DOI article:
Bořutová, Dana: K otázke národného štýlu v slovenskej architektúre
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51728#0171
On the National Style in Slovák Architecture
(Summary)
The question of the National Style, topical in the
architecture of the 19th Century, found its resonance also
in the Slovák milieu. Conscious attempts at creating the
„Slovák Style“ in architecture appeared in the course of
the 1880s, and, similarly to other European countries, the
sources of its inspiration had been searched for in the
vernacular tradition. This, however, happened under
spécifie socio-historical circumstances: On that time,
Slovakia performed a part of the Hungarian state (called
the Upper Hungary), the Slovaks being exposed to the
massive ethnie oppression and magyarization that grew
in its intensity after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise
and culminated in the years around 1900.
Under these conditions, the Slovák intelligentsia found
herseif in rather defensive position: the attention was
focused on the most explicit „national“ phenomena
(language, literatuře, verbal traditions, folklore) while
peasants being considered to represent the „healthy roots“
of the nation and the peasants’ art the „broadest fundament
of the national culture“ (Ján Kollár). Thus, also the interest
in folk architecture had been, in the Slovák context,
characterized through three aspects:
1 st — archaic: similarly to other countries, in Slovakia,
too, the peasanťs house represented an archétype,
2nd — authentic: the patterns (éléments) were found in
the most distant, mountaineous régions of the northern
Slovakia, so as to gain the „clean“ authentic forms',
3rd - autochtonie: attempts at pointing out the
(continuons) existence of the identical folk, the identical
peasants’ culture before the Magyar conquest ofthe region.
Leaving aside the historie architectural styles (e.g. the
spécifie Renaissance Style of east-Slovakian region Spiš),
the concept of the national héritage had been
comprehended in a narrowed, strietly ethnical sense (as
the héritage of the Slovák ethnie, not of the region - the
country of Slovakia being inhabited also by other ethnies).
The first attempts at formulating the „Slovák style“
were connected with the architect Blažej Bulla, who, in
1887, designed plans for the so-called National House in
Martin. The plans entitled „Public community house with
theatre in the Slovák style “ show a combination of Neo-
Renaissance with elements taken over from wooden folk
architecture ofthe Orava region. They, however, remained
unfulfilled - the building seif had been erected in 1888 in
the common Neo-Renaissance style.
Yet, another structure conceived by Bulla in the „Slovák
style“ happened to be executed on that time: the entrance
towergate to the exhibition of the folk embroidery,
constructed by Oravan carpenters in 1887, became the first
and for a long time the only fulfillment of the ambitions
aiming at creating the „Slovák Style“ in architecture.
Although a kind of temporary architecture, it awoke much
attention and excercised a significant influence.
This also was the case of Dušan Jurkovič (1868) who
had been trained at the Staatsgewerbeschule in Vienna,
1884-88. In the summer 1887, he came to know Bulla’s
wooden structure in Martin and the experience ought to
become „the definite life orientation“ for him.
After completing his studies (because of unconvenient
conditions at home) Jurkovič settled down in Moravia. In
the 1890s, he preoccupied himself with extensive
ethnographical studies. The results of these found
reflection in his designs for ethnographie exhibitions
(Vsetín 1892, Prague 1895) as well as in numerous
publications (the most important being Práce lidu našeho
- The Works of Our People, Vienna, 1905-13).
As a Creative architect, Jurkovič by far overcame Bulla
- starting with a kind of folkloristic eclecticism,
combining forms taken over from diverse folk buildings
(the ensemble of tourist facilities at Pustevně), in the
following years Jurkovič had transposed folk inspiration
into a more abstract level, seeking in it an analogy of
principle rather than a direct model, and combined the
folk elements with the topical trends as represented by
British architecture and Viennese Wagnerschule. Thus,
around 1900, he created a spécifie style (diverse buildings
in Luhačovice or the chapels at Sv. Hostýn) that was usually
referred to be „national“ - e.g. by F. Žákavec, Jurkovic’s
first monographist (in 1949, Jurkovič even became
awarded with the official title of honour „ the national
artist”).
