Vul. Vitovskoho, 43A — restaurant building (former cinema) ID: 1693

The Druzhba cinema was built in 1952 according to a typical design in the so-called Stalinist Empire style. The auditorium was designed to seat 300 people. The cinema was located in the B. Khmelnytskyi Park of Culture and Recreation at ul. Dzerzhynskoho 4 (now vul. Vitovskoho).

Story

Built in 1952, the Druzhba Cinema featured a 300-seat auditorium and followed a standardized design in the Stalinist Empire style. The author of the project was architect Stanislav Sokolov. The building was situated to the right of the main entrance to the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Park of Culture, with its main façade echoing the architecture of the park's entrance arcade. Later, during the 1950s, a neon sign reading "Cinema" was installed along the building's cornice.

By 1966, the auditorium's capacity had increased to 562 seats. During this period, the cinema hosted approximately seven screenings per day and employed a staff of up to 25 people. By 1990, the seating capacity had adjusted to 504, with the schedule reduced to about five screenings daily. Attendance rates in 1989 and 1990 were quite low, recorded at 14.6% and 15%, respectively. The cinema saw 134,400 visitors in 1989 and 114,000 in 1990 — figures that underperformed compared to other cinemas in Lviv. Despite these trends, a renovation of the auditorium was carried out in 1989, and by January 1, 1991, the staff had grown to approximately 46 employees.

The Druzhba Cinema ultimately ceased operations in the late 1990s. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, the abandoned building suffered extensive damage due to flooding.

Architecture

The main façade of the cinema is decorated with a portico featuring a decorative pediment, on the cornice of which there is a sculptural group of three walking figures — two men and a woman holding hands.

The colonnade consists of four octagonal Corinthian columns, decorated with elements featuring floral ornamentation up to human height. The recessed area of the façade is decorated with half-columns. accented with semi-columns, while the symmetrical vertical surfaces are detailed with framed rectangular niches featuring trimmings and rosettes.

People

Stanislav Sokolov — architect, author of the design for the Druzhba cinema, built in 1952 according to a standard design.

Sources