Lviv spruces up for visiting dignitaries (05/23/99)

Lviv spruces up for visiting dignitaries

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

LVIV - The nine European presidents who came to Lviv to attend the Summit of Central European Presidents saw a city that had finally restored some of its heralded splendor.

Although the summit caused inconveniences for the residents of Lviv, they were satisfied that their city had hosted the international event held May 14-15.

"Lviv has never looked this beautiful, at least not to those living there today," wrote Vasyl Basiv in a commentary on the summit in the Lviv-based weekly newspaper Ukrainskyi Shliakh on May 13.

City officials hope that, in light of the successful summit, the more than 1,000 European bureaucrats and 350 journalists who attended will carry the news of the beauty and friendliness of the city back to their countries, which in turn could generate new business interest and investments in Lviv.

Last year the city invested a great deal of energy and funding into preparations for the meeting. Lviv city authorities spent 13 million hrv (about $5 million U.S.), along with another 7 million hrv ($2.5 million) from charitable contributions, to rework the cobblestone roads of Lviv's narrow winding streets, fix long-neglected street lighting, repair and repaint historic buildings, and renovate Ivan Franko Park.

The Lviv National Opera and Ballet Theater, which hadn't been touched in 15 years, received a face-lift. The Palace of Science and Technology was thoroughly renovated, while the Dnister Hotel, which is owned by a joint stock company, remodeled its interior and built 12 three-room presidential suites to accommodate the presidential entourages of Central European leaders.

Individual businessmen added another 20 million hrv ($13 million) to renovate buildings that sat beside summit venues.

In many ways the process resembled one that took place in Kyiv almost a year ago, when Ukraine's capital spruced up for the convention of governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The international event spurred Lviv officials to give the city a much-needed make-over after years of neglect.

Lviv, known for its varied architectural styles, ranging from colorful neo-classical Viennese to Gothic and Renaissance styles, its cozy cafes, interesting boutiques and artist markets, had been on the decline after World War II, when Soviet rule brought government planning and control and uniformly drab Soviet architecture.

Independence and the turn to a free market did little to change the city's deteriorating appearance, and the lack of money caused by economic malaise actually caused the city center to go into further decline.

The new and improved Lviv pleases many residents, although they have taken a wait-and-see attitude regarding possible future foreign investment.

Oksana Kolinchenko, 52, who lives behind the Dnister Hotel where the presidents stayed, said she was very happy about the work done in preparation for the summit, although she cared less for the three tiers of police barricades she had to get through to get to her apartment. "I haven't seen the city this clean and pretty for years," said Mrs. Kolinchenko, a lifelong Lviv resident. "Let's hope it stays this way and that this city starts to move forward."

Another Lviv resident, Rostyslav Dovbush, 69, sitting on Freedom Square in the heart of Lviv, said he had heard all the promises of a bright future for the city. "As you know, we have heard so many promises through the years, that I don't listen to any of them. When I see that people are working and receiving their pay, then I will thank Mayor [Vasyl] Kuibida." Nonetheless, he said he was pleased with Lviv's new appearance.

Oksana Nedoviz, 33, explained, while walking with her 4-year-old daughter in Franko Park, that she was very pleased with what city officials had done. "The city has become young again," said Mrs. Nedoviz.

Not all Lvivians were satisfied with the summit and the benefits it has given the city. The Lviv-based newspaper Postup, in a front-page commentary on the first day of the summit, criticized the strict law enforcement procedures that had been enacted and what it perceived as the abrogation of some constitutional rights.

Days before the summit, the homeless were taken off Lviv's city streets and placed in temporary shelters until after the summit. Then, on May 12, the Lviv Oblast administration banned pickets and demonstrations in Lviv for the duration of the summit.

The newspaper also criticized the superficial manner in which many of the buildings in the city center were renovated, where only facades were restored and buildings given a splash of fresh paint.

"Undoubtedly Lviv needs the summit," explained Postup, which is known for its acerbic wit. "But the situation remains dangerous because Lviv, and especially its central part, continues to crumble. Cosmetically-bandaged facades and balconies may not hold and could topple onto secret service agents who are protecting their presidents."

That, of course, did not happen.

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