This map was printed to familiarize people with the recently renamed streets and squares of Lviv.

The map is dated 1877. The publisher is the Karol Wild Bookstore of Lviv; it was lithographed and printed by Kornell Piller Printers (Nakładem Karola Wilda. Lit i druk Kornella Pillera). This reprint includes a list of old and new street and square names (Plan kr. st. m. Lwowa ze skorowidzem dawnych i nowych nazw placów i ulic we Lwowie); it was originally printed in 1871 and first reprinted in 1872.

Karol Wild’s Bookstore "Buch und Musikalienhandlung", established in 1796, was initially located on Virmenska Street. The bookseller sold books, notes, office supplies, haberdashery, musical instruments, art work and wallpaper.

In 1810 Wild began publishing; a year later he opened the Public book lending establishment (Привілейована Публічна випозичальня книжок). In 1834 Wild’s son-in-law Edward Vinyazh took over the bookstore. In 1849 Karol Wild, Jr. (1824-1885) became the proprietor of the bookstore and lending establishment. When the map was published in 1877 the bookstore was located at Halytska Street, 21.

In 1881 the bookstore went bankrupt and the 20 000 book lending establishment was sold to Vladyslav Hubrynovych; Karol Wild, Jr. continued to run the establishment for another couple of years for the new owner. [33], p. 40-49

The unique graphic feature of this map is that pavilions from the First National Agricultural Industrial Exhibition (Wystawa Przemyslowo rolnicza) are shown.

Legend:

• In the upper left corner is the name of the map: “Map of the Royal Capital City Lviv with the New Names of Streets and Squares. 1877” (Plan kr. stol. miasta Lwowa z uzwględnieniem nowych nazw ulic i placów. 1877).
• Beneath this the map’s scale is depicted graphically and fractionally (Rozmiar 1=100 czyłi 1:7 200).
• On either side of the map is a list containing 65 important buildings (Znaczniejsze budynki).

Map Characteristics:

• Printed using the technique of monochrome lithography.
• The map shows details of building configurations.
• District borders are demarcated with a dotted colored line.
• District names appear directly on the map.
• All names and wording on the map are in Polish.

Map’s Toponymics:

• Administrative buildings (12)
• Streets, roads and squares (219)
• Hydronyms (7)
• Horonyms (2)
• Cultural facilities (5)
• Care establishments (8)
• Miscellanea (18)
• Parks (2)
• Sacred Buildings (37)
• Military buildings (14)
• Agricultural buildings (12)
• Educational buildings (10)
• Hospitals (3)

Inconsistencies and inaccuracies on the map:

• The map doesn’t show the School of Forestry that was built in 1874.
• The map shows the Horodotskyy Cemetery which was liquidated in 1875. [71], p. 21

Characterization of the city:

On 14 December 1870 the charter giving Lviv Royal Capital City status was approved; this signaled the beginning of an era of autonomy in the city’s management.

In 1871 a resolution was adopted which ordered street names to be changed and the city to be divided into 5 districts. All buildings were re-numbered; odd numbered buildings appeared on the left hand side of the street and even numbers on the right. [31], p. 333

As a result of these changes the Karol Wild bookstore started distributing maps of the city with a list of old and new street and square names. These maps would have been in great demand as they were printed in 1871, 1872 and 1877. [12], p. 237-238

The map shows the result of the intensified building campaign that started in the early 1870s. Among the most important changes in the city’s landscape are:

• Construction of buildings for educational purposes: the Empress Elisabeth of Austria School (1872), the St. Martin School (1875), the St. Antony School (1876), the Franz Joseph I of Austria Gymnasium (1876), the Realschule gymnasium (1877) and a building for the Polytechnic (1873-1877);
• Construction of buildings for community use: the City Casino (1874), the Psychiatric hospital on Kulparkivska (1868-1875), the armory and market on Krakivska square (1876), the start of construction of a Government building (1876-1880) and the Sejm (1887-1881);
• Construction of the Roman Catholic church of Resurrection Congregation (1877) and the start of construction on the church and monastery of the Franciscan order (1877-1888);
• Regulating the Poltva River in the area of the old Jewish battle;
• Intensification of cobbling streets, squares and sidewalks;
• Expansion of the Vysokyy Zamok (High Castle) park, regulation of the city orchard and green on Halytska square, creation of greens on Mariacki, Gołuchowski and Chorąszczysn squares [19], p. 14; [31], p. 342-444; [71], p. 35-37

The pavilion of the First Regional Agriculture and Industry Exhibition which ran from 6 September through 10 October 1877 on the territory of the Yablonovsky Orchards is visible on the map. The exhibition was an important event in developing an industrial sector in Galicia.  [31], p. 152-153, 715

As of 1877 there were 106 379 residents in the city including 6,224 military personnel. [34], p. 114 Records also show that in 1876 Lviv had 105 community associations with 26 678 registered members. [71], p. 119 

In 1877 there were 2 942 residential buildings containing 22 532 individual living quarters. At this time the city’s growth was due to development of the suburbs. [34], p. 61, 63 

In 1874-1876 there were 222 new buildings built and 285 permits issued for additions and alterations to existing buildings.

Author: Serhii Tereshchenko