http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhgz6cjv_15c2xb2jfk

Ron.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhgz6cjv_1cmq999c2

Among other things, you will find there why i think that Lemberg is suitable to be Europe’s next capital.
Ron

There’s no need for apologies, you was a bit right, for i always try to be neutral (even while i am aware that this is not 100% possible), i also take the Russian view in consideration.

In my former reply i was talking about the good part of Lembergs story, the part about it stones. The part about its inhabitants is rather sad.

At the beginning of WW-2, about 60% of its inhabitants were polish and one third was Jew. Well, we know what happened to the Jews; they were all murdered by the Hitler’s gang. And the polish inhabitants were all deported toward the not existing town of Breslau (Wroclaw). Not existing, because Breslau was completely destroyed during the war (festung-Breslau). Can you imagine all those polish inhabitants of Lemberg that were forced to leave their beautiful city and were now gazing to a giant pile of bricks, which happened to be their new place of living?

The end of the war didn’t mend peace for Galicia, because after the defeat of the Germans, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) kept on battling against the red army for another decade. The Ukrainian government is trying to bring the remains of the former UPA-leaders back to Ukraine, and re-bury them on the famous Lychakivskiy cemetery in Lemberg (I’ve been there; it’s really an amazing place!).

Last year they erect a statue in Lemberg of the UPA-leader Stepan Bandera. This was seen as an insult by the pro-Russian Ukrainians, because they consider the UPA-members not as national heroes but as Nazi-collaborators and enemies of the red army, who liberated the Ukraine. They reacted by erecting in the Crimea a statue in remembrance of the UPA-victims. History still has a big influence on today’s politics in the Ukraine…

Walking through Lemberg, there are some things I can’t understand considering the average Ukrainian salary. How can they afford to buy all those expensive articles in the luxury stores? And why can’t you see any bicycle’s, but does it seems almost everybody drives a much more expensive car instead, causing traffic jams all through Lemberg during rush-hour? But of at least one question I found the answer; why can’t you see water anywhere in Lemberg, while the river Poltva is flowing right through its centre?

http://infostore.org/info/1505897?refer=1505842&rs=3

As i have said before, Lemberg is a weird city; its a western European town (Austrian build) with eastern European inhabitants, who are proud of their town. Therefore, walking through Lemberg brings me in a sort of surrealistic mood. And then i often think about the idea of making Lemberg Europe’s new capital. It will end the stupid and expensive dual-capital system that exists today. Due to its strange cultural nature, it could be easily accepted as new capital by the old western members as well as the new eastern members. And its representative enough to be functioning as a European capital (remember that its build and designed to function as a beautiful capital). There’s only one problem left; first the Ukraine must join the ranks of the European members…

Ron

No need for apologies, you was a bit right, for i always try to be neutral (even while i am aware that its not 100% possible), so i also take the Russian view in consideration

In my former reply i was talking about the good part of Lembergs story, the part about it stones. The part about its inhabitants is rather sad.

At the beginning of WW-2, about 60% of its inhabitants were polish and one third was Jew. Well, we know what happened to the Jews; they were all murdered by the Nazi’s. And the polish inhabitants were all deported toward the not existing town of Breslau (Wroclaw). Not existing, because Breslau was completely destroyed during the war (festung-Breslau). Can you imagine all those polish inhabitants of Lemberg that were forced to leave their beautiful city and were now gazing to a giant pile of bricks, which happened to be their new place of living?

The end of the war didn’t mend peace for Galicia, because after the defeat of the Germans, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) kept on battling against the red army for another decade. The Ukrainian government is trying to bring the remains of the former UPA-leaders back to Ukraine, and re-burry them on the famous Lychakivskiy cemetery in Lemberg (I’ve been there; it’s really an amazing place!).

Last year they erect a statue in Lemberg of the UPA-leader Stepan Bandera. This was seen as an insult by the pro-Russian Ukrainians, because they consider the UPA-members not as national heroes but as Nazi-collaborators and enemies of the red army, who liberated the Ukraine. They reacted by erecting in the Crimea a statue in remembrance of the UPA-victims. History still has a big influence on today’s politics in the Ukraine…

Walking through Lemberg, there are some things I can’t understand considering the average Ukrainian salary. How can they afford to buy al those expensive articles in the luxury stores? And why can’t you see any bicycle’s, but does it seems almost everybody drives a much more expensive car instead, causing traffic jams all through Lemberg during rush-hour? But of at least one question I found the answer; why can’t you see water anywhere in Lemberg, while the river Poltva is flowing right through its centre?

http://infostore.org/info/1505897?refer=1505842&rs=3

As i have said before, Lemberg is a weird city; its a western European town (Austrian build) with eastern European inhabitants, who are proud of their town. Therefore, walking through Lemberg brings me in a sort of surrealistic mood. And then i often think about the idea of making Lemberg Europe’s new capital. It will end the stupid and expensive dual-capital system that exists today. Cultural it could be easily accepted as new capital by the old western members as well as the new eastern members. And its representative enough to be functioning as a European capital (remember that its build and designed to function as a beautiful capital).There’s only one problem left; first the Ukraine must join the ranks of the European members…

Ron

Thanks for correcting me! I’d been under the impression that you might have been some the sort of Russian nationalist or Russophile who believes that Ukrainians don’t really exist, or that they’re only the Galicians. My apologies.

At the beginning of WW-2, about 60% of its inhabitants were polish and one third was Jew. Well, we know what happened to the Jews; they were all murdered by the Nazi’s. And the polish inhabitants were all deported toward the not existing town of Breslau (Wroclaw). Not existing, because Breslau was completely destroyed during the war (festung-Breslau). Can you imagine all those polish inhabitants of Lemberg that were forced to leave their beautiful city and were now gazing to a giant pile of bricks, which happened to be their new place of living?

The end of the war didn’t mend peace for Galicia, because after the defeat of the Germans, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) kept on battling against the red army for another decade. The Ukrainian government is trying to bring the remains of the former UPA-leaders back to Ukraine, and re-burry them on the famous Lychakivskiy cemetery in Lemberg (I’ve been there; it’s really an amazing place!).

Last year they erect a statue in Lemberg of the UPA-leader Stepan Bandera. This was seen as an insult by the pro-Russian Ukrainians, because they consider the UPA-members not as national heroes but as Nazi-collaborators and enemies of the red army, who liberated the Ukraine. They reacted by erecting in the Crimea a statue in remembrance of the UPA-victims. History still has a big influence on today’s politics in the Ukraine…

Walking through Lemberg, there are some things I can’t understand considering the average Ukrainian salary. How can they afford to buy al those expensive articles in the luxury stores? And why can’t you see any bicycle’s, but does it seems almost everybody drives a much more expensive car instead, causing traffic jams all through Lemberg during rush-hour? But of at least one question I found the answer; why can’t you see water anywhere in Lemberg, while the river Poltva is flowing right through its centre?

http://infostore.org/info/1505897?refer=1505842&rs=3

Ron

I have tried to reply earlier, but that was not possible due to some technical troubles with this site.

Anyway, with the inter-bellum I did mend the period between WW-1 and WW-2.

Lemberg is the Dutch/German name for the former Galician capital. And because I am Dutch, I am using this name. In Ukrainian the name of the town is L’viv, but also the Polish name L’wow and the Russian name L’vov is frequently used. The last time the town itself was using Lemberg as its official name was 1944.

Lemberg is a weird but beautiful town, which I frequently visit. The towns centre consists mostly of buildings that are dating from the time that Lemberg was the capital of Galicia, the biggest province of the Austrian empire. As through a miracle, the town survived practically undamaged all the 20th centuries battles (the buildings that is, not the people!). As was the fate of a lot of post-war Eastern Europe towns, there was a total lack of maintenance of the outside of the buildings. This gave the town a quite desolate look.

However a few years back, the new pro-western government gave a huge amount of money for the total restoration of the town’s historical centre, this because of its 750th anniversary. Nowadays Lemberg is one of Europe’s most beautiful towns, filled with good restaurants, trendy café’s, and luxury shops. But this former Austrian town has still to be discovered by western tourists. This would probably find place during the European football championship in 2012, which is partly taking place in Lemberg.

http://infostore.org/info/1505897?refer=1505842&rs=3

Ron