The Great Marmalade Fire (34 Shevchenko St.)
In the 18th century, the wars ended leaving our city terribly destroyed. So, after 1812 the defensive walls were dismantled, what made Stanislaviv larger in size. New residential and public buildings made the city more beautiful. But, in the second half of the 19th century, the development of the city stalled for some time. It was because a major fire, which on September 28, 1868 destroyed most of the city buildings.
In an archival edition of the magazine Stanislavivskyi Courier of September 28, 1928 you can find the following information: „On that memorable day, at 1 pm, as a result of the strong wind and the marmalade, which had been cooked in the garden, the fire broke out in a house on the Lypova Street, not far from the Chatskyi School. The wind picked up the hot sparks making them float in the air over the neighboring houses, then the fire quickly embraced the houses on the Golukhovskyi Street, Smolky Street, Sobieski Street, all the way to Zosina Volia Street in the south, and there the fire was finally stopped owing to the east wind”.
The fire, that was strengthened by the wind speed, in fact, destroyed the central part of the city, including the city hall. At those times the buildings were wooden and covered with shingle. But the fire also had a positive result, as the city was rebuilt in quite a modern style. Much of it is due to then burgomaster Ignatius Kaminsky, an active participant of the Polish National Movement. Today, his monument stands on the corner of the Mazepa and Belvederska Streets.