Why does the Battle of Lviv (1918–1919) still arouse emotions?
film with Polish subtitles
Lviv is one of the most important cities in Ukraine, and at the same time a city whose history and culture are exceptionally closely linked with Poland. When, after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, Lviv became a key logistical hub and a place of refuge for thousands of displaced people, Ukrainians arriving from other parts of the country immediately noticed that local traditions, a language rich in words shared with Polish, the cuisine, and even certain features of the residents’ mentality – such as a high level of religiosity – still strongly connect Lviv with Poland.
For Poles, Lviv remains a place of particular sentiment and historical memory – the city “always faithful”, where the elite of the Polish intelligentsia were educated and lived in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
In the awareness of most Ukrainians, by contrast, Lviv functions as one of the cradles of Ukrainian national identity, a centre of the struggle for independence, and a city in which Europe’s architectural heritage has been preserved particularly well – recalling the Polish and Austrian periods in the city’s history.
More than a hundred years ago, however, the city became a real battlefield for two nations – Polish and Ukrainian – each of which regarded it as its own. In the new episode of Realna Istorija, we present the political and social situation in Eastern Galicia after the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, as well as the course of the fighting for Lviv in the autumn of 1918. We analyse who took part in the clashes – soldiers of the Ukrainian Galician Army, Polish volunteers, school pupils and university students (the famous “Lviv Eaglets”) – and what political aims both sides pursued.
The Battle of Lviv was, however, only the beginning of a much broader conflict. The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918–1919 encompassed almost the whole of Eastern Galicia and became part of the post-war chaos in Central and Eastern Europe. In the film, we examine the subsequent stages of the war, the role of international diplomacy, the stance of the Entente, and the way in which a local conflict became part of the process of shaping the borders of the reborn Polish state and the unrealised state aspirations of the Ukrainians.
Particularly important is the question of memory and interpretation of these events. Why does the Battle of Lviv still arouse strong emotions on both sides of the border? To what extent have national narratives simplified the complex reality of 1918? Is it possible to look at this conflict without myths and heroisation, while taking into account the experiences of both societies?
In the film, their perspectives are presented by historians from Poland and Ukraine, who confront different historiographical traditions and attempt to find a common language for describing the dramatic events of 1918–1919:
- Dr hab. Damian Markowski (Pilecki Institute)
- Dr Oleh Pawłyszyn (Ivan Franko National University of Lviv)
Watch now and discover the real story.