Ivan Levynskyi
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Ivan Ivanovich Levynskyi (; ; ; * July 6, 1851,
Dolyna Dolyna (, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Kalush Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, south-western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Dolyna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: In 2001, population was around ...
, now Ivano-Frankivsk region - † July 4, 1919,
Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
) was a Ukrainian-German
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, teacher, businessman and
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.


Biography and work

Ivan Levynskyi was born 1851 in Dolina (today in
Dolyna Dolyna (, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Kalush Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, south-western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Dolyna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: In 2001, population was around ...
,
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna () or simply Frankivshchyna, is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (region) in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. It has a pop ...
), as the son of a Ukrainian national school director.Ostashko, T.
Ivan Levynskyi (ЛЕВИНСЬКИЙ ІВАН ІВАНОВИЧ)
'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2009
His father Ivan Levynskyi was from Ukrainian family from
Dnieper Ukraine The term Dnieper Ukraine (), usually refers to territory on either side of the middle course of the Dnieper River. The Ukrainian name derives from ''nad‑'' (prefix: "above, over") + ''Dnipró'' ("Dnieper") + ''‑shchyna'' (suffix denoting a g ...
, while his mother Josepha Hauser came from a family of Bavarian colonists. The family moved to Stryj (
Stryi Stryi (, ; ) is a city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the left bank of the Stryi (river), Stryi River, approximately south of Lviv in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. It serves as the administrative center of Stryi R ...
) after the death of his father 1859 and later to Lemberg (
Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
) so he could attend the Lemberg Real School, which offered a technical and applied sciences curriculum. In 1874 he graduated with honours from construction faculty of the Lemberg Technical Academy (today
Lviv Polytechnic Lviv Polytechnic National University () is a public university in Lviv, Ukraine, founded in 1816. According to the Times Higher Education, as of 2024, it ranks first as a technical institution of higher education and second among all instit ...
), to which he enrolled back in 1868. His mentor in the academy was professor Julian Zachariewicz. Upon graduation Levynskyi remained with the academy. It was this technical education, combined with his father’s love of folk art, which would lead Levinsky to start his own artistic
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
company. Soon after graduating in 1875, Levinsky partnered with Julian Zachariewicz to buy land in northwest Lviv (Kastelivka). In 1881 Levynskyi organized architectural and design bureau that was engaged in the development of interiors of houses, drawings of windows, doors, articles of architecture. With time the bureau became one of the best in the city, employing notable regional masters. In 1888, he began building his factory on ulica Andrzeja Potockiego (now vulytsia Tarasa Chuprynky, 58) and by the next year he opened his seminal Ivan Levinsky Tile Stoves Factory. At the beginning, it was a small enterprise – only 2 floors and 5 employees. Levinsky was interested in the development of pottery and bought equipment and a special furnace for making tiles, ceramic dishes, and the like. Soon after he hired professional potters and ceramists and by 1894 his company featured 25 employees making tiles, bricks, vases, sculptures, and other building materials. Clay was imported from nearby Hlynsk (near
Zhovkva Zhovkva is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (Oblast, region) of western Ukraine. Zhovkva hosts the administration of Zhovkva urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is approximately History A ...
) and Oleyov (near Zolochiv), as well as premium coal clay from the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. Just 20 years later, his company would become one of the most successful enterprises in eastern Galicia (Halychyna), employing over 800 Leopolitans (Lviv residents). Levynskyi became a professor of architecture at the Lviv Polytechnical Institute in 1903. At the same time he was building his factory into one of Galicia’s premiere businesses, Levinsky continued to work as an architect and constructor. You can still see many of his spectacular architectural works, especially in buildings on Chuprynky St. (11, 11a, 60, 103), Kotlyarevskoho St. (25), and Bandery St. (4, 6). His Ivan Levinskogo architectural bureau helped design and build many of the most famous buildings in Galicia – including such eminent masterpieces as Lviv’s main train station, Hotel George, and the Opera & Ballet Theatre. Working together with such esteemed architects as H. Helmer and F. Fellner, they also designed the Galicia Pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris, the Chamber of Commerce, and many of Lviv’s hotels and banks. It is difficult to move around Lviv without noticing something that Levinsky and his companies had their hands in designing. It’s important to remember that Levinsky was celebrated even in his own time. For example, his company was awarded the Imperial Russian Technical Society’s gold medal at an international exhibition in
Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
in 1911. At the turn of the century, Levinsky’s enterprises employed nearly 1000 people and until 1914, his company received the exclusive right to supply facing and building bricks for government buildings across the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. However, at the end of World War I, the Polish authorities refused to pay for the Levinsky’s Austrian orders and his company collapsed as a result. He died in Lviv of a heart attack soon afterward and is now buried in Lviv’s
Lychakivskiy cemetery Lychakiv Cemetery (; ), officially State History and Culture Museum-Reserve "Lychakiv Cemetery" (), is a historic cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine. History Since its creation in 1787 as Łyczakowski Cemetery, it has been the main necropolis of the c ...
. Remembered as a gifted architect, cunning businessman, effusive
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, and a true patriot, Levinsky is today considered to be the ''Man Who Built Lviv''. While his factory would change hands several times over the years, it would never again be so glorious or influential as the Ivan Levinsky Tile Stoves Factory. During the factory’s golden years (1910-1912 especially), there were five separate units – each considered to be their own ‘factory’: floor and all tiles; decorative vases and dishes; small ceramic items; stoves; and sculptures. Levinsky was a pioneer – he engaged local artists, architects, and sculptors to create his original stoves, stove tiles, and tile sets that introduced Ukrainian folk motifs into the Western European tradition. His products were considered to be of exceptional high quality and unique style.


Architectural style

Levinski’s style combined Carpathian folk architecture into
Viennese Secession The Vienna Secession (; also known as the Union of Austrian Artists or ) is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects, including Josef Hof ...
. He designed and built hospitals and sanatoria right across Galicia, including
Horodenka Horodenka (, ; , occasionally '';'' ) is a city located in Kolomyia Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in Western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Horodenka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: In 2001 the population ...
,
Kolomyia Kolomyia (, ), formerly known as Kolomea, is a city located on the Prut, Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in the west of Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Kolomyia Raion, hosting the administration of Kolomyia urban hromada ...
,
Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...
,
Vorokhta Vorokhta (; ) is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement located in the Carpathian Mountains on Prut River in Ukraine.Zalishchyky Zalishchyky or Zalischyky (, ; ) is a small city located on the Dniester River in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zalishchyky urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Etymolog ...
, and Zolochiv. For example, in the Galician capital, he helped design the maternity hospital (originally the Jewish Beth Holim Hospital) on Rapoport Street by incorporating Eastern and Jewish symbols into the Moorish Revival style of architecture. His
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