The Jews in Lublin - Biblioteka Multimedialna Teatrnn.pl - Brama ...

trict were preserved in the neighbourhood, easily recognizable due to narrow facades
and more floors than the average old Lviv tenements. This shape was required by the
spatial requirements of the district development controls, imposed by the city authorities
throughout the centuries; therefore, the houses were built in tiny plots and were
generally higher in order to increase their capacity. Some of the existing houses boast
late Renaissance elements and the interior layout, particularly in lower floors, reflects
the specific character of Jews' daily activities, mainly trade and craftsmanship. Even
now some door frames reveal oblique grooves — Mezuzah traces. Majer Bałaban wrote
about the tenements:
The set of houses at the synagogue retained its old features. When you have a closer look
at [...] narrow entrance halls, winding breakneck stairs and vaults, you will know the age of
these houses 5 .
At the beginning of the 20th Century, some of the brick houses were pulled down
as a result of building development regulations.
The other Jewish settlement in Lviv was concentrated in the Krakowskie
Przedmieście (Krakow Suburb) area, where the Jewish enclave grew more rapidly than
in the Old Town. Among the more favourable conditions were: the easy purchase of
land and less restrictive construction laws. Yet, the inhabitants were exposed to many
dangers, such as assaults and sieges, which regularly involved the demolition of the
area to stop the enemy from entering the city. Therefore, the Jewish suburb underwent
constant changes, more frequently than the area inside the city walls. Schall provides
the following description:
In the centre of the suburban ghetto [...], today Krakow Square, there was a synagogue.
The synagogue burnt with a huge number of houses in 1620. The fire destroyed the whole
ghetto and resulted in a ban to build houses near the city walls (1624). In 1632 new suburban
synagogue was erected in the same place. [...] The so called Great Suburban Synagogue was the
only new stone building in the suburb and provided shelter for the Jews in the event of siege
or town disturbances (such as in 1664) 6 .
Even in recent times this district was marked by poverty and urban sprawl, but at
the same time by liveliness and bustle. Stanisław Wasylewski in the 1930 s describes a
Stranger (Jew) from the Polish viewpoint:
In Krakowskie and Żółkiewskie district the Lviv Jews sit and multiply. They are easy to
recognize at first glance. Gabardine, velvet hat and side locks distinguish them from a dweller
of Nalewki and the Russian fur in their Jargon from Krakow Jews in Kazimierz. [...] Ihey
multiply in the traditional dirt and sloppiness [...] 7 .
This narrative reflects the authors contemptuous attitude towards Jews.
5 BAŁABAN M.: Dzielnica Żydowska. Jej dzieje i zabytki. Lwów 1909, p. 75.
6 SCHALL J.,op. cit., p. 42.
7 WASYLEWSKI S.: Lwów. Poznań [1931], p. 74.
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