Lviv Penal Institution (No. 19)
The state institution “Lviv Penal Institution (No. 19)” is one of the oldest penitentiary institutions in Ukraine and one of the most famous historical prisons in Eastern Europe. The institution is situated in the central part of the city of Lviv and occupies a complex of buildings known by the historical name “Brygidky”.
The history of the complex begins in 1614, when a monastery of the Order of Saint Bridget was founded on this site. For almost two centuries, the monastery performed religious functions and was an important centre of spiritual life in Lviv.
Following the transition of Galicia to the rule of the Austrian Empire as a result of the First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772, large-scale administrative reforms began. In 1786, the Austrian authorities liquidated the monastery and converted it into a prison. Since then, the complex has been known as “Brygidky Prison”, becoming widely known far beyond the borders of Lviv.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, “Brygidky” was used as a regional criminal prison of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the First World War and the incorporation of Lviv into the Republic of Poland, the prison continued to function as one of the main penitentiary institutions in the region. At various historical periods, it held both persons convicted of criminal offences and political prisoners.
The events of the 20th century hold a special place in the history of the institution. At various times, the prison was under the administration of Polish, Soviet, and German authorities. During the Second World War, the complex became a site of mass repression and tragic events associated with the activities of totalitarian regimes.
After the end of the Second World War, from 1946, the institution functioned as a place of pre-trial detention for individuals taken into custody. During the Soviet period, it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR.
In the course of reforming the penitentiary system of independent Ukraine in 1998, the institution was transferred to the management of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences. In December 1999, it was named the Lviv Pre-trial Detention Centre. Today, the state institution “Lviv Penal Institution (No. 19)” performs the functions of a pre-trial detention centre and ensures the custody of individuals taken into detention, as well as certain categories of convicts in accordance with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation.
An important component of the institution's activity is the medical provision for individuals held in custody and serving sentences. Located on the territory of the institution is the Lviv Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 19, a branch of the state institution “Health Care Centre of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine” in Lviv Oblast. The hospital is one of the largest specialised medical institutions of the penitentiary system in the Western region of Ukraine and provides inpatient and outpatient medical care to convicts and persons in custody. The hospital’s structure includes specialised therapeutic, surgical, infectious, psychiatric, and other profile departments that provide medical care to patients from penal institutions in the Lviv, Volyn, Rivne, Ternopil, and Zakarpattia regions.
The “Brygidky” complex possesses significant historical and cultural value and remains one of the most well-known historical penitentiary structures in Ukraine, combining more than four hundred years of the history of the city of Lviv and the development of the penitentiary system.
Over the years, the institution has been headed by S. I. Holtsev, M. M. Mandirykovskyi, A. P. Zaiats, M. O. Tymoshchuk, V. S. Romanyshyn, V. P. Pidvirnyi, and other leaders who ensured the functioning of the institution during different historical periods.
At present, the head of the institution is Denys Viktorovych LIORENS.
Contact Information
State Institution “Lviv Penal Institution (No. 19)”
79007, Lviv Oblast, Lviv, Horodotska St., 20
Telephone: (032) 261-33-92
E-mail: [email protected]
Head of the institution: Denys Viktorovych LIORENS.