Fragnerova gallery presents contemporary wine architecture

Prague - The most significant Central European architectural achievements related to viticulture are presented in an exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague. It also includes an international symposium on the theme of wine and architecture, featuring architects and winemakers from countries with a rich winemaking history: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy.
    The organizers want to present the architecture of winemaking as a cultural and social phenomenon, as a connection between traditional craft and contemporary technologies as well as progressive design. The greatest boom in the construction of new wineries in the region is particularly noted in Austria, but this trend is also beginning to appear in the Czech Republic and other winemaking locations in Central Europe.
    "This is related to the general revival of winemaking, but also to the societal appreciation of architecture as a cultural phenomenon. Czech and Moravian winemakers are reaching out to leading architects and engaging in dialogue during the design of new winemaking establishments, which are becoming new visual icons of winemaking regions," said the exhibition curator Dan Merta before the opening of the exhibition.
    Jakub Fišer from the organizing gallery mentioned that the exhibition could be beneficial for professionals as they will see all the constructions together and can compare them. "For the general public, we wanted to primarily create an experience through which they can perceive both phenomena," he said.
    Individual wineