The Lviv District Administrative Court has ordered the owners of the “George” hotel in the centre of Lviv to carry out restoration and to bring all the façades of the building, which is a monument of architecture of local significance, into proper condition. The outcome of the case was reported by the manager of affairs of the executive committee of the Lviv City Council, Yevhen Boyko.
The administrative case, brought by the Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage against TOV HK “George”, was heard for almost a year. Since June 2025, the city’s Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage had been demanding that the hotel’s owners restore the façades of the monument; however, according to the official, instead of starting the work, the city had to prove in court that restoration was necessary.
The owners argued that the building had already been restored in 2018, and therefore, in their view, it did not require any further intervention. The court did not support this position and ordered the owners to maintain properly the historic structure in the centre of Lviv. The decision can still be appealed; however, the City Council considers it important that it has been recognised that previously completed works do not relieve owners of the obligation to keep the monument in proper condition now.
Yevhen Boyko also reminded people of the historical value of the George Hotel. The establishment is regarded as one of the oldest hotels in Lviv: its history began in 1793, and the current multi-storey building, decorated in light pink and cream tones, was erected in 1899–1900 to a design by Viennese architects. As early as 1911 the hotel had its own power station and was considered one of the best in Europe, as it offered hot and cold running water, telephones, central heating and electric lifts around the clock.
The official stressed that the situation with the George is not an isolated case. In just 2025–2026 alone, the Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, according to him, issued around 200 notices to the owners of listed buildings for breaches of heritage protection legislation. In a number of cases, owners comply after the first notices or ask for a deferral until the next construction season, but sometimes such matters have to be fought over in the courts for years.
“We are well aware that resources are scarce during the war. But historic monuments cannot wait for the war to end. Every winter without the necessary repairs makes restoration more expensive and, at times, impossible. That is why our task is to prevent that second scenario,” emphasised the manager of affairs of the executive committee.
The George Hotel is located in Lviv’s historic centre at 1 Mitskevych Square and is included in the list of architectural monuments of local significance.