“Let it bring the people closer”

Last September the public organization “Sribni Kryla,” supported by Lviv city council, invited Lviv citizens and guests for II art-festival “Lion Parade.” As Viktor Romaniuk told The Day, the main idea of the project is not only to create a holiday atmosphere, but, first of all, to create a positive ­image of Lviv as the cultural capital of Ukraine.

The first art-festival “Lion Parade” took place in 2007. 20 sculptures were painted then. The symbol designers of Lviv for the second festival became Yurii Andrukhovych, Ruslana, Kuzma (Skriabin) and Oleh Skrypka, as well as Lviv artists Volodymyr Kostyrko, Vlodko Kaufman, Lesia Kyvyk, Olha Pohribna-Kokh, Yurko Kokh, Serhii Mikhnovsky and Oleksandra Novatska and the main Lviv artist Volodymyr Skolozdra. City mayor Andrii Sadovy painted his lion too, though his wife Kateryna and sons Ivan, Tadei and Mykhailo helped him.

Three years ago the lions were sold at an auction — they brought in around 400,000 hryvnias. This money bought equipment for six children playgrounds, which were built in different districts of the city.

In 2009, 30 lions were casted for the festival. After being painted, five sculptures stayed in Lviv, and the rest were presented to all regional centers of Ukraine.

Odesa was the first one to receive 150-kilo lion — the symbol of Lviv. It was placed in the pearl by the sea to ­ce­lebrate the 215th anniversary of Southern Palmira. Since 2010, a Lviv lion amuses Zaporizhia kids — it was set up near the children’s railway. Khmelnytsky, Mykolaiv and Donetsk were also happy to receive the lions. At the beginning of August a lion settled in Luhansk. “This lion is a gift of the Lviv community to the Luhansk community. Let it decorate your city! Let it bring all people together for our great and beautiful Motherland!” the plate says.