In the 19th century, the Lviv Polytechnic was the only higher technical school in the Polish lands. As it developed, so did the polytechnic library. In the early 1930s, a modern building was constructed that took into account the principles of a modern scientific library.

Lviv Polytechnic
In 1844, a technical college was established in Lviv under the name of the Technical Academy, and from 1877 the Polytechnic School. At the time it was the only technical college on Polish soil. In 1874-1877 a representative Neo-Renaissance building of the university was erected according to the project of Julian Zachariewicz, modelled on Viennese solutions. Some of the rooms on the first floor of the building were allocated to the polytechnic library (students' reading room, professors' reading room, storeroom, administration room). In 1914, the library's holdings numbered some 20,000 volumes, including more than 200 titles of subscribed journals.

Genesis of the library building
A new stage of the university's development began after independence. In 1919, the Agricultural Academy in Dublany and the Higher Forestry School in Lviv were incorporated into its structures, and as a result, literature on agricultural and forestry sciences began to flow into the library. Within ten years, the collection had grown to about 80,000 volumes.

The rapidly growing holdings and the attendance of readers (the number of students at the university had increased tenfold compared to 1877) meant that the premises in the main building were no longer sufficient, and by the early 1930s the premises were described as disastrous. It was then that Professor Kazimierz Bartel (1882-1941), an eminent mathematician, proposed the construction of a separate building taking into account the principles of a modern scientific library. The library was located in Nikorowicza St. (currently Profesorska St. 1), on the site where the building of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, which was not completed, was to be built.

Library building project
The architectural design, selected on the basis of a competition, was made by Prof. Tadeusz Obmiński (1874-1932), an outstanding architect of Lviv, the designer of many outstanding buildings in the city, including the building of the Dniester Insurance Company, the Church of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate and the officers' housing estate in Sknilovy.

The library building represents the monumental neo-classical style, characteristic of the late phase of the architect's work. The façade is framed by a regular articulation of Ionic pilasters set on a low pedestal foundation, with the outer axes distinguished by shallow risalits. The dignified, antique character of the edifice is emphasised by the Latin motto in the beam (Hic mortui vivunt, et muti loquuntur - "Here the dead live, and the dead speak"), and the gable is topped by an acroterion - a decorative form traditionally crowning the gables of classical Greek and Roman buildings.

Construction work was carried out between 1929 and 1934, so the architect did not live to see it completed. After his death, they were continued by Professor Witold Minkiewicz (1880-1961). For a certain period, the works were halted due to the economic crisis and the suspension of loans. The project was successfully completed thanks in part to Maximilian Matakevich (1875-1940), a professor at the Polytechnic, who at the time served as Minister of Public Works.

The function of the library building
During the interwar years, the issue of library design was the subject of theoretical consideration. At that time, a number of guidelines were formulated concerning, among other things, the appropriate interconnection of individual functional zones and specific rooms.

In the functional layout of the Lviv library building, these principles are clearly visible. On the ground floor level of the main body, general functions were placed - a vestibule with cloakrooms and waiting rooms and smoking rooms, while the side annexes provided for flats. The first floor housed the readers' area: a catalogue with a large student reading room on the axis and smaller ones (professors' and public) on either side of the student reading room, while the side annexes housed the librarians' work rooms.

The book warehouse was planned in a separate rear pavilion. The storage area deserves special attention, as it has a completely different character compared to the main body. It differs from the main body in terms of both its functionality, as the whole of this section is divided up into low storeys with shelves for books, and its form, which is completely modern.

History of the library of Lviv Polytechnic
Thanks to the location of the library in the new building, further development of the institution was possible. The library began to receive compulsory copies of journals belonging to the International Federation of Technical and Professional Presses. Contacts were established with foreign technical publishers, although financial problems did not allow the library to take full advantage of these opportunities. In September 1939, the collection of the library of the Lviv Polytechnic amounted to 88,000 volumes, which were used by 3,000 readers. Most publications (50%) were in German, 15% in Polish and the rest in other European languages. Annual attendance in the reading rooms was 40 thousand readers.

During the years of occupation, the collections suffered serious losses, and the building itself, especially the reading room and vestibule, also suffered as a result of shelling. In 1944, the university resumed its activities as a Ukrainian institution, and with it the library. Today, the building performs its original function. It was extended in 1970.