September 26, 2025

Analysing the Curriculum of the Department of Architecture Lviv Polytechnic National University for the Academic Years of 1919–1939

СЛСвітлана ЛіндаOpole University of Technology

Key Points

The architectural curriculum evolved significantly from 1919 to 1939, adapting to educational needs.
Teaching staff diversity and classroom hours varied, particularly highlighting the importance of design disciplines.
Programs became more stable after 1935-1936, balancing weekly workloads between 35-46 hours.
Students focused on foundational disciplines, progressively preparing for design, which was central to their training.

Abstract

The article is devoted to outlining the general trends in the formation of architectural education at the Architecture Department of Lviv Polytechnic in the interwar period (1919-1939). Based on historical and statistical analysis, 21 educational programmes of Lviv Polytechnic, published in 1919-1939, were examined. The analysis revealed the dynamics of changes in the structure of the teaching staff, the development of the departments of the Architecture Department, the number of classroom hours and the number of disciplines in each semester of each academic year, and examined the dynamics of the structural and logical scheme of teaching disciplines (changes in the sequence of teaching disciplines, changes in the number of hours allocated to each discipline), and the qualitative content of disciplines (selected disciplines). A feature of the educational process at the Department of Architecture in 1919-1922 was the division into two directions: artistic and structural, later this division was eliminated. It was found that the programs were characterized by flexibility, they changed every year both in terms of the number of hours and the number of subjects. Only starting from 1935-1936 did the program become relatively stable and more balanced by semester in terms of the number of weekly workload, which fluctuated within 35-46 hours. It was established that in the first year, students studied basic disciplines and gradually prepared for design, which was the main discipline at the faculty. The architectural design course began in the fifth semester and was divided between design departments, design occupied an important part of the classroom load and amounted to up to 18 hours each week. Students completed a very detailed project, from concept to working drawings. It was found that the programs reflected current changes in the need for relevant skills and competencies in the market at that time, which allowed training of high-quality professionals in the field of architecture.

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