The Architecture Day Festival, which will take place this year between September 29th and October 5th, will once again invite hundreds of events throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia. For this year’s 13th edition, the organizers chose the motto “Discover the Constructions!” and will focus on exceptional structural solutions not only with regard to the appearance of buildings but also in historical architecture and architecture of the 19th century and its industrial heritage, as well as buildings of the 20th-21st century. The festival regularly commemorates anniversaries of significant personalities in architecture. This year, it will follow in the footsteps of the exceptional representative of Baroque Gothic architecture, Jan Blazej Santini-Aichel, who died 300 years ago this year, as well as the buildings of one of the most significant representatives of post-war architecture in our country – Karel Prager, who was born 100 years ago.
The Architecture Day Festival will be accompanied by the Film and Architecture Festival. Both festivals are organized by the Kruh association, which draws on more than two decades of experience in the field and long-term cooperation with architects, associations, and institutions in all regions. In the 13 years of the festival’s existence, more than 240 cities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have participated. The Architecture Day is traditionally held on the occasion of World Architecture Day, which falls on the first Monday in October.
The program will be published on www.denarchitektury.cz.
Under the festival motto “Discover the Constructions!“, the festival will offer dozens of events presenting interesting structural solutions. The program will include buildings made of various materials, whether they are made of bricks, steel, concrete, or wood and glass. “We will visit historical palaces, sacral buildings, residential buildings, administrative buildings, industrial buildings, towers, churches, lookout towers, bridges, halls, and more. The aim of this year’s edition is to highlight the inseparability of construction from architecture and to emphasize the importance of combining technical solutions with functionality and aesthetics. At the same time, we want to show hidden treasures throughout the country that are exceptional precisely because of their work with constructions,” explains the founder and director of Architecture Day, Marcela Steinbachova. The program will include, for example, tours of the Strahov Stadium, Nusle Bridge, Kotva Department Store, Dolni Vitkovice Area, or Brno Exhibition Center.
The festival will showcase the works of the brilliant architect Jan Blazej Santini-Aichel on a national level. The program will feature his most significant constructions, including the monastery church in Želiv, the renovation of the Sedlec church near Kutná Hora, the Karlova Koruna chateau in Chlumec nad Cidlinou, as well as lesser-known creations such as the Hubenov farm building, which is not accessible to the public, and the Kalec farm building. The program will also follow Santini’s footsteps in Prague, visiting sites such as the Valkoun house, which he owned and renovated, and the Morzin Palace (now the Romanian Embassy). Santini was also the designer of the Kolowrat (Thun) Palace in Lesser Town, the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Kajetan, where his normally inaccessible staircase will be on display. He also created the holy stairs of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Charles the Great in Karlov.
This year, the Day of Architecture also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karel Prager, an author who significantly influenced the face of Prague, as well as other cities. The style of his constructions is associated mainly with the international movement of brutalism. His work will be commemorated throughout the country, with an emphasis on his constructions in Prague. The program will include, for example, the complex of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Troja, the New Stage of the National Theater, or the former headquarters of the Association of Project Ateliers (now the IPR headquarters). The Day of Architecture will also travel to Ostrava, Strakonice, Veselí nad Lužnicí, and Březnice to celebrate Karel Prager’s work.
Parallel to the Day of Architecture, the Film and Architecture festival is also taking place. From September 29th to October 4th, it will visit more than twenty cities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and offer international and domestic films with themes of architecture and urbanism. For more information, visit www.filmarchitektura.cz.
Organized by:
Kruh z.s.
Under the auspices of:
Czech Chamber of Architects
With financial support from: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Prague 7 Municipal District, City of Brno, Czech Architecture Foundation, The project is implemented with the financial support of the City of Prague.
Main Partner:
KOMA
Main Media Partner:
Dolce Vita
Media contact:
Silvie Markova
SMART Communication
M: +420 604 748 699
Photos: Archive of Kruh z.s., Viktor Mácha (MFF UK)
