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| Tulyholove, Lviv region. The Bal palace |
Little-known Tulyholove lies 60 kilometres south of the regional centre.
The bus from Lviv runs just once a day, taking an hour and a half from the Pryvokzalnyi bus station to the village centre. The final stop is by an architectural monument of national significance — the church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God, formerly the church of St Dorothy of 1600.
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| Tulyholove. The church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God |
A little over a kilometre more along a dirt track to the south-western edge, and Tulyholove will reveal to you the secrets of its abandoned palazzo. A giant poplar by the road serves as the landmark.
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| Tulyholove. The giant poplar |
Its brethren — age-old larches, beeches and lindens — make up the old park that surrounds the little pearl of Tulyholove.
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| Tulyholove. The manor park |
The settlement's name is easily explained: refugees from Podillia who had suffered from Tatar raids laid down (tulyly) their heads (holovy) here. Over the centuries one landowner succeeded another, and in the 19th century the estate was bought by the Bal family. In 1898 Stanisław and Maria Bal raised a new two-storey palace in the French Neo-Renaissance style.
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| Tulyholove. The Bal palace |
The design was by the well-known architect Władysław Halicki, and the sculptor Petro Herasymovych worked on the artistic decoration. Experts compare the mansion, with its luxurious decor, to the finest villas of Lviv. Ten steps lead up to the entrance of the family seat — steps surely once adorned with flower urns or sculptures.
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| Tulyholove. The steps to the manor house entrance |
The palace retains its wooden staircase bearing the owners' coat of arms, original stucco mouldings, and balconies with openwork wrought-iron railings.
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| Tulyholove. The decoration of the Bal palace |
Panoramic windows lit the hall with its winter garden, and the spacious veranda served for receiving guests.
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| Tulyholove. The Bal palace |
The family nest was heated by fireplaces adorned with many-coloured tiled stoves.
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| Tulyholove. Fireplaces and tiled stoves |
After nationalisation the owners left Tulyholove and went abroad, and a tuberculosis care facility was installed in the lordly halls. Tuberculosis is more fearsome than covid and calls for lengthy treatment. Patients could receive qualified care, stroll in the snug park, breathe the fresh air and restore the health of their lungs. The building was kept in tolerable condition; the roof was re-covered.
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| Tulyholove. The medical history of the Bal palace |
In 2017, amid the reorganisation of the phthisiology service and the cutting of in-patient facilities, the hospital was closed. Looking over the former doctors' room and the nurses' wards, you get the impression that the liquidation of the medical institution was carried out in haste and without a considered approach. Documentation, reference books and equipment were left behind in the offices.
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| Tulyholove. The medical history of the Bal palace |
Uninvited guests call at the abandoned building; they have already filched the metal parts of the heating and pieces of the decor. In a windstorm a tree fell on the roof, damaging the roofing and the attic.
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| Tulyholove. The attic damaged in the windstorm |
The architectural ensemble includes two outbuildings, which later housed the head doctor's office, the fluorography room, the kitchen and the scullery.
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| Tulyholove. The outbuildings on the grounds of the Bal estate |
On the pediment of the service building, once occupied by garages, storerooms and a morgue, the date "1922" survives. In the ruined premises you can see roof tiles by European makers.
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| Tulyholove. The service buildings and the roof tiles |
In 2022 the monument was placed in the care of the Vynnyky Museum of History and Local Lore, with a view to preserving the palace and including it in the "Royal Road" tourist route. Given the village's remoteness and the lack of proper infrastructure, of traffic and of a decent road to the historic estate, a regular flow of tourists is hard to imagine. In the view of the locals, it would be logical and fitting to house in the palace a hostel for solitary people, or a rehabilitation centre for soldiers or for children scarred by the war. The quiet, the clean air and the wonderful views would help both adults and the younger generation recover their health.
The trees in the manor park impress with their grandeur and beauty. Some of the old-timers could not withstand the extraordinary force of the destructive windstorm. Unbroken stands the age-old beech, a symbol of victory, resilience, honour, prosperity and the fullness of life's powers. Legend has it that Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky halted and rested under its spreading crown. The mighty tree is known simply as the Khmelnytsky beech. Let us wish the Tulyholove landmark restoration, a happy resolution of its fate and grateful visitors.
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| Tulyholove. The manor park and a fallen tree |
On the northern side of the village lies the old cemetery, with burials from the mid-19th century. Among the sculptures and bas-relief gravestones rises the family crypt of the Bal line. The red-brick tomb has lost its columned portico, the family coat of arms and some of its epitaph plaques.
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| Tulyholove. The Bal chapel-mausoleum |
For those wishing to come and view the interiors, the caretaker, Mr Petro, has left a telephone number, so that visitors do not break the doors and windows: 0972334102.
You can get here from Lviv by bus No. 614 from the station-side bus terminal. Departure at 8.20 – the only run.
Coordinates of the Bal palace: 49°35'46"N 23°37'34"E
This story is also available in Ukrainian: Тулиголове. Палац Балів. Що було і як зараз?
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