Svobody boulevard with view on National Museum

The Prospect Svobody Promenade – formerly, the Hetman Ramparts – was laid in on top of the western section of the historic defensive fortifications that ringed Lviv. The walls were pulled down sometime around 1776 and put into public service of the city. In the first half of the 19th century, parallel streets were established on the eastern and western banks of the Poltva River, and landscaped in rows of poplar; the streets would one day become the boulevard that is Prospect Svobody. In the late 1880s, arched bridges spanned the gap between Maryatska Square (currently, Mickiewicz Square) and Golukhovska Square (currently, Torhova Square). Between 1888-1890, under the direction of Arnold Röhring, the area enclosing the underground river channel was planted in trees and flowerbeds.