Urban Landscape and Printed Press in Habsburg Lemberg: the Kotsko Memorial of 1912

AbstractThis article analyzes a political demonstration in Habsburg Lemberg commemorating the death of a Ukrainian student during fights at the university. The Ukrainians in Lemberg figured as an urban minority that claimed chief historical rights on the city, but was largely deprived of the chance to express this claim in public space. In this case, Lemberg's Ukrainians found two alternative sites to be suitable for the public expression of national self: the cemetery, a space largely outside the realm of political control, and a building in the city center of national significance to the local Ukrainian community. In these commemorations, the press played the role of transforming political events into consistent narratives that were in line with different groups' political intentions.