Lviv District Administrative Court has ordered Zhovkva City Council to register municipal ownership rights to the historic 1708 Palace in the village of Nova Skvaryava. The ruling was issued following a claim by the Zhovkva District Prosecutor’s Office.
The case concerns a building that is an architectural monument of local significance. By order of the Ministry of Culture, it has been included in the State Register of Immovable Monuments since 2025.
Over different periods, the Palace premises have been used as a collective farm office, a village council, a library, and most recently a branch of Ukrposhta has been located here.
Following decentralisation, the Palace was transferred to the balance sheet of Zhovkva City Council, so the legal grounds for formalising municipal ownership arose as early as 2020. However, as of May this year, information on municipal ownership rights is absent from the State Register of Proprietary Rights to Immovable Property, which prompted the prosecutor’s response.
The court agreed with the prosecutor’s arguments, found the city council’s inaction unlawful and ordered the local self-government body to take all necessary steps for the official registration of municipal ownership rights to the 1708 Palace.
Official registration, as the prosecutor’s office emphasises, is important for the legal protection of the historic building and places an obligation on the community to ensure its preservation and safe use. Once the court’s decision enters into legal force, the district prosecutor’s office will take steps to secure its enforcement.