Evolution of the buildings layout of the Lviv Main Railway Station

The architecture of railway stations is determined by social, economic, technical, military, historical, cultural, and other factors. Their actions occur constantly, but after certain periods, more radical changes take place through the reconstruction and development of the building substance of the stations. Understanding the value of historical structures must be consistent with the inevitable social and transport changes that occur everywhere and are reflected in the architecture of railway stations, in particular, through the planning structure. The purpose of the study was to identify the development of planning properties – based on horizontal projections of structures – of two historical buildings of the Lviv Main Railway Station in its further use. For this purpose, general scientific research methods were used in accordance with architectural studies. Based on archival materials, literature sources and field observations, it became possible to conduct the research and draw conclusions. Different levels of two buildings of the Lviv Railway Station were analysed and compared. Planning schemes, communication, and sequence of premises of these buildings, and their connections with the platform (tracks and landing platforms) and with the station forecourt were described. It was noted that already in the first building of the station, the features of functionalism were manifested as a concept of the primacy of processes in determining the layout and the whole construction shell of the structure; the second building continued this concept. Options for using an underground pedestrian connection between the platform of the existing second building of the Lviv Main Railway Station and the platform of the Suburban Railway, and their connection with the main street and one of the historical sites of Lviv separated by tracks, were considered. Underground pedestrian connections form a public space that has a large resource, including for temporary protection from air threats. These considerations are based on the evolution of historical railway stations in major European cities. The practical significance of the study was the established ways of further possible development of the architecture of the main railway station of Lviv in the historical concepts and schemes based on the directions and trajectories of pedestrians and transport