In Lviv, at 5 A. Gorska Street, there is an apartment house owned by Szymon Malochleb, decorated with, among other things, a relief depicting Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Malochleb, an entrepreneur who in 1896 opened a Well Factory and Pump Factory on Gródecka Street, commissioned the construction of a modern apartment building in the Art Nouveau style in 1912. The building was designed by architects Jan Kajpert and Aleksander Osten, and the façade was enriched with numerous bas-reliefs by Teobald Orkasiewicz, a respected Lviv artist.

Among these decorations, two reliefs stand out in particular. The first, made in 1913, depicts Tadeusz Kościuszko in a dynamic pose, on horseback, probably referring to the central scene of the 'Panorama of Racławice'. The second relief refers to the famous work by Artur Grottger, 'Kucie scythe'.

The building was constructed in the working-class, industrial district of Lviv, near the train station and the market. The building was notable for its lavish decoration, including stained glass windows made by the Krakow factory of Stanisław Gabriel Żeleński and a sculpture of the Virgin Mary in the garden in front of the building. The interiors are decorated with stucco and preserved Art Nouveau elements, such as balustrades and stained glass windows.

The three-storey building, designed for residential functions, has become one of the architectural landmarks of local importance, testifying to the ambitions and wealth of its owner Szymon Malochleb.

In 2020-2021, thanks to funding from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the POLONIKA fund of the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad, conservation work was carried out on the bas-reliefs by Orkasiewicz and other elements of the architectural details.

We would like to thank Ms Tetiana Zinko for the photographs and information about the object.