Professional Conference Prague – Vienna

„NEW IN THE OLD – ARCHITECTURE OF PRAGUE AND VIENNA IN HISTORICAL AND LEGAL CONTEXTS“ – Management of the Historic Urban Landscape

As part of the 2024 Czech-Austrian cultural relations celebrations, the Department of Heritage Preservation of the Prague City Hall and the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, in cooperation with the international architecture and urbanism festival Architecture Week Prague and the International Office of the City of Vienna, organized a professional conference focused on the transformation of the historic urban landscape.

Prague, October 7, 2024 – On Monday, October 7, a professional conference titled “New in the Old – Architecture of Prague and Vienna in Historical and Legal Contexts” took place in the main hall of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The event, focusing on the management of historic urban landscapes and the integration of new functions into old buildings, attracted experts from the fields of architecture, urbanism, and heritage preservation from both the Czech Republic and Austria.

The conference was opened by distinguished guests, including Ing. Tomáš Goláň, Senator and Chair of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic; JUDr. Jan Holásek, LL.M., Senator and Deputy Chair of the same committee; and LAbg. Mag. Ernst Woller, the first Chair of the Vienna State Parliament. Other honorary guests included Arch. Thomas V. Vonier, President Emeritus of the UIA, Mgr. Jiří Vajčner, Ph.D., Director of the Heritage Preservation Department at the Czech Ministry of Culture, and JUDr. Jiří Pospíšil, Deputy Mayor of Prague.

The first lecture block, starting at 10:20, addressed theoretical foundations for connecting new functions with old buildings and the relationship between historical and contemporary architecture. Notable speakers such as doc. Ing. arch. Marek Tichý and Ing. Mag. Rudolf Zunke discussed the development of cities in the context of UNESCO’s world cultural heritage. Ing. arch. Jaromír Hainc from the Prague Institute of Planning and Development presented outputs from the Prague Heritage Reserve zoning study, while DI.in, MSc Irene Lundström focused on current architectural interventions in Vienna. The block concluded with a discussion.

The second block, beginning after lunch, offered practical examples of conversions of historic buildings. Arch. DI Dipl. TP Albert Wimmer presented the Vienna Central Station project and its modernization solutions, while Mag. Arch. MgA. Jakub Klaška introduced the Masaryčka project in Prague. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Manfred Wehdorn examined interdisciplinarity among politics, sustainability, and architecture through the example of MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, and Ing. arch. Jan Schindler presented the conversion of the Zenger transformer station into Kunsthalle Praha.

The final block showcased specific case studies of historic building revitalizations. Ing. Jan Kubíček from SEBRE spoke about the reconstruction of the Špork Palace in Prague, while Dr. Paul Blazek focused on the transformation of the Brotfabrik area in Vienna. Prof. Ing. arch. Michal Šourek presented the revitalization project of the Jinonice Courtyard.

The entire conference provided much inspiration and an exchange of experiences among Czech and Austrian experts who discussed key challenges related to protecting cultural heritage alongside contemporary development of historic cities.

Patronage:
The conference was under the patronage of the Senators – Chair and Deputy Chair of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Ing. Tomáš Goláň and JUDr. Jan Holásek, LL.M., and the Deputy Mayors of the City of Prague, doc. Ing. arch. Petr Hlaváček and JUDr. Jiří Pospíšil.

We thank the conference partners Amadeus Real Estate and Sebre.