As Russia's invasion continues, a race to protect heritage in Ukraine city
Premium- The heritage-rich city of Lviv has covered all its statues to protect its iconic heritage monuments if Russia were to attack this part of Ukraine
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, the heritage-rich city of Lviv has covered all its statues to protect its iconic heritage monuments if Russia were to attack this part of the country.
The west of Ukraine remains largely spared from the fighting. The main western city of Lviv has become a hub for foreign diplomatic missions, journalists and Ukrainians seeking safety or seeking to leave the country.
Speaking with ANI a Ukrainian citizen Vlad said, "All the sculptures, statues have historical value and that's why people want to protect them. Some sculptors are more than 100 years old. They have historical importance hence people are protecting them from the damage."
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When asked whether Ukraine is covering all the statues across the nation, Vlad said, "I don't know about whole Ukraine, but definitely, Lviv is protecting them."
Four statues around Rynok square in Lviv were covered, including the "Statue of Neptune" considered as the protector of seas.
The director of Ukraine's largest art museum walked its hallways, supervising as staff packed away its collections to protect their national heritage in case the Russian invasion advances west.
In one partially empty gallery of the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum, employees placed carefully wrapped baroque pieces into cardboard boxes. A few meters away, a group walked down the majestic main staircase carrying a giant piece of sacred art, the 18th century Bohorodchany iconostasis.
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“Sometimes the tears are coming because a lot of labour has been put in here. It takes time, energy. You are doing something good, you feel pleased. Today you see empty walls, so it feels bitter, sad. We didn't believe it till the last minute that this could happen," museum General Director Ihor Kozhan told news agency AP.
Like the museum, other sites in Lviv are rushing to protect works of artistic or cultural importance. The display cabinets at the Museum of the History of Religion are almost empty. Workers are assembling metal containers in the patio to safely store the remaining items before placing them in basements. At the Latin Cathedral, the sculptures have been covered with cardboard, foam and plastic to protect them from possible shrapnel.
Amid the bare walls and shrouded statues, Kozhan lamented the empty museum, which has survived two world wars.
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