In the very heart of Lviv — on Rynok Square between historic tenement houses No. 37 and No. 38 — a massive ventilation pipe has been hanging illegally for six months. Despite the fact that both buildings are architectural monuments of national importance, and numerous inspections and an order from the Ministry of Culture have identified violations, the dismantling has never taken place.
The scandal was publicly announced by Olena Shulyak, a member of parliament from the Servant of the People party, who heads the parliamentary committee on regional development and urban planning. She published a post with a photo and harsh rhetoric: she said that the ventilation pipe “like a steel snake wound around the historical facade” and humiliated not only the residents, but also the entire city. The politician said that she had contacted the Ministry of Culture, the Lviv Regional Administration, the city council, and the police — all agreed: the work was carried out illegally, but no institution brought the matter to a conclusion.
This is a building in Grosvaierska (37 Rynok Square), which was purchased by the company "Daylor Consult" in 2019 for UAH 45.5 million. Within a few months, the company was transferred to two deputies of the Lviv City Council from the "European Solidarity" party - Oleksiy Riznyk and Yuriy Lomag. Currently, the company belongs to their business partner, former co-owner of the Vynnyky tobacco factory, Oleksandr Svishchev.
In 2021, the Lviv City Council recorded unauthorized work on the monument and issued an order to stop it. Later, in 2024-2025, "Daylor Consult" received permission to restore the premises for a catering establishment, but a massive ventilation pipe was installed separately - without a project and permits.
The head of the Lviv City Council's executive committee, Yevhen Boyko, stated that the city has done everything within its powers and cannot influence the situation due to changes in legislation - since 2022, municipalities have been deprived of the right to independently conduct inspections of construction sites. Now this requires permission from the Ministry of Culture, which the Lviv City Council has repeatedly unsuccessfully sought.
The Ministry of Culture, for its part, issued an order for dismantling, but did not take any measures to implement it. And it is the Verkhovna Rada committee, headed by Shulyak, that has all the authority to initiate an investigation into the ministry's inaction, the city authorities emphasize.
The situation on Rynok Square has become a symbol of legal paralysis: the impunity of the destruction of historical heritage, the complete irresponsibility of state structures, and commercial interests that override the law.
