Grand Hotel Lviv (English)

Lemberg, a city steeped in timeless allure from bygone days, serves as a bridge between worlds. It elegantly embodies the fusion of Western and Eastern European influences, transcending traditional geographical boundaries. Cradled tenderly yet contested fiercely, it once pulsed as the heart of the Kingdom of Galicia. Today it is the intellectual hub of the Western Ukraine.

Here, in this city, lies the Grand Hotel Lviv, a distinguished landmark on Ludwigstrasse, embodying a steadfast presence amidst the boulevard’s perpetual flux. Within the hotel’s majestic embrace unfolds an establishment of profound democracy, where both the celebrated and ordinary guests share esteemed standing.

When our mind wanders freely back in time, in the lobby of the hotel, one could envisage Joseph Roth, the celebrated Brody-born author, engrossed in his newspapers, jotting down observations and anecdotes from his post-World War I visit to the city.
Still today,  you find them all, from sporting legends such as Andrii Shevchenko, Oleksander Shovkovskyi and Oleksander Usyk to cultural luminaries like American jazz virtuoso Kamasi Washington, Eurovision champions Jamala and the Kalush Orchestra, and the exuberant Andrii Danylko, better known as Verka Serduchka. German actor August Diehl arrived, so did Kiss of a Rose musician Seal.

The allure of the Grand Hotel Lviv is amplified by the presence of eminent figures such as Bridget Ann Brink, the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Egils Levits, President of Latvia, and Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s fifth President, who mingle on equal terms with all visitors. 

Celebrities like Paris Hilton and bands such as Boney M and Mr. President appear and disappear – like flashlights in the dark. More enduring: Vitali Klitschko who embodies the fusion of athletic and political might. Peter Gelb of the New York Metropolitan Opera House and Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, drawn by its closeness to the Opera House, further elevate the Grand Hotel Lviv’s standing as a nexus of cultural and intellectual exchange.

Here, the illustrious and the unassuming, the celebrated and the everyday guest, enhance every corner with a fusion of cultures, ideas, and dialogues. 

Such inclusivity always ensures that a grand hotel is not simply a place of stay but a dynamic, living tableau of humanity, embracing all with a democratic spirit.

While this book does not purport to tell the exhaustive history of the establishment, it presents a collection of remarkable events, serving more as a collection of spotlights than a comprehensive illumination. It offers snapshots across epochs, at times amusing, at times sombre, occasionally of historical import, and at others simply an anecdote from old Galicia. A repository of tales, indeed. After all, this city and its surrounding is the place where so eminent and famous storytellers and celebrated literati came from.