scientists, the development of literature, fine arts, music and
the creative work of the people.
The collection of this gallery is concluded with the material co-
vering the realization of the decisions of the 27th CPSU Congress, the
uplifting of the leading role of the Communist Party under conditions of
all-round improvement of socialist society. There is a stand with an
enlarged photograph of the auditorium of the Kremlin Palace of Con-
gresses, photos of the delegate group of the Lvov Region Party organi-
zation, of the Lvov Bus Works devoted to the opening of the Party's
forum. There are also texts of the Political Report of the CPSU Central
Committee to the Party Congress and other documents adopted at the
Congress. \ number of exhibits tell about the patriotic initiative of the
27th CPSU Congress delegates "to fulfil the two-year plan of the cur-
rent five-year period by the 70th anniversary of the Great October"
supported by the working people of the Lvov region.
Many displays represent the first achievements in realizing the
strategic course of the Party charted at the Congress and aimed at the
acceleration of socio-economic development of the country, the restruc-
turing of all spheres of its social life and effective use of scientific and
technological progress.

Other exhibits show that in today's complicated international situa-
tion the Communist Party and the Soviet government pursue a steady
course for its normalization, they come out with new initiatives aimed at
disarmament, complete elimination of nuclear weapons and averting the
threat of war.
In May 1981 a curatorial department of the Historical Museum
was opened — the ..Arsenal" museum. It is housed in the building of the
former town's armoury, a reconstructed and restored architectural
monument of the 16th century. Its exhibit has evolved from the original
collection of antique side-arms, fire-arms and ammunition. A separate
group of exhibits is made up of side-arms and fire-arms by Hutsul armo-
urers from Kosov district (Ivano-Frankovsk Region). Such arms were
used by the legendary Carpathian „0prishki", participants of the na-
tional liberation movement in the 16th — the first half of the 19th centu-
ries in Galicia, Transcarpathia and Bukovina in their fight against the
serfdom yoke of feudal lords.
The collections are steadily renewed and replenished with new
material. The Museum curators contribute much to ideological educa-
tion and scientific enlightenment of the working people. Anually about
half a million Lvovites and town's guests come to view the unique
holdings and collections, hear comprehensive explanations of proficient
guides, receive ample information on their special interests from consul-
ting specialists.
The Lvov Historical Museum welcomes everyone who wants to
learn more about the past and present of the western regions of Soviet
Ukraine.

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