Singer Maria Smereka singing Там під Львівським замком or “There, Under the Lviv High Castle”

Singer Maria Smereka brings us Там під Львівським замком or “There, Under the Lviv High Castle” by Володимир Вермінській (Volodymyr Verminskyi). The song is about a fallen soldier who died fighting for Ukraine during WWI. He was part of the Січові Стрільці, or the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen unit under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. These soldiers are historically recognized as an early symbol of Ukrainian patriotism and heroism. Prior to Ukraine’s independence in 1991, artists who expressed Ukrainian patriotism and spoke out against the government were killed by Soviet authorities as an attempt at cultural genocide. The people of Ukraine and their respective communities in America embrace their art, music, and national history, overcoming more than 100 years of oppression. Originally recorded and shared for World Refugee Day 2020.

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