Black House, Renaissance building in Market Square, Lviv, Ukraine
The Black House is a Renaissance building on Rynok Square in Lviv with a dark sandstone facade decorated across four stories with horizontal stone bands. The structure features classical proportions and ornamental details typical of Renaissance merchant buildings from this era.
Built in 1577 for Italian tax collector Tomaso Alberti, the structure received an additional floor in 1596 when Jan Lorencowicz added it and opened one of Lviv's first pharmacies inside. This early modification shows how the building adapted quickly to new uses.
The building houses a section of the Lviv Historical Museum focused on the Ukrainian Diaspora and emigration from the late 1800s onward. Inside, you can see personal items and documents that tell stories of people who left for other countries.
The museum is open during daytime hours and provides access to exhibition floors with information about Ukrainian history. You should allow time to explore the different rooms thoroughly.
The dark color of the facade developed through natural oxidation of white lead primer and weathering of the sandstone by environmental exposure over centuries. This natural aging process gave the building its distinctive name and current appearance.
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