However, in the period around 1900, quite different to
such Ö. Lechner or K. Kosch in Hungary, or S. Witkiewicz
in Poland, Jurkovič, did not develop any kind of ideology
of the „national style“ (intention of that kind could be
observed only in Skalica Club House, 1904, commissioned
165
(Summary)
The question of the National Style, topical in the
architecture of the 19th Century, found its resonance also
in the Slovák milieu. Conscious attempts at creating the
„Slovák Style“ in architecture appeared in the course of
the 1880s, and, similarly to other European countries, the
sources of its inspiration had been searched for in the
vernacular tradition. This, however, happened under
spécifie socio-historical circumstances: On that time,
Slovakia performed a part of the Hungarian state (called
the Upper Hungary), the Slovaks being exposed to the
massive ethnie oppression and magyarization that grew
in its intensity after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise
and culminated in the years around 1900.
Under these conditions, the Slovák intelligentsia found
herseif in rather defensive position: the attention was
focused on the most explicit „national“ phenomena
(language, literatuře, verbal traditions, folklore) while
peasants being considered to represent the „healthy roots“
of the nation and the peasants’ art the „broadest fundament
of the national culture“ (Ján Kollár). Thus, also the interest
in folk architecture had been, in the Slovák context,
characterized through three aspects:
1 st — archaic: similarly to other countries, in Slovakia,
too, the peasanťs house represented an archétype,
2nd — authentic: the patterns (éléments) were found in
the most distant, mountaineous régions of the northern
Slovakia, so as to gain the „clean“ authentic forms',
3rd - autochtonie: attempts at pointing out the
(continuons) existence of the identical folk, the identical
peasants’ culture before the Magyar conquest ofthe region.
Leaving aside the historie architectural styles (e.g. the
spécifie Renaissance Style of east-Slovakian region Spiš),
the concept of the national héritage had been
comprehended in a narrowed, strietly ethnical sense (as
the héritage of the Slovák ethnie, not of the region - the
country of Slovakia being inhabited also by other ethnies).
The first attempts at formulating the „Slovák style“
were connected with the architect Blažej Bulla, who, in
1887, designed plans for the so-called National House in
Martin. The plans entitled „Public community house with
theatre in the Slovák style “ show a combination of Neo-
Renaissance with elements taken over from wooden folk
architecture ofthe Orava region. They, however, remained
unfulfilled - the building seif had been erected in 1888 in
the common Neo-Renaissance style.
Yet, another structure conceived by Bulla in the „Slovák
style“ happened to be executed on that time: the entrance
towergate to the exhibition of the folk embroidery,
constructed by Oravan carpenters in 1887, became the first
and for a long time the only fulfillment of the ambitions
aiming at creating the „Slovák Style“ in architecture.
Although a kind of temporary architecture, it awoke much
attention and excercised a significant influence.
This also was the case of Dušan Jurkovič (1868) who
had been trained at the Staatsgewerbeschule in Vienna,
1884-88. In the summer 1887, he came to know Bulla’s
wooden structure in Martin and the experience ought to
become „the definite life orientation“ for him.
After completing his studies (because of unconvenient
conditions at home) Jurkovič settled down in Moravia. In
the 1890s, he preoccupied himself with extensive
ethnographical studies. The results of these found
reflection in his designs for ethnographie exhibitions
(Vsetín 1892, Prague 1895) as well as in numerous
publications (the most important being Práce lidu našeho
- The Works of Our People, Vienna, 1905-13).
As a Creative architect, Jurkovič by far overcame Bulla
- starting with a kind of folkloristic eclecticism,
combining forms taken over from diverse folk buildings
(the ensemble of tourist facilities at Pustevně), in the
following years Jurkovič had transposed folk inspiration
into a more abstract level, seeking in it an analogy of
principle rather than a direct model, and combined the
folk elements with the topical trends as represented by
British architecture and Viennese Wagnerschule. Thus,
around 1900, he created a spécifie style (diverse buildings
in Luhačovice or the chapels at Sv. Hostýn) that was usually
referred to be „national“ - e.g. by F. Žákavec, Jurkovic’s
first monographist (in 1949, Jurkovič even became
awarded with the official title of honour „ the national
artist”).
However, in the period around 1900, quite different to
such Ö. Lechner or K. Kosch in Hungary, or S. Witkiewicz
in Poland, Jurkovič, did not develop any kind of ideology
of the „national style“ (intention of that kind could be
observed only in Skalica Club House, 1904, commissioned
165