On September 13th, 2026, near one of the academic buildings of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv at 4 Hrushevskoho Street, an unveiling of commemorative plaque to Hersch Lauterpacht, Raphael Lemkin, and other prominent lawyers whose career path is closely connected to Lviv University and who have made a significant contribution to shaping the foundations of modern international law.
Between 1851 and 1923, this academic building housed, in particular, the Faculty of Law, and thus, this very academic building of the University is connected to the roots of the notions of crimes against humanity and genocide. These were the ideas of Faculty of Law alumni Hersch Lauterpacht (1915-1919) and Raphael Lemkin (1921-1926) that read law at Lviv University under the guidance of Professor Juliusz Makarewicz. These terms were used for the first time at the Nuremberg trials of 1945, and they still remain the foundations of international law.
Among prominent teachers and students of the Faculty of Law mentioned on the plaque are Maurycy Allerhand, Roman Longchamps de Bérier, Manfred Lachs, Jan Karski, Louis Sohn, and Stanisław Starzyński.
The unveiling of the plaque was moderated by First Deputy of the Mayor of Lviv Andrii Moskalenko. “Today, this building houses the Faculties of Biology and Geology of Lviv University. But not a lot of people know that at some point it housed the Faculty of Law and that it was here that the foundations of Lviv School of International Law were created. In those classrooms, Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin were reading law, and they coined the notions of “crimes against humanity” and “genocide”. Today, during the full-scale war of russia against Ukraine, we see many historical parallels. These notions for us are not a part of history, but a reality”, Andrii Moskalenko stated and invited the audience to honour those who have fallen for the independence of Ukraine with a moment of silence.
A lawyer specialising in international law, a researcher of works of Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin, Professor of Law at University College London Philippe Sands, First Vice-rector Andrii Gukaliuk, and Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi were invited for the unveiling of the commemorative plaque.
In the beginning of his speech, Philippe Sands expressed his solidarity with those who make the biggest sacrifice everyday so as to defend their country and its values. “You thank me for coming here, and it’s very generous of you, but my efforts wouldn’t have had the impact and the significance they have without your efforts, without the efforts of your incredible people, wonderful residents of Lviv, where my grandfather was once born. The struggle led by Ukraine is the struggle for the principles and the values that are important for all of humanity, among which are the human rights. This is why your struggle and the sacrifices you make everyday are something the world has to be grateful for to the Ukrainians everyday. I sincerely thank you and I’m proud that my family roots go back to this wonderful city”, Philippe Sands emphasised.
The word was passed to Professor Andriy Gukaliuk: “The history of Lviv is inseparably connected with the history of Lviv University and we are proud that we continue to create it today. In this building, prominent figures were studying and working, and they shaped the intellectual history of not only our city or Ukraine, but of the whole world. Today, by unveiling this commemorative plaque, we not only honour the distinguished lawyers, but also remind people of the relevance of their ideas. Under the conditions of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the issues of international law raised by Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin a century ago gain a special meaning. At the same time, our specialists today help create modern history of international law studies and I believe that the students that are currently studying in the University, will continue to develop this field and create the legal science of the future”.
In his speech, Andriy Sadovyi stated that humanity’s existence is the struggle between good and evil, dictatorship and democracy, love and hatred. “And in this struggle there are always people whom we can call the warriors of light. They often go through hardships, not always find understanding or support, but they have the strength to move ahead and complete their mission. Those people were Mykhailo Hrushevsky, Ivan Franko, and all those prominent international law specialists that were walking down these streets and creating ideas of international importance. Let the researchers, scholars, our friends come to Lviv and explore the place where the ideas of international law were born. And let them also see who has taken up arms and is defending those ideas and values from those who want to destroy them,” stressed Andryi Sadovyi.
After the unveiling of the commemorative plaque, Philippe Sands visited the Faculties of Biology and Geology, where he looked at the historical auditorium where Ivan Franko had his habilitation lecture.
Especially colorful part of the visit was the trip to the Mineralogical Museum named after academician Y. K. Lazarenko, where the lawyer had the possibility to look at the treasures of our Land, talk to representatives of the academic community about the scientific research of minerals and their wide application in various fields.
