Hanna Kos (Ukrainian: Ганна Іванівна Кос; 7 December 1940 – 20 November 2018) was a Ukrainian historian and art historian. She is noted for her contributions to the study of Lviv’s architectural heritage and for her long‑term leadership of the Museum of History at Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Early life and education
Kos was born in Lviv, then part of the Ukrainian SSR. She graduated in 1965 from the Faculty of History at the University of Lviv. During her university studies she worked as an archivist at the Lviv Regional Archives and as a laboratory assistant in the Department of Archaeology of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.
Academic and professional career
After completing her degree, Kos spent fifteen years participating in archaeological expeditions. In 1966 she began working as a researcher at the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion, and from 1972 to 1976 she served as a senior researcher at the Lviv Art Gallery. She later held a senior researcher position (1976–1995) at the State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Lviv.
In 1995 Kos joined Lviv Polytechnic National University as a senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies and the Department of History of Ukraine, Science and Technology. From 2000 she worked at the Lviv Polytechnic Museum of History, where she organized exhibitions and developed the museum’s permanent exposition. In 2011 she became the head of the museum, a post she held until her death.
Kos earned the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences in 1992 and became a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine in 1993.
Research and publications
Kos authored numerous scholarly works on the architecture and art of medieval and early‑modern Lviv. Her publications include monographs such as Ukrainska dilnytsia serednovichnoho Lvova (1996), studies on metalwork and stone masonry in Lviv, and essays on the city’s urban development. She also co‑authored guidebooks on Lviv’s streets and squares, and contributed biographical sketches of notable Ukrainian figures.
Later life and legacy
Hanna Kos died on 20 November 2018 in Lviv. She was buried in the 12th field of the Yaniv Cemetery. Her contributions to Ukrainian cultural history, particularly the preservation and interpretation of Lviv’s architectural heritage, are recognized through memorial events and the continued operation of the museum she directed.