The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Košice

The year 2020 saw the 90th anniversary of the construction of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Košice, as well as the 125th anniversary of the birth of its designer, the Košice architect Ľudovít Oelschläger. These commemorations lead us to consider the fate of this remarkable multifunctional structure, a listed cultural monument and important example of Košice modernism, which has long ceased to serve its original purpose and now lies empty and neglected. Indeed, the latest owner was able to reclassify the building as residential and is currently selling the property. Its forlorn state and uncertain future use, together with the impending deterioration of its still-present architectural qualities, warn of the potential threat both to the physical integrity of this cultural monument and its expressive originality.

Bratislava and the Planned River: Mapping the Impact of the Danube Regulations between 1772 and 1896 on Urban Development

The current pattern of the Danube is a result of human activity as well as natural changes. Throughout history, different riverine transformations have affected the urban structure of Bratislava. The paper deals with the period of regulations between the years 1772 and 1896. To analyze the river as a natural and cultural phenomenon, a hybrid method was used. Selected aspects of historiographic research were interpreted on the basis of historical maps in the form of mapping. The method shows that local interventions were mainly part of the greater vision of the navigable waterway in Austria-Hungary.

The Experiential Museum – Avant-Garde Spatial Experiments and the Reorganization of the Human Sensorium

Avant-garde artistic experiments are unquestionably recognized as relevant to the museum field in the context of art and museum studies. This paper aims to reconfirm their relevance in the architectural context as well, selecting crucial cases and protagonists whose final products were not artworks or exhibitions per se, but new (concepts of) space. These new concepts of space were all treated as democratic and participatory new media capable of training and modernizing the whole of our human sensorium. In this way, a curious partnership is discovered between this “experiential” art museum and the discourse on architectural modernity. Imaginary space, expressionist space, correlational space, multimedia space and situationist space – these are the principal categories that this paper recognizes as five distinct productive devices for modernist perceptual reorganization.

The Work of Karel Boublík

The article presents the first detailed examination of the life and work of Karel Boublík (1869 – 1925), a Lviv architect of Czech origin, who from 1897 to 1914 designed many residential buildings in the city. Boublík also headed the Czech Conversation Club (Česká beseda) in Lviv – the oldest Czech association in the world outside the original Czech lands – where he was also an amateur actor and director. The activities of Karel Boublík assumed an important place in the artistic life of Lviv at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century; consequently, it is important and urgent not only for the study of the architecture of the city to research, preserve and popularize the heritage of this artist. His personality and work have not yet been examined in detail in the intentions of art history and in his homeland, in the Czech Republic, Boublík is still unknown among experts. The purpose of the article is to uncover and define the specifics of Boublík’s architectural legacy. The study is based on a comprehensive approach, using biographical and historical-cultural methods, including artistic analysis. Archival sources and information from the press at the time are an integral part of the study. Boublík’s buildings are an example of the stylistic transition from Historicism in its Neo-Baroque version to Art Nouveau and the second wave of Historicism in 1909 – 1914, with elements of modernized historical styles. His buildings were exceptional in their originality, with a special emphasis on sculptural decoration and metal ornaments. The architect’s tendency to highlight protruding spherical and prismatic forms has been demonstrated, with a sharp vertical accent of roofs, often pyramidal, with complex ends – with multi-level wavy and rounded attics, towers and dormers.

Tito’s Villas in Herceg Novi – Regional Contexts and State Residences

Considering the growth trends of cities within specific regional contexts, the focus of this paper is the contemporary architecture of the bay of Boka Kotorska, a World Heritage region protected by UNESCO. The youngest and largest town is Herceg Novi located at the entrance of the bay. Against the attractive setting of the coastal and inland landscape, its dynamic cultural and historical context directly shapes the formulation of the architectural environment, which cannot be reduced simply to the set of formal relations with the local site. The main research subject of this paper is the architectural discourse from the last decades of the 20th century as well as the perspective of physical architecture, through the research optics of analysis of this specific region. Its focal point consists of two architects which were among the most significant practitioners in this area and involved in the key urban definitions of Herceg Novi in the second half of the 20th century. The review is given with special reference to two state residences, villas built for Josip Broz Tito in Herceg Novi: Villa Galeb and Villa Lovćenka. The nature and architectural scope of these buildings is identified, the concept design methodology is examined, predominantly in decoding the relations with relevant influential factors, not excluding the highly specific socio-political context. The general goal of this paper is to specify the character and the scope of the work and authors who implemented a clear and discernable design approach at the end of the 20th century in Herceg Novi. The state residencies built for Josip Broz Tito in this town have not been the subject of critical research so far. As such, they have provided a worthwhile case study for the identification of design methods in the creation of impressions on the representatives of state power and their role in urban landscape of a coastal town. A secondary goal of this paper is additional accumulation of knowledge on the relevant architectural history of the Adriatic coast, as well as highlighting the significance of an architecture displaying evident regional qualities

The City as a Place Prepared for Neurodiversity

This study aims to analyse and reflect on the relationship between architecture and human neurodiversity. Individuals with different cognitive capabilities perceive and use space and it’s elements differently. Despite the fact that modern medicine has positively contributed toward and shift in social paradigm towards mental health and its impairments, the level of stigmatisation in the society is still relatively high, and very obvious in the European countries. A target group study examines architectural typology of psychiatric institutions of hospitals, sanatoria and social services establishments in Europe, with an emphasis on the historical context. Through the topic of care for people with mental health impairments it demonstrates the dynamic development of the role that architecture plays in relation to social interaction.

Socialist Industrialization as a Factor of Urban Development and a Difficult Legacy in Košice, Slovakia

The postwar decades were significant for urban development in Central and Eastern Europe since many cities grew rapidly and were industrialized. The Slovak city of Košice illustrates how industrial entities’ localization catalyzes urban development. The development in the years after 1945 changed the city character from middle size provincial town into a large industrial city. Later, the post-socialist transformation redirected this trend and left postindustrial areas within the city structure. From a path dependency perspective, the first phases of socialist and post-socialist periods show similar dynamics as a time of significant changes that set the guidelines for city development.

Heritage, Culture and Regeneration of the Former Military Areas in the City of Oradea, Romania

There are places where history is still alive: heritage sites, locations of great cultural, scientific, educational, and social significance. The military presence in the city of Oradea, Romania, generated an impressive cultural-historical heritage, both tangible and intangible, as the consequence of centuries of alternative militarization and demilitarization processes. The aim of the article is to explain that the former military areas are great sustainable historical, cultural, architectural and socio-economic local assets, with a specific function in the urban texture. The research methodology combines a review of the relevant literature, fieldwork, analysis of the evolution and status of the former military areas, and synthesis to help reach our conclusions. The results of the study underline the great significance and role of the former military sites in the urban structure, society and economy, by providing important functions like tourism, education, public administration, military, residential, commerce or industry. The main issue is the transformation of the abandoned military heritage sites into potential elements of sustainable urban development to create a new and vivid part of urban texture. Built heritage of former military areas is found across many countries and this article explain the particular common features, helping sharing experiences, know-how, best practices on the transformation of military sites to public uses in Europe and around the world.

Zdeněk Řihák’s Hotel Buildings and the State Project Institute of Trade Brno

The text briefly describes the operation of one of the state planning establishments for hotel construction in Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 1990, placing the architectural work of SPITB employee Zdeněk Řihák within the global context of that time. The Czechoslovak hotel production and the work of Zdeňek Řihák is analysed on for case studies: Hotel Continental in Brno (1961 – 1964), hotel Panorama in Nové Štrbské Pleso (1967 – 1970), Labská bouda in the Krkonoše mountains (1969 – 1972) and hotel Patria in Štrbské Pleso (1969 – 1973). Zdeněk Řihák and his generation of architects had a great influence upon the development of Czechoslovak architecture. Unfortunately, their works are now disappearing due to a lack of understanding or to free up land for developers. In most cases, however, these are valuable buildings whose rights to existence and heritage conservation have not yet been adequately exercised, so that not even Řihák’s hotels are safe from inappropriate alterations and impending demolition. Fortunately, visitors can nonetheless still admire the best-preserved examples of Hotel Patria at Štrbské Pleso and Hotel Continental in Brno, whereas Labská bouda and the Panorama now appear worse off….