“A new round of the conflict surrounding the Powder Tower is unfolding in Lviv – the architects who have taken care of this historical monument for decades may lose their workplace. The Lviv regional organization of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine went on a picket yesterday after receiving an eviction letter from the regional council. The letter came despite the fact that there are legal disputes regarding the ownership and use of the monument”, — write on: ua.news
A new round of the conflict surrounding the Powder Tower is unfolding in Lviv – the architects who have taken care of this historical monument for decades may lose their workplace. The Lviv regional organization of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine went on a picket yesterday after receiving an eviction letter from the regional council. The letter arrived despite the fact that the legal disputes regarding the ownership and use of the monument have not yet been completed and are currently under consideration in the Kyiv commercial and Lviv appellate courts.
“Last week, the Lviv Regional Council sent a letter about the eviction of architects from the Architect’s House. And this despite the fact that the legal disputes are not over, and court proceedings are ongoing. The Union of Architects has been taking care of this historical monument for decades. Therefore, the demands of the Lviv Regional Council for the eviction and release of the Powder Tower building are simply beyond comprehension,” wrote Lviv’s Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning Lyubomyr Zubach.
In an open appeal published by the union on Facebook, it is noted that the regional council allegedly “illegally registered the building as communal property, actually stealing it from the state and architects.” The architects accuse officials of the Lviv Regional Council and individual representatives of the prosecutor’s office of a conspiracy that threatens the historical monument of national importance. “The unique monument was under threat of seizure due to the conspiracy of officials of the Lviv Regional Council and the Prosecutor’s Office. The powder tower is state property, given to us for indefinite use at the dawn of Independence as recognition of our contribution to its salvation,” the union’s appeal reads.
On the other hand, Acting Yaroslav Hasiak, manager of affairs of the Lviv Regional Council, explained that the architects were only tenants, and the last lease agreement expired on December 31, 2025. “Repeatedly, lease agreements were concluded between the leadership of the union and the regional council. They used the premises for many years, that’s a fact. But they are not the owners. The term of the last contract has expired,” Hasiak noted.
According to him, the prosecutor’s office appealed to the court after an inspection by the State Audit Service revealed violations during the use of the building. The court satisfied the lawsuit of the prosecutor’s office and decided to terminate the lease agreement and oblige the union to vacate the premises. However, a final decision on the appeal will be made on January 27.
“If the court decides that the union must vacate the building, we will work on a constructive plan for the transfer of the premises and communication with the community to avoid public disturbance. But this is possible only when the union recognizes the regional council as the owner,” Hasiak added.
The regional council also emphasized that the Powder Tower will not be used for commercial gain. Complex use of the premises for museum, historical, public and volunteer projects is planned. “It will be an open space that will allow communities and architects to use the building, and it will not be worse than it was,” Hasiak assured.
At the same time, the possibility of further lease of the premises by the union is not excluded, but only after they recognize the regional council as the legal owner of the building. The situation around the Powder Tower remains tense, and social resonance is growing, because the monument is one of the key architectural symbols of Lviv.
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