ArchiMyšl 2017 - World Architecture Day in Litomyšl

The modern historic town of Litomyšl invites you for the sixth time to the extraordinary celebration of World Architecture Day. The marathon of events begins on Friday, September 29, and ends on Monday, October 2. We believe that this time, you will also find something interesting from the rich offer and join the celebration of the holiday of architecture and design. The main theme of this year's edition will be "the importance of the city architect." This theme was not chosen by chance. We would like to not only thank Zdeňka Vydrová for a quarter of a century of work for Litomyšl, but also to discuss with representatives of other cities about the significance of this position. Architect Vydrová, along with the town of Litomyšl, received an award last year in a new competition called Architect for the Community. At the same time, she received the Minister of Culture's Award for contributions to the field of architecture. The reason for awarding this prize was her significant impact on the quality of the environment in Litomyšl, where she has long served as the city architect. Additionally, the Pakosta Gallery in Litomyšl, which was designed by Zdeňka Vydrová, was awarded the Prize of the Club For Old Prague as one of the three best buildings of last year in a historical environment.

Friday's Architectural Kickoff
The Friday's architectural kickoff will be taken care of by city architect Zdeňka Vydrová on September 29 at 5 PM, who will definitely be present at the vernissage of the exhibition with the simple title "Zdeňka Vydrová, Architect" at the Regional Museum in Litomyšl. The exhibition will showcase two facets of the architect's work – an urbanistic approach and her contributions in the role of city architect, as well as not neglecting to present new buildings and significant reconstructions.
After the vernissage, you can head to the Sokol cinema. This year we await a screening of the award-winning film Waste Architect. It is a portrait of the American architect Michael Reynolds, who became famous for buildings made from waste.

Saturday Full of Walks, Rides, and Discussions
You can dedicate Saturday morning to a guided walk, during which the mayor of the town, Radomil Kašpar, will present specific interventions in the city that significantly contributed to the good solution of some areas within the historical core. This year's popular guided ride around the buildings of modern architecture in Litomyšl will not be missing either. Our guide will once again be city architect Zdeňka Vydrová, and you won't miss out on a small snack included in the ticket price (80 CZK). Due to capacity reasons, we recommend registering in advance at the Information Center.
At 2 PM, we are preparing a presentation of the Brno Architectural Manual at the Kočárovna Coworking space, which is an inspiration for the newly created Litomyšl Architectural Manual. And from 4 PM, you can also come to Kočárovna for Wine with Martin Kupka on the topic “EL also as Líbeznice.” The town located north of Prague has seen several years of construction of buildings that attract experts from abroad.

For Beer Not Just with Architects on the Importance of the City Architect
On Saturday at 6 PM, we invite you once again for beer with architects. The main topic of the discussion, moderated again by Pavlína Kvapilová, will be the importance of the city architect. In addition to architects, mayors of the towns and “their” architects have also been invited to the “stage.” The position of the city architect is, in fact, a means of maintaining a long-term quality and functional appearance of the city. The Czech Chamber of Architects recently issued a sort of manual regarding this position, recognizing the city architect as a guarantor of the quality appearance of our towns and villages. And how do the city architects perceive their position themselves? Does the political leadership of individual towns listen to them? Or do pre-election and populist promises have the final say? Come and ask – entry is free and the first keg of beer is also free.

First City Swing Ball in Sneakers
The town of Litomyšl was declared the first Czech spa of the spirit six years ago. At the same time, unlike other towns in the republic, there has not yet been any city ball. As part of the launch of the 6th Litomyšl Spa Season, we were asked at the Spa Dance Hall in the riding school whether it would be possible to learn swing throughout the year. From this question was just a small step to the project of the City Swing Ball – where else but in the castle riding school and how else but in sneakers. So everything is somewhat in the spirit of Váchal's exaggeration and different from elsewhere. A young swing band from Prague, The Mole's Wing Orchestra, will play, and the dance group Swing Busters will teach swing. Period clothing is welcome but not a requirement. The important thing is for everyone to feel comfortable. You can also look forward to a ball surprise.

Sunday and Monday Featuring Guided Tours
On Sunday and Monday, we will primarily enjoy guided tours. An extraordinary experience awaits you during Sunday tours of the rafters (on all fours) and the hanging of bells in the Piarist Church (at 10, 2, and 3 PM). The architectural tour of the castle hill will take place at 4 PM. Monday will be dedicated to guided tours for schools. Reservations for the rafter tours and the Monday program are required at helena.hendrych@zamecke-navrsi.cz.

A number of organizations contributed to the preparation of the program for the 6th edition of ArchiMyšl. Thanks are due to the contributory organizations Castle Hill, Smetana House, and the Regional Museum in Litomyšl. This event also showcases that interesting projects can arise from the collaboration of Litomyšl entities, which have the potential to attract new visitors to our town.
You can also follow updates on the preparations for the celebration of World Architecture Day on Facebook.