Lychakiv Cemetery: from an Austrian edict to a UNESCO candidate
Over 300,000 burials, 239 years of history and sculptures found nowhere else
Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv is not just a burial ground. It is an open-air museum of sculpture, where every section tells of a different era, a different culture and a different person. The Polish aristocracy, Ukrainian writers, Austrian officers and Soviet party functionaries are all buried here — side by side, just a few metres from one another.
Foundation: the imperial edict of 1783
The cemetery was opened in 1787 in accordance with the Austrian edict of Joseph II. This edict prohibited burying people within the city limits for sanitary reasons. Lychakiv was then a suburb of Lviv. Forty-two hectares of the Jesuit Garden on a hillside were set aside for the cemetery.
The first official burial took place in 1787. Throughout the 19th century the cemetery grew along with the city and became a place where the influential families of Galicia competed in the grandeur of their tombstones.
Architecture and sculpture
Lychakiv has more than 3,000 funerary sculptures and monuments. Most are executed in the Classicist, Empire and Romantic styles, from the late 18th to the early 20th century. Some works are regarded as masterpieces of Polish and Austrian memorial sculpture.
The best-known sculpture is the "Sleeping Lion" on the grave of Count Dunin-Borkowski. The sculptor is unknown, but the work is dated to the 1820s. The monument to Artur Grottger — a Polish painter who died in 1867 — also stands out, with reliefs depicting scenes from his paintings.
In the Polish sections, limestone sarcophagi, obelisks and tombs with portals have survived. In the Ukrainian sections, crosses and epitaphs in Cyrillic script predominate. The Austrian military sector has even rows of identical crosses — a contrast to the civilian plots.
Notable burials
Ivan Franko (1856–1916) — writer and public figure. His grave is in section 52, with a monument erected in 1926.
Solomiya Krushelnytska (1872–1952) — opera singer who brought fame to Ukraine on the stages of Milan and Paris. Her grave is in section 71.
Markiyan Shashkevych (1811–1843) — one of the founders of the "Ruthenian Triad", reburied at Lychakiv in 1893, having been moved from Zolochiv.
Władysław Bełza — a 19th-century Polish poet.
Ludwik Chrzanowski — a Polish philologist.
The cemetery also contains the burials of participants in the Polish November Uprising of 1830–1831 and the First World War.
The "Eaglets of Lviv" Memorial
A separate sector holds the burials of Polish soldiers who died in the Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918–1919. The memorial was built in the 1920s–1930s. In 1971 the Soviet authorities demolished it; in 2005 it was restored after negotiations between Poland and Ukraine.
This sector remains a sensitive subject — it recalls a conflict in which both sides suffered losses and both consider themselves to have been in the right. Most visitors pass by in silence.
Status and protection
Lychakiv Cemetery is an architectural monument of national significance. Ukraine has submitted documents to have the cemetery added to the UNESCO list. For now it is on the tentative list of candidates.
The administration is the municipal enterprise "Lychakiv Cemetery". It is responsible for protection, restoration and tourist infrastructure. In the 2010s, several dozen damaged tombstones were restored.
How to visit
Address: 33 Mechnykova St, Lviv.
How to get there: trams No. 7 and 21 to the "Lychakiv Cemetery" stop. It is 15–20 minutes from the centre.
Opening hours: daily 09:00–18:00. Hours may be shortened on weekends and public holidays.
Admission: free for visitors coming to pray or on family matters. Organized tours require payment for a guide.
Map of burials: the administration has a plan marking the notable graves. A digital map is also available on the cemetery's website.
The condition of the graves and their care
Most of the old tombstones need restoration. Limestone cracks in the frost, metal details rust, and inscriptions weather away. The administration restores some objects with state funds, but the owners of the burials are responsible for their own plots.
We care for graves at Lychakiv Cemetery. If your relative is buried here and you are unable to come, order regular care. We visit monthly and send photos.