During his nearly 70-year reign (from 1848 to 1916), Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria visited Lviv five times, and each of these visits was different from the last.
The emperor's stay in Lviv was short - only 4 hours. The emperor was checking on military maneuvers in the Komarno area, and came to Lviv rather for a short visit.
The Roman Catholic Poles and the Greek Catholic Ukrainians were the main actors in purposeful political representation with the use of religious instruments in Lviv. For them, this presence in the city was part of the struggle for Lviv as a center of their "national revival."
Funerals with the participation of a large number of people took place in Lviv even at the time of strict centralization after the suppression of the Spring of Nations in 1848. These were opportunities to hold legal demonstrations at a time when all mass events, except imperial and religious ones, were prohibited.
Mass politics influenced not only using the city’s space but also building it. Lviv was considered the capital of a crown land and, in addition, the capital of two national projects, so it should have appropriate buildings and monuments, while streets should have the correct names.
