ArchiMyšl 2016 - World Architecture Day in Litomyšl

Since 1996, the first October Monday has been dedicated to World Architecture Day. A few years ago, some cities in the Czech Republic began to commemorate this day, thanks to the civic association Kruh.
The series of events called ArchiMyšl will begin on September 30 in Litomyšl, culminating on October 3.

For lovers of modern architecture and design, another annual marathon of events under the name ArchiMyšl 2016 is prepared. We believe that this year, the city of Litomyšl, in collaboration with many other organizations, has managed to prepare an interesting program for you.

Architecture is an artistic work in itself. However, if we add artworks to public spaces, places with an unrepeatable genius loci can arise. This year, we will focus a bit more on art in public space. Opinions on what is art and what is not vary widely. Therefore, we will discuss not only the sculpture of Olbram Zoubek in the Cloister Gardens, the statues of Bedřich Smetana or Alois Jirásek, and the statue of Arnold Bartůňek in the New Town Hall, but also about castle benches, Rittstein's bus in the Cloister Gardens, and original playground elements on the Water Ramparts.



Big Friday Kick-off


On September 30, the kick-off will be provided by the author of the slogan “Litomyšl – the capital of modern architecture”. Historian and theorist of art and architecture Rostislav Švácha will arrive to open the exhibition in the Pakosta Gallery, where the finalists of the Club for the Old Prague’s Award for 2015 will be presented – including the Pakosta Gallery object by architect Zdena Vydrová. He will also deliver the introductory speech at the exhibition opening in the regional museum. A representative exhibition by David Vávra and Petr Volf titled “Litomyšl: Capital of Contemporary Czech Architecture” will present Litomyšl as one of the key centers of contemporary Czech architecture. “The exhibition is designed to be simple, so it can be quickly relocated to other places,” explains the exhibition architect David Vávra, adding: “After consulting with Petr Volf, we assigned one of three themes to each of the three rooms. We recommend starting with the central room dedicated to Public Space. To the right will be Reconstructions, and to the left New Constructions.” After the openings, you can head to the Sokol cinema. This time we will have a screening of a documentary film titled DK about architect David Kopecký. His wife, the film’s director, Bára Kopecká, who also won the Pavel Koutecký Award, will discuss the builder, who preferred demolishing and throwing ugly paintings and covers from waffles out the windows, thereby "disinfecting the space," after the screening.



Saturday Full of Beauty


You can spend Saturday morning on a guided walk through public art. Many of you may see the Venus in the Line of Love by Arnold Bartůňek for the first time, which adorns the New Town Hall on the castle hill. Ludmila Marešová Kesselgruberová and Anna Šubrtová will inform you about other sculptures in the city, but not just about them. This year, the popular guided tour of modern architecture buildings in Litomyšl will not be missing either. Our guide will be the city architect Zdeňka Vydrová, and you will also get a small snack included in the ticket price (80 CZK). Due to capacity reasons, we recommend registering at the information center in advance.

At 2 PM, there will be a lecture by architectural historian Rostislav Švácha at the castle brewery, and at 4 PM, those interested in City Walks will meet in front of the Sokolovna, focusing this time on the theme of Litomyšl in sports. At 5 PM, there will be a ceremonial opening of coworking in the carriage house on the castle hill. Are you wondering what the word coworking means? In literal translation, it refers to collaboration, meaning sharing a workspace where various professionals independently perform their work. You can already visit the carriage house as part of the Open Door Day from 10 AM.

Beer with Architects on the Topic of Art in Public Space


On Saturday at 6 PM, we invite you for a beer with architects again. The main topic of the discussion, which will start with Rostislav Švácha’s introductory speech, will be art in public space. This topic was not chosen randomly this year. We will remind you of the ongoing transformation of the Water Ramparts, where true works of art are emerging in the children's playground. We will emphasize the importance of the works of Olbram Zoubek, Arnold Bartůňek, and other artists for the public space of Litomyšl. We will certainly touch on the still alive discussion regarding Rittstein’s bus in the Cloister Gardens or the benches in the castle park, but also many other topics.

We Will Light Up Litomyšl Benches


Few small objects have evoked such differing responses in Litomyšl in recent years as the benches in the castle park. When the sun shines, the benches look like real diamonds. In agreement with architect Jan Šépka, we will try to illuminate the benches so that they shine even at night. Keep your fingers crossed for us that the plan succeeds. You can also look forward to a program titled Crystals of Light with a small video mapping on the so-called “Litomyšl bench” by KLUCIvespolek (the authors of the animated clip A Short Film about the Long History of Litomyšl). Don’t miss this unique program in the castle park. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday at 9 PM.



Sunday Mainly Dedicated to Guided Tours


On Sunday, we will primarily have special tours of the Water Ramparts. The transformation of the Loučná River waterfront will be presented by the authors of the design themselves, architects Martin Rusina and Martin Frei. From 3 PM, you can also visit an architectural tour of the castle hill. The main theme will be the relationship between contemporary architecture and historical development on the castle hill. “The tours start at the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross,” invites Petra Jiráňová from the contributing organization Castle Hill and adds: “On Monday, we plan guided tours not only for schools at the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, where until the end of the year, the Madonna from Osík – the oldest preserved polychrome statuette in our territory – is displayed.”
A number of organizations participated in preparing the program for the 5th year of ArchiMyšl. Thanks go to the contributing organizations Castle Hill, Smetana's House, the City Gallery, and the Regional Museum in Litomyšl. This event is also proof that thanks to cooperation among Litomyšl entities, interesting projects can arise that have the potential to attract new visitors to our town.

More information >