Chapter Four of Habsburg Lemberg

What is it about?

Chapter four deals with three specific uses of architecture, notably public celebrations, restoration practices, and industrial/architectural exhibitions. Imperial celebrations, which remained largely unchanged throughout the period, attracted large crowds that could enjoy public spaces to a greater degree on these occasions than they could otherwise. Conversely, medieval traditions declined because of the Vormärz-era official restrictions of public space to imperial celebrations. The local Polish political elite aimed to insert its own “national” symbols into imperial visits, though these symbols were of a Galician variant, thus legitimizing the presence of Polish cultural nationalism at official events. During the same time, alternate visions of Polish Lwów were also staged. Restoration practices reflected a radicalization of Lemberg’s contested public space as motivated by the desire to create national heritage, that is, Polish and Ruthenian, and what was termed civilizational heritage, meaning European, Western or Eastern. These practices imparted to individual historical spaces an ostensibly Polish character, rather than providing a universally relevant approach to Lemberg’s architectural heritage. Lastly, from a modest beginning as unsuccessful displays of industrial achievement, Lemberg’s industrial exhibitions turned into sites that promoted a cultural, rather than a technical, nationalism.

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