Lviv Organ Hall

The building of the Lviv Organ Hall is a significant historical monument, whose history dates back to the early 1600s when the land was donated to the Dominican order. The structure, which evolved from a wooden chapel to a stone fortress, acquired almost its modern appearance at the end of the 18th century, and in the 19th century underwent the reconstruction of its towers and the installation of a clock. An important element of the architectural heritage is the murals by Secession master Jan Henryk de Rosen, which appeared during the reconstruction in the 1930s. These frescoes were damaged and painted over during the Soviet era when the premises were used as a student club of Lviv Polytechnic (since 1962), and were only uncovered and restored in 2019. The musical and historical value of the monument is defined by the organ, installed in 1933 by the Czech company "Gebrüder Rieger", which was unique due to the presence of a second part — the Fernwerk. Although valuable property and decorations were taken to Poland in the post-war years under Soviet-Polish agreements, the organ itself miraculously survived and was completely restored by the "Rieger-Kloss" firm in 1968 (60 stops, 4,560 pipes), largely thanks to the initiative of organist Samuil Daich. The official opening of the Organ Hall as a concert venue took place on November 3, 1969. Thus, the hall is not only an architectural witness to the centuries-old history of Lviv, but also a symbol of the preservation of organ art, which during the Soviet period was perceived as an unwanted reminder of the Catholic cultural heritage of Galicia. Since 1982, the monument has also been a leading location for the international festival "Virtuosos".