In the spring of 1945, Stanisław Lem is twenty-four years old. He is a sophomore at the Medical University and is actively preparing for his exams. After successfully passing his exams, he boards a train with his parents bound for western Poland, crosses the Soviet-Polish border, and gets off the train in Kraków, which will become his new home. It is in Kraków that he finally decides to become a writer, meets Barbara, becomes a father, and builds his home.
Lem will never return to Lviv, yet he will gradually become a presence in the city: he will be remembered, quoted, and his books will be translated and read. Lem’s description of Lviv and his favorite confectioneries will become part of the city’s and its residents’ self-image, reflecting what life was like before World War II. The city will be proud of Lem.
However, pride in Lem as a Lviv native requires our efforts to find answers to certain questions. The main one is: why, despite all the opportunities and invitations, both during the Soviet period and in the era of open borders, did Lem never physically return to Lviv?
During the city walk “The City of Lem: Spaces of Trauma and (Non)Memory,” we will seek answers to this question within Lviv’s urban landscape, discuss the city’s scars and Lem’s traumas as reflections of the 20th century, uncover historical traces in the urban space, and reflect on how
Lem’s (non)return can help contemporary Lviv residents confront (non)memory and build their own relationship with the city, drawing on the experience of previous generations.
Participation in the city walk is free upon prior registration. We will notify you of the meeting place separately.
The walk will take place as part of the public program of the “REHERIT 2.0: Common Responsibility for Shared Heritage” project — “Weaving the Heritage“. “REHERIT 2.0 is implemented by the Center for Urban History and the Regional Development Center of the PPV Economic Development Agency with the financial support of the European Union.
This publication was created with the financial assistance of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the partners of the “REHERIT 2.0” project and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
