28 million PLN and an unfinished building: what awaits the “Monument to Polish Corruption” in the center of Lviv
11 August 11:51
Construction of the Polish Cultural Center in Lviv was supposed to be completed back in 2018, but instead of a cultural space in the city center, an unfinished building has stood there for many years. Poland has spent approximately 28 million zlotys on the project, has halted its funding, and is now considering the possibility of abandoning the investment altogether.
The unfinished Polish Cultural Center on Shevchenko Street in Lviv may be transferred to the Ukrainian side or repurposed entirely. No final decision has yet been made regarding the facility’s future, but the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already completely suspended funding.
This was reported by the Polish media outlet RMF24, citing its own sources, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Poland May Abandon Plans to Complete the Center in Lviv
According to unofficial information from Polish journalists, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is leaning toward not continuing construction. One of the main reasons cited is the significant amount of money required to complete the work.
Before any decision is made, a technical inspection of the structures must be conducted. The building has remained unfinished for years and has not been properly protected from the elements.
The cost of the inspection alone could amount to hundreds of thousands or even millions of zlotys. In addition, Polish officials have raised doubts about the quality of the work already completed.
Officially, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that no final decision has been made yet. Warsaw continues negotiations with the Ukrainian side.
Among the possible options being considered is the transfer of the unfinished facility to Ukraine. In that case, the building could house another institution rather than the Polish Cultural Center.
The center was supposed to open eight years ago
Construction began in late 2015. Lviv leased a plot of land for 49 years to facilitate the project. Part of this territory was under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The project was carried out by a consortium comprising:
- the Lviv City Council Resources Agency;
- the Federation of Polish Organizations in Ukraine;
- the “Polish Community” Association.
Initially, construction costs were estimated at approximately 20 million zlotys. The center was scheduled to open in 2018, but the work was not completed. Total expenditures from the Polish state budget have already reached about 28 million zlotys.
In 2019, following a change in the funding mechanism, construction work effectively came to a halt. Contractors were not receiving funds, and the site has been virtually inactive ever since.
The Polish prosecutor’s office is investigating the funding case
In 2024, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau launched an audit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ activities regarding the funding of the Lviv project.
Following an audit and review by the National Tax Administration, the relevant materials were forwarded to the prosecutor’s office. The investigation is being conducted by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Kielce.
Investigators are looking into possible abuse of official authority during the allocation of over 1.7 million zlotys in subsidies between 2020 and 2023. This concerns decisions made by officials of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically deputy ministers who were responsible for disbursing the funds.
No one has been charged in the case so far. The prosecutor’s office is reviewing documents and questioning witnesses. Former high-ranking officials of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the time of the Law and Justice party’s rule have not yet been summoned for questioning.
Lviv Residents Demand Removal of Long-Stalled Construction Project
Members of the Lviv City Council raised the issue of the unfinished center. They stated that the structure, located on one of the city’s central streets, has been falling into disrepair for years and detracts from the city’s appearance.
Some Lviv council members called the structure a “monument to Polish corruption” and demanded an explanation regarding the funds spent and the future use of the land plot.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi announced an on-site inspection of the site. Following the inspection, city authorities will determine what legal and technical solutions can be applied to the unfinished project.
Thus, after ten years of construction, the future of the Polish Cultural Center remains uncertain. Poland must decide whether to invest new funds in assessing and completing the structure, while Lviv must decide what to do with the building, which has become a long-standing construction project.
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The History of the Unfinished Project
Construction of the cultural center on Shevchenko Street began back in 2015 but remains unfinished to this day, even though the facility was originally scheduled to be completed by 2018—marking the 100th anniversary of Poland’s restoration of independence.
During this time, 28 million zlotys from Poland’s state budget have been spent on the project, although the initial construction cost was estimated at approximately 20 million zlotys.
To carry out the project, Lviv leased the land for 49 years. Construction was handled by a consortium comprising the Lviv City Council’s Property Resources Agency, the Federation of Polish Organizations in Ukraine, and the “Polish Community” association.
After the financing mechanism was changed in 2019, work came to a halt due to a lack of funds for the contractors, and the structure has remained abandoned in the city center ever since.
Members of the Lviv City Council raised the issue of this long-standing unfinished project during a session. Taras Repitsky, a council member from the “Voice” party, asked Lyubomyr Zubach, the deputy mayor for urban development, for information on the status of the project, calling the building a “monument to corruption” due to the more than ten-year delay in its completion.
Following the discussion, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi instructed officials to organize an on-site inspection of the unfinished building with the participation of all relevant parties—based on the results of the inspection, city hall plans to determine the next steps regarding the property.
They are also currently awaiting a statement from the project’s Polish co-investors—the Federation of Polish Organizations in Ukraine and the “Polish Community” association.
This is not the first construction scandal in Lviv involving Polish funds. Previously, the Polish construction company Control Process, which was building a waste processing plant in Lviv, accused Sadovyi’s team of fraud and theft amounting to 18 million euros.
On April 6, 2026, the Lviv City Council officially terminated the contract for the construction of the waste processing plant with the contractor and promised to announce a new tender, but five months later, it still had not done so.
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