Ferdinand Čapka
*15. 8. 1905 – Wien, Austria
†3. 9. 1987 – Žilina, Slovakia
Biography
Ferdinand Čapka was a representative of Slovak functionalism and significantly shaped the appearance of mountain constructions in central Slovakia. He came from a family of a master carpenter guild in Vienna. After studying at the School of Arts and Crafts, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Peter Behrens from 1930. He completed his studies in 1935 with Josef Gočár at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. His first project, a cinema building in Nový Jičín, was realized as early as 1933 together with Leo Kammel (influenced by the work of Erich Mendelsohn). In the mid-1930s, architect Michal Maximilián Scheer invited Čapka to Žilina, who, like Peter Behrens at the time, participated in the design competition for the Žilina synagogue. Student Ferdinand Čapka also significantly contributed to Behrens’ winning design.
At the beginning of the 1930s, he became involved in the stream of functionalist architecture. In collaboration with F. Bednárik from 1933 to 1938, works were created, most of which were winning designs from architectural competitions. Among these were the school in Banská Štiavnica (1934), the notary internat and residential buildings in Banská Bystrica (1935), and the railway station in Žilina (1937). Notable is the administrative building of the power plants in Žilina (1940), which resembles the best works of the German expressionist Erich Mendelsohn. From the collaboration with Bednárik also comes the hotel in Donovaly (1936) and the postal savings bank headquarters building in Bratislava (1938). In the following period, he collaborated with M. Scheer. Among the most significant buildings from this time are the market hall in Žilina from 1941 (in cooperation with M. Šesták) and the business school and high school in Prešov from 1941-42. Čapka worked independently until 1948. In the 1940s, he focused on mountain-type buildings, predominantly using local materials such as wood and stone. It is also characteristic of him to sensitively integrate buildings into the natural environment. From 1948, he was employed at the Žilina Stavoprojekt, where he creatively worked until retirement in 1980. At Stavoprojekt, together with Ladislav Bauer, he was involved in the design of the residential complex Hliny I – IV in Žilina (1957), which can rightly be considered the most successful urban planning endeavor of the 1950s. In the 1960s, more valuable works were created, such as the Boboty hotel in the Vrátna Valley, the chalet at Popradské pleso (with Bauer), the Trade Union House in Žilina (with Řepa), and the hotel in Komárno. From Čapka’s last concepts, the VÚB banks in Žilina (1979) and VÚB in Čadca (1984) were realized. In 1975, architect Čapka was awarded the Dušan Jurkovič Prize for his collected works.
Ferdinand Čapka was a representative of Slovak functionalism and significantly shaped the appearance of mountain constructions in central Slovakia. He came from a family of a master carpenter guild in Vienna. After studying at the School of Arts and Crafts, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Peter Behrens from 1930. He completed his studies in 1935 with Josef Gočár at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. His first project, a cinema building in Nový Jičín, was realized as early as 1933 together with Leo Kammel (influenced by the work of Erich Mendelsohn). In the mid-1930s, architect Michal Maximilián Scheer invited Čapka to Žilina, who, like Peter Behrens at the time, participated in the design competition for the Žilina synagogue. Student Ferdinand Čapka also significantly contributed to Behrens’ winning design.
At the beginning of the 1930s, he became involved in the stream of functionalist architecture. In collaboration with F. Bednárik from 1933 to 1938, works were created, most of which were winning designs from architectural competitions. Among these were the school in Banská Štiavnica (1934), the notary internat and residential buildings in Banská Bystrica (1935), and the railway station in Žilina (1937). Notable is the administrative building of the power plants in Žilina (1940), which resembles the best works of the German expressionist Erich Mendelsohn. From the collaboration with Bednárik also comes the hotel in Donovaly (1936) and the postal savings bank headquarters building in Bratislava (1938). In the following period, he collaborated with M. Scheer. Among the most significant buildings from this time are the market hall in Žilina from 1941 (in cooperation with M. Šesták) and the business school and high school in Prešov from 1941-42. Čapka worked independently until 1948. In the 1940s, he focused on mountain-type buildings, predominantly using local materials such as wood and stone. It is also characteristic of him to sensitively integrate buildings into the natural environment. From 1948, he was employed at the Žilina Stavoprojekt, where he creatively worked until retirement in 1980. At Stavoprojekt, together with Ladislav Bauer, he was involved in the design of the residential complex Hliny I – IV in Žilina (1957), which can rightly be considered the most successful urban planning endeavor of the 1950s. In the 1960s, more valuable works were created, such as the Boboty hotel in the Vrátna Valley, the chalet at Popradské pleso (with Bauer), the Trade Union House in Žilina (with Řepa), and the hotel in Komárno. From Čapka’s last concepts, the VÚB banks in Žilina (1979) and VÚB in Čadca (1984) were realized. In 1975, architect Čapka was awarded the Dušan Jurkovič Prize for his collected works.
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