An Austrian consortium is developing a project aimed at the reconstruction and further use of the castles in Lviv oblast. At the moment Austrian experts are researching two castles that are located in Svirzh and Pidhirtsi. According to Vasyl Ivanovsky, the head of the cultural heritage department at the Lviv Oblast State Administration, the Austrian architects’ findings will be included in the concept of concession activities.
Meanwhile, Borys Voznytsky, the director of the Lviv Art Gallery, insists there will be no concession. He says the Austrians will carry out the reconstruction project only on condition that they will build their infrastructure next to the castles.
Ivanovsky told The Day: “In fact, it is too early to talk about the Austrians rebuilding our castles. The oblast administration has signed an agreement with them to develop the concept of the further use of the castles. This agreement will consist of several phases. First of all, the Austrians have to prepare the economic feasibility report. These works will be financed by a grant worth 400,000 euros. Then a detailed budget will be drawn up, and then we’ll start the repairs and restoration work. Once this is done, we’ll adapt these castles to certain functions.”
In fact, the arrival of the Austrian specialists has added confidence to Voznytsky, the main opponent of the castle concession idea. He is convinced that the concession will result in the castles falling into private hands. He says that the Austrians are prepared to invest 10 million euros in these castles. In return, they want to build several hotels and other projects in the vicinity of these architectural monuments. This way it will be possible to avoid issuing concessions.
Ivanovsky alleges that the Austrians’ arrival by no means indicates that there will be no concessions. In fact, the concession tender scheduled for June has been postponed: “This doesn’t rule out the possibility of concessions. It’s just that when the Austrians started working, they asked us to postpone the tender until they were ready. The point is that all their findings will have to be included in the terms and conditions of the concession agreement. Their findings will serve as the basis on which the concept governing the use of these castles will be based.”
Setting up the Western Ukrainian Castles Preserve is another problem. Although the process has been formally completed, the preserve has no authority or functions. The approval documents are shelved somewhere at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
There are a dozen ancient castles and palaces in Lviv oblast. All these structures are in lamentable condition due to the lack of funds. Toward the end of last year the cabinet decided to grant concessions on the castles in Svirzh and Stare selo, whereas the newly established preserve was to become the controlling authority monitoring the usage of these castles by concessionaires. However, both these issues remain solely on paper.
Private ownership of historical monuments has long been practiced in Europe. In Poland, the Sapieha family estate in Krasiczyn and mansions in Boratyn and Sieniawa are privately owned. At the same time, Polish legislation envisages harsher punishments for the destruction of architectural monuments. Destroying a window or a door of an architectural monument can lead to a prison term of up to five years, and heavy fines are levied on unauthorized reconstruction.
According to EU legislation, all member countries must restore castles to the descendants of their original owners. Only the most important and valuable structures remain the property of the state. That said, every country has its own set of rules. In the Czech Republic, castles are not returned to families known to have collaborated with Nazi Germany. In Romania, most castles have been returned to the descendants of noble families, although the most valuable one, Peles Castle, is still the subject of a legal wrangling.
The transfer of architectural monuments into private hands creates the possibility to maintain them in good condition. A few years ago an Italian citizen purchased Ryshnov Fortress in Romania. He invested 900,000 euros in it and turned it into an amusement park. Today the fortress earns some 5,000 euros a month from ticket sales.
