10 days in Ukraine

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia

Is it possible to travel to Ukraine under the conditions of the Russian war of aggression? Whatever, at some point in autumn I decided to go. From 20 to 30 December 2022 I was in Lviv, Ternopil and the surrounding area. I wanted to know how my friends were doing – my long-time travelling companions and the activists who care for the Jewish heritage in Galicia. And also Anna, who fled the war and has been living with me since March, wanted to see her boyfriend and her mother again. But beyond that, there was also a very simple reason for this trip: I was homesick for Lviv.

Ternopil - Sandbags in front of a public building

Lviv - View from the balcony of the Hotel George

Ternopil - Ruin at the grounds of the Great Synagogue

Zbarazh - House of the Regenbogen Family

Velyki Mosty - Ruins of the Great Synagogue

Uhniv - Beit Midrash and Great Synagogue

Rava Ruska - Monument to the destroyed Jewish cemetery

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A new Experience

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Today, a new journey to Jewish heritage sites has begun and it is different from all others before. I’m going to guide a group of 16 Germans through Galicia, Bukovina and Bessarabia in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. We started with day trips from Lviv – while one part of the group went to Drohobych and was guided there by the wonderful Tanya Firman, the other part went north to Zhovkva, Uhniv, Belz and Velyki Mosty.

Zhovkva – trace of a mezuzah

Zhovkva synagogue

Uhniv – beit midrash and synagogue

At Uhniv synagogue

Catholic church in Uhniv

In Uhniv

Belz Jewish cemetery

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A last Galician excursion

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Since today I’m back home, but I have still to report on our last excursion, which led us into the Ukrainian borderlands with Poland, to Velyki Mosty, Belz and Uhniv.

Velyki Mosty synagogue

Velyki Mosty – mass grave site

Belz Jewish cemetery

Belz – farmers on the way home

Belz – prayer room

Belz – Catholic church

Uhniv – Catholic church

A curious goat next to Uhniv’s Catholic church

Uhniv – beit midrash and synagogue

Uhniv synagogue

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A Time Of Gifts: Calendar For Free Download

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Media, Northern Bukovina, Podolia, Synagogues, Volhynia (Volyn)

Hanukkah and Christmas are coming closer – a time of gifts in which I would like to give a present to all who accompanied my trips to Eastern Europe’s Jewish past and present via Facebook and my Vanished World blog: a calendar for 2016, which can be downloaded for free and be produced on your own printer or at an on-line print shop.

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Belz and Burshtyn in Black and White

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

It was a short trip in early June to Galicia – only three days. But enough to explore Belz and Burshtyn and to take pictures. Today I received the scanned black-and-white films and made a first selection. Here are the results. I have not yet decided which shots I will add to the two photo exhibitions in September. What are your favorites?

Belz, Jewish cemetery

Burshtyn, Jewish cemetery

Belz synagogues

A Galician Microcosm

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries

Today I was in Belz. The usual bumpy roads and courageous marshrutka (mini bus) drivers. That alone does not make a story. But Belz turnes out to be unusually beautiful and interesting. Although the town is so small that one can walk through it in no time, it offers many traces of the rich heritage of Galicia. Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish traces.