Lviv's Fountains, Waterfalls and Water Jets. Oases of Beauty and Inspiration on Holiday

Lviv's fountains on holiday. After the equipment was dismantled, they were prepared for the winter season. The nozzles were washed with special high-pressure cleaners, the accumulated debris was cleared away, and everything was mothballed until spring. Fountains always adorn squares, green zones and the grounds of educational and health institutions, and they are among the most beautiful architectural masterpieces. I invite you on a photo and video walk through Lviv to structures that demonstrate the use of the law of universal gravitation, engineering logic and designer imagination. 

One of Lviv's oldest and most beloved parks is given special beauty by the watery world of fountains, waterfalls and springs. A fairy-tale atmosphere is created by the "Ivasyk-Telesyk" fountain, which in 2024 will mark its 60th anniversary. The sculpture was made by the master of monumental art Lavrentii Hrim. At first the water sprayed out through swans' beaks, but after restorations the composition changed its repertoire: vertical jets shot upward, and the sculpture of the fairy-tale heroes seems to hover above the flow of water.

 

Lviv. Stryiskyi Park. The "Ivasyk-Telesyk" fountain

The spring, which can be considered as old as the park itself, was decorated in the 1920s with an image of a dragon in the Chinese style. In 1950 the park's water artery was supplemented with a bas-relief of Kotyhoroshko, the legendary hero of the Ukrainian folk tale who defeated the Serpent.

 

Lviv. Stryiskyi Park. The "Kotyhoroshko" spring

In a moist mist sprays the fountain in the centre of the park lake, a neighbour of the "Lileia" (Water Lily) figure by the renowned Lviv sculptor Yaroslav Motyka.

 

Lviv. Stryiskyi Park. The fountain on the lake

A small fountain sits in a cosy corner near the "Confident" sculpture that caused a stir in the autumn of 2023.

 

Lviv. Stryiskyi Park. The small fountain

The water jet on Dvirtseva Square together with the railway station make up Lviv's calling card. Elegant jets rise to the sky in multicoloured rays and vie with one another to perform a ringing polyphony.

 

Lviv. The fountain on Dvirtseva Square

Two fountains refresh the space of Kopernyka Street. On the site of an old well on the hillside, from which the townspeople drew their water as far back as the 18th century, three jets shoot upward but inevitably trickle back down. The watery extravaganza is guarded by two lions, once the corbels of the Lviv Town Hall in the first half of the 19th century.

 

Lviv. The fountain on Kopernyka St.

The "Aquarius" waterfall appeared in a retaining wall in 1976 and was renewed in 2018. Teodoziia Bridzh created the bas-relief image of the water-bearer, from whose jug the water pours.

 

Lviv. The "Aquarius" waterfall

On Svobody Avenue, in a restored fountain, the central jet performs a solo, around which a silvery corps de ballet winds, intertwines and scatters in the form of a transparent haze. The evening lighting is provided by underwater LED lamps and multiplies the number of fantastic patterns.

 

Lviv. The fountain on Svobody Avenue

In the 1970s a fountain with a rectangular basin and a sculpture of a boy was built on Mytna Square. After the 2017 restoration the concrete bowl was replaced with a walk-through fountain in which the nozzles generate a dynamic dance while the boy studies the water's pattern.

Lviv. The walk-through fountain on Mytna Square

The "Da Vinci" fountain was created on the site of a dismantled predecessor that had stood on Halytska Square in various forms since 1880. The water monument is dedicated to the Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Kotsiubailo and to all the volunteers of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

 

Lviv. The "Da Vinci" fountain

The newest fountain was opened in 2023 on Stryiska Street. In sunny weather the vertical geyser catches a rainbow and symbolises healthy young energy.

Lviv. The fountain on Stryiska St.

Lviv's fountain collection also includes other famous springs. But there are empty bowls too, ones that have forgotten about healing water and are filled with rubbish.

 

Lviv. The fountain near the culture park

Lviv. The fountain on the grounds of the National Forestry University

Lviv. The fountain on the grounds of the psychiatric hospital on Kulparkivska St.

In spring the water supply will be switched back on for the fountains, and one will be able to watch the running water endlessly.