Category Archives: Eastern Galicia

At the foot of the Carpathian Mountains

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries

Another long day trip through Galicia. My friend Jürgen and I are up early to make our way to the train station and take the next marshrutka to Staryi Sambir – a place 90 km southwest of Lviv (Lemberg, Lwow).

Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir – Jewish cemetery
Staryi Sambir synagogue
Lviv (Lemberg, Lwow), Euromaidan
Lviv (Lemberg, Lwow), Euromaidan

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North of Lviv

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia, Synagogues

A long day trip through Galicia – north of Lviv (Lemberg, Lwow) – to the towns of Sokal, Velyki Mosty and Zhovkva. Bright sunshine, the winter is coming to an end. We pass a down going industrial landscape, traces of the past and the dawn of a new, still undetermined Ukraine.

Sokal synagogue
Sokal – guards in front of an occupied public building
Sokal – older ladies in front of an occupied public building
Sokal – remains of Jewish headstones
Velyki Mosty – synagogue
Velyki Mosty – synagogue
Zhovkva – traces of a mezuzah at the market square
Zhovkva – remains of the Jewish cemetery
Zhovkva – remains of the Jewish cemetery
Zhovkva – remains of the Jewish cemetery
Zhovkva synagogue

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Back in a different Ukraine

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia

I’m back in Lviv (Lemberg, Lwow), and in front of me is another 10-day journey through Western Ukraine. Even though almost everything is superficialy unchanged since last year, I return in a completely different Ukraine.

Images and candles at the entrance of the Armenian church commemorate a young man of Armenian origion who was recently killed by the riot police in Kyiv.
Barricades at the occupied regional administration
Barricades at the occupied regional administration
Barricades at the occupied regional administration

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Plans for 2014

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia, Northern Bukovina

A new year, new plans. In the second half of February 2014 I will travel in Ukraine again – to places that are familiar to me and others that are unknown territory yet. Do you have recommendations?
map of Galicia and Bukovina

1. Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg), 2. Staryi Sambir, 3. Velyki Mosty, 4. Burshtyn, 5. Buchach, 6. Hrymailiv, 7. Sataniv, 8. Husiatyn, 9. Chernivtsi (Czernowitz), 10. Novoselitsa

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Memories of a lost childhood: the German occupation of Poland in World War II from the perspective of a Jewish child

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia

Professor Józef Lipman was a child, when German troops occupied his hometown Boryslav (Boryslaw) in Eastern Galicia. Lipman is one of 150 survivors of the former Jewish community of Boryslaw which before the war had 18,000 members. In 2007, in a speech in Görlitz, Saxony, he described his experiences. Every line of it is worth reading – in order to never forget.

Before the war: Józef Lipman with cousin Rózia Grynszpan, mother and aunts. Behind Józef (from left to right): aunt Regina, mother Etka Lipman, aunt Fanka and aunt Zofia © Józef Lipman
Cousin Tusiek Lippman with dog. Tusiek was shot in 1944. © Józef Lipman
Grandmother Ryfka (Rebeka) Lippman, imprisoned in cinema Collosseum, then shot with hundreds of Jewish citizens of Boryslaw. © Józef Lipman
Identity card for slave worker Abraham Lippman (father of Józef Lipman) © Józef Lipman
Former movie theater Collosseum, where Jews of Boryslaw where kept before extermination. Now the building is used as a greek-catholic church. © Klaus Hasbron-Blume

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A last day in Ukraine

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia

It’s almost a tradition for me, to have a walk through Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg) on the last day of a trip. The place is always impressive. Because of its imposing tombs, but also because of the visible conflict between Poles and Ukrainians. Since a few hours I’m back home. But my mind is still in Ukraine.

A walk through Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
A walk through Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
A walk through Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
A walk through Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Lychakiv cemetery – Ukrainian military cemetery – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Lychakiv cemetery – Polish military cemetery – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Lychakiv cemetery – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Lychakiv cemetery – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Lychakiv cemetery – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Lychakiv cemetery – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg)
Hotel George
Lviv – Vienna, flight by Ausrian Airlines

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On the way to Lviv

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia

The morning is gray and chilly when we leave Chernivtsi (Czernowitz). Light rain falls. Our train swings slowly towards Galicia. We are on the way to Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg), the first stop on our way home.

Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia
Train through Galicia

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Back in Ukraine

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia

Cologne – Vienna – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg), Austrian Airlines brought me and my friends Ingo and Sabine safely to Ukraine today. It’s nice to be back, good to know that you will stay at the wonderful Hotel George, nice to know that you are welcome there. The first thing we tried to do: buy train tickets. Tomorrow afternoon we hopefully continue to Chernivtsi (Czernowitz). There are unforeseen problems with the train reservations, which we hope to solve tomorrow.

Galicia under our wings
Arrival in Lviv
on the roofs of Lviv
Rynok – market square
Golden Rose Synagogue
Golden Rose Synagogue
a wedding in preparation
Armenian church
sleeping cat
Boim chapel

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It’s all gone, it’s still there

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Galicia and Bukovina are covered with partially or totally destroyed Jewish cemeteries. The grave stones were abused as building material during the German occupation and the years of Soviet rule. However, history does not just disappear. During construction works fragments of Jewish grave stones come to light. These stones raise questions – first of all the question of how we want to deal with the past.

Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, October 2012
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, October 2012
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, misused as cobblestones, October 2012
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, misused as cobblestones, October 2012
Ivano-Frankivsk – fragments of Jewish grave stones, May 2013
Ivano-Frankivsk – fragments of Jewish grave stones, May 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Ivano-Frankivsk – fragments of Jewish grave stones, May 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013

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