Sambir Town Hall (City Council)

Anyone who has ever visited Sambir (Lviv region) has definitely been to the local Market Square. The town hall is located here, which, by the way, has a long and interesting history. The Sambir Town Hall is an architectural monument of the XVII-XIX centuries of national importance. The town hall houses the town council and the mayor.

The original town hall was made of wood. It burned down in 1498 along with all the surrounding buildings. In the early 16th century a new one-story town hall with a low tower and a clock was built. This town hall also burned down (1637), and in its place in 1638-1668 a two-story brick town hall with a 40-meter high 8-sided tower and a lantern was built. The ancient Renaissance portal has been preserved to this day. Although there are no documents about its manufacture, its shape and purity of style suggest that this portal was made together with the original building and that its craftsman was influenced by Italian masters who worked in Krakow. In 1844, the town hall was reconstructed: the entrance porticoes were added, the entrance was changed, and new facades were arranged.

On the south side of the town hall tower, in 1760, an image of the Mother of God was installed, donated by the Polish priest Valentyn Dudkiewicz. In 1877, this image was replaced by one made of copper tin. It stood until the arrival of the Soviets in 1939. In 1997, a plaster figure of the Mother of God was installed in its place.

In 1885, a clock bought in Prague from the watchmaker Heinz with a chime and dials on four sides was installed on the town hall tower (the clock cost the city a considerable amount of money at the time: 1200 zlotys). The clock used to be illuminated at night. In 1980 it was repaired, but the dial on the north side remained inoperative.

Above the portico at the side entrance to the town hall is the city's coat of arms, which was re-approved for Sambir by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II in a privilege dated June 26, 1788. It is a blue shield depicting a deer running from right to left. The deer's neck is pierced by an arrow. The shield is decorated with a golden crown at the top.

The town hall building is made of stone, rectangular in plan, and has a corridor system. The main three-story square volume has a staircase located in the center, illuminated by an overhead light. The western and eastern facades are accented with single-tiered three-arch porticos.

The ground floor is covered with cross, cylindrical, and sail-closed vaults. The building's tallest element is a three-tiered, square tower on the south side. Its upper octagonal tier with a clock is crowned with an octagonal lantern.

There is a legend that False Dmitriy I made his first speech to the nobility from the balcony of the town hall in Sambir, in which he called for organizing a campaign against Moscow.

By the way, the Sambir town hall is still used for its intended purpose: it houses the city council. You can also climb the city council tower and see Sambir in all its glory.

Sambir Town Hall is located in the central part of the city on Rynok Square. Nearby are the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which houses the relics of St. Valentine, and the organ hall.