The Rudolf Eitelberger Award was won by the Restoration of the Upper Square with the Arion Fountain

Announcement of the Rudolf Eitelberger Prize
for successful implementation in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and heritage preservation in Olomouc and the Olomouc region for the years 1990—2008

The Civic Association For Beautiful Olomouc, in an effort to support, appreciate, and commemorate high-quality achievements in the fields of architecture, urbanism, and heritage preservation in its operating region, announced the first annual Rudolf Eitelberger Prize at the end of 2008, named after the prominent Olomouc native and co-founder of art history and heritage preservation in the Austrian monarchy, Rudolf Eitelberger von Edelberg (1817—1885). The aim of this symbolic award is to draw attention to those interventions in the organism of historic Olomouc that positively contributed to its changing appearance. We are fulfilling one of the goals of the Association, which is the promotion and informing the public about construction changes in Olomouc and the Olomouc region that affect the architectural, heritage, and urban values of the affected locations. The first annual award was conceived retrospectively for the entire post-November period; in subsequent years, evaluations of buildings completed in the respective year are planned. Suggestions from members of the Association and the broader public were evaluated by a seven-member committee composed mainly of historians and critics of architecture and heritage preservation specialists, who nominated twelve buildings for the shortlist.
By secret ballot, the committee selected as the winning realization of the first annual Rudolf Eitelberger Prize

Restoration of the Upper Square in Olomouc with the Arion Fountain,

thus honoring the authors

Petr Hájek, Jaroslav Hlásek, Jan Šépka, Angela Chiantelli, and Ivan Theimer.

photo: Ester Havlová

As early as 1995, the Statutory City of Olomouc initiated, through the city council, a project for the renovation of the central Upper Square, which had remained in its uninviting "post-communist" garb. The winning proposal from the trio of young architects Hájek — Hlásek — Šépka was accepted at that time for its cultivated solution, respecting the historical context of the place. The implementation took place from 1998 to 2001. The need to preserve the authenticity and tradition of the space has been emphasized since 1995 by considerations to complete the mosaic of the baroque ensemble of fountains with the last component— the Arion Fountain, planned as far back as the mid-18th century. In response to the call from the Olomouc city council, the Olomouc native, respected European sculptor Ivan Theimer, created the proposal for the fountain, which was completed and installed in 2002. The entire fountain with the basin was designed with the contribution of Italian architect Angela Chiantelli from Lucca, and components of the sculpture were also cast in Italy.

In retrospect, and especially when compared to the current devastating interventions of the repaving of Pekařská and Deni-sovy streets, the overall restitution of the Upper Square must be regarded as extraordinarily successful and sensitive. The architects respected the character of the given place; their timeless design did not bring a radical transformation of the square's appearance, its material, layout, and urban solution. The preservation of the existing pavement only strengthened the historical naturalness of this part of the city and emphasized its undeniable aesthetic qualities. This is also supported by the well-executed information apparatus, including a model of the historical city core and especially the Arion Fountain, which has created a new and extraordinarily attractive social focal point in the city center with its "social magnetism." In the context of the transformations of Olomouc, as well as other Czech and Moravian cities after 1989, this restoration belongs not only to the most distinctive but undoubtedly also to the highest quality. This is evidenced by several awards that the project has received (an honorary mention at the international Piranesi Prize in 2001 and a prize in the reconstruction category at the nationwide Grand Prix of the Association of Architects in 2002).

Of course, one cannot ignore the voices that repeatedly criticize the "impracticality" of the historical pavement, the choice of street furniture (benches, lighting), or the absence of greenery. The first criticism is entirely unjustified: on the busy sidewalks, the authors used new, sufficiently comfortable, and wide stone slabs, while the rare historical uneven pavement remained in the areas around the sculptural monuments, where slow, recreational movement or standing (tourists, cultural events) is expected. As for the street furniture, which is easily replaceable, its poor craftsmanship cannot be blamed on the project authors. The same goes for the lighting, which has little in common with the original project. Many may have forgotten that the original design for the lighting fixtures was rejected by the heritage preservation department of the city hall, and the current "off-the-shelf" Thorn fixtures were only incorporated into the project ex post. Similarly, the city must also be held accountable for the acquisition of lighting fixtures that are one meter shorter than originally proposed. This further resulted in issues with insufficient lighting in some parts of the square. Initial illumination of certain dominants and façades of the square has also been difficult to execute according to the original design.

Despite the objections, the contribution of the reconstruction of the Upper Square is undeniable. It signified the creation of a new value based on respect for the historical context of the place and is simultaneously an example of an extraordinarily enlightened approach by the investor, the Statutory City of Olomouc, which should remain a model for the future. Recent discussions about the placement of greenery in the square show that some questions remain open, and the alteration of the space in this regard should not be considered definitive. At the same time, it further demonstrates that the Upper Square is still a vibrant heart of the city, benefiting from the interest of nearly every resident who realizes the value of the exceptional historical environment of their home. The Civic Association For Beautiful Olomouc was thus pleased to initiate a public and professional discussion about the future of the Upper Square on the occasion of the handover of the Rudolf Eitelberger Prize and hopes that this effort will not go unheeded.
The date of the official handover of the Rudolf Eitelberger Prize has not yet been set and will be specified after consultation with the awardees.


The design and implementation of the Rudolf Eitelberger Prize were carried out by Jaroslav Koléšek (born 1974), who is among the significant Czech artists of the young generation. As a sculptor, he is versatile, working with stone, concrete, wood, plaster, glass, and plastic materials. He regularly exhibits both at home and abroad (Poland, Germany). He is the author of the memorial to the air battle over Šanov and the holder of the Zlín Václav Chad Award (2003). He works as an assistant professor at the Department of Sculpture at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ostrava.