Čeština
A dedicated publication “Josip Plečnik, central european architect” is being prepared to commemorate the legacy of Jože Plečnik, expanding knowledge of his work and influence in an international context. It will also bring a contemporary reflection on this timeless oeuvre, including recent reconstructions of his buildings, and will serve as a lasting record of one of Central Europe’s most important architects.
More than a century has passed since Jože Plečnik left his post as professor at the School of Applied Arts in Prague, and over a quarter of a century since the magnificent retrospective of his work at Prague Castle. His activity in Prague had a significant impact in Slovakia as well—Plečnik himself collected Slovak folk art and the development of Slovak architecture was shaped by his students, especially Jindřich Merganc. Yet his work has lost none of its relevance and inspiring power.
The publication will provide deeper insight into the different stages of Plečnik’s creative journey, with an emphasis on his relationship to the architectural traditions of Antiquity, the Renaissance and Modernism. It will explore his early period in Vienna (1892–1911), when he rose from a cabinetmaker’s apprentice to a student at the prestigious master school of Professor Otto Wagner at the Academy of Fine Arts. Plečnik became Wagner’s leading collaborator and soon made a name for himself as an independent architect, earning respect for works such as the Zacherl Palace and the Church of the Holy Spirit.
From Vienna, his path led to Prague, where, thanks to the support of his friend Jan Kotěra, he accepted the position of professor at the School of Applied Arts. In 1911 he moved to Prague, where in ten years he trained fifty prominent Czech architects. In 1921 he returned to his native Ljubljana as a professor, while continuing to serve as the Castle Architect at Prague Castle under President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, giving the seat of the presidency its present dignified representative form. At the same time, he began to transform the face of the Slovenian capital, which he enriched with numerous urban ensembles and architectural landmarks.
Forgotten during the era of late Modernism, Plečnik was rediscovered through an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 1986, and later with an extensive presentation at Prague Castle in the summer of 1996. In his work, he uniquely combined the traditions of Antiquity and the Renaissance with a modern understanding of space and innovative technologies. Even today, he remains an inspiration for contemporary Central European architecture, and the sensitive reconstructions of his buildings prove that Plečnik’s work continues to speak to new generations.
The publication is edited by Damjan Prelovšek, one of the leading experts on Plečnik’s architecture. It will be published in both Slovak and English versions.
We would like to thank KKCG Real Estate for their kind support of this publication.
Prague, 9.7.2025