Targi Wschodnie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Targi Wschodnie (the Eastern Trade Fair) was a major trade fair in interbellum Poland. It was established in 1921 and held in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), and was designed to attract business people from Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union. Its geographic location gave it an important role in stimulating international trade and fostering Poland's economic development.^[1]

The Eastern Trade Fair was held in Lwów's most attractive park, Stryj Park (in Polish, Park Stryjski).

The opening of the first Eastern Trade Fair, in 1921, was marred by an attempt by a Ukrainian, Stepan Fedak, to assassinate Poland's Chief of State, Józef Piłsudski. While Piłsudski dodged the bullets, the Lwów Province Governor, Kazimierz Grabowski, was wounded.^[2]

By 1928, the Fair could boast some 1,600 exhibitors, about 400 being foreign firms. That year, the event attracted 150,000 visitors. The exhibition grounds comprised some 220,000 square meters (2,368,060 sq ft), with 46 pavilions and other buildings of some 20,000 m² (215,278 sq ft) of total exhibit space, as well as some 15,000 m² (161,459 sq ft) of outdoor show areas.

The fairground had its own rail siding with freight station and warehouses, a customs area and customs office, a telephone exchange and post office, and tram connections to the city.^[3]