The exhibition at the Castle will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of architect Plečnik

Prague - The round anniversary of the birth of Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (1872 to 1957) will be commemorated by an exhibition at Prague Castle starting in April. In the residence of Czech kings and state representatives, Plečnik significantly transformed the interiors of the New Royal Palace as well as the castle courtyards and gardens. The exhibition will take place in the Theresian Wing of the Old Royal Palace and in the outdoor area of the Castle. Jan Pastor, spokesperson for the Administration of Prague Castle, told ČTK.

Plečnik's life and work, not only in the Czech lands but also in Vienna and his native Slovenia, will be introduced before the exhibition by a series of lectures by architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš at the Supreme Burgrave's Office of Prague Castle. These will take place starting from January 27, once a month, with the last lecture on April 21. They will progressively focus on Plečnik’s early works, designs for Prague Castle, the third lecture will present the interiors of President Masaryk’s apartment and the castle in Lány, or the church in Vinohrady. The last one will mention Plečnik’s influence on his students at the Prague School of Applied Arts.

Slovenian architect and urban planner Plečnik studied architecture at the Vienna Academy under the guidance of Otto Wagner. In Austria, he formed a close and lifelong friendship with his Czech classmate Jan Kotěra. At his recommendation, Plečnik became a professor at the School of Applied Arts in Prague, where he worked for ten years. In the early 1920s, he was appointed the architect of Prague Castle and began renovations for the representative residence of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.

The exhibition will largely consist of panels placed in the courtyards and gardens of Prague Castle, always next to specific completed architectural elements. It will also include models and designs of both realized and only planned Plečnik projects. Plečnik’s plans included the alteration of the garden at Na Baště or three of the four castle courtyards, and he also designed Masaryk's viewpoint with a vineyard on the northern edge of Jelení příkop. He also designed the interior of the Column Hall in the northern castle wing and President Masaryk's apartment in the New Royal Palace.

Some spaces that Plečnik modified and which are now used as offices of the Office of the President of the Republic will be represented by photographs. However, the Administration of Prague Castle considers that during the duration of the exhibition, these places could be temporarily accessible. These spaces, as well as the interiors of the Lány Castle, in which Plečnik was also involved, are otherwise only exceptionally accessible during open house days.

Plečnik's work at the Castle gradually came to an end with Masaryk's departure; in the 1930s, he significantly influenced the face of Vinohrady, where the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built between 1928 and 1932 according to his plans. Concurrently, the architect worked in his native Ljubljana, where he also taught. Therefore, the Czech Republic and Slovenia wanted to jointly inscribe Plečnik's work on the UNESCO list. However, Slovenia began to pursue the inscription independently a few years ago, and last year the list was expanded to include his most significant buildings in Ljubljana.