Black House

City square with historic building whose facade is covered by a tarp — Black House with protective covering.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, concerns quickly grew that debris from missile strikes might damage Lviv's historic buildings, including the distinctive sixteenth-century Black House.

Monument

Black House

Location

Lviv, Ukraine

Protecting the Facade During Wartime

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, concerns quickly grew that flying debris from missile strikes might damage historic buildings, including the Black House. With the support of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv and a further grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, World Monuments Fund (WMF) designed and installed a special protective covering over the Black House’s facade to safeguard the building from potential damage while preserving the aesthetic integrity of the Market Square. The covering bears a 1:1 image of the facade over which it hangs, minimizing the visual invasiveness of the intervention to pedestrians and allowing for at least a modicum of normalcy in difficult times.

Group of people in front of building that has been covered by a protective covering

Tall black historic building with scaffolding over it. A tarp is being lifted over the scaffolding to cover it.

Two women walking past a building whose front is covered by a tarp

Black House with it's protective covering.

Related Projects

Man walking through remains of bombed building, seen from above

Active Project

Damage Assessment for Cultural Heritage Sites of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy Regions

As the war in Ukraine takes its toll on cultural heritage, WMF is working with a local network of experts to register losses and document the scale of destruction.

UKR Kyiv Teachers House Dome 20221010 cropped

Active Project

Kyiv Teacher’s House, Ukraine

The former legislative seat of a newly independent Ukraine, this national icon was severely damaged by a missile blast in 2022, highlighting war’s impact on heritage and the power of preservation to catalyze healing.

Safeguarding Ukrainian Heritage

See how WMF is working to protect Ukraine's cultural heritage.

Learn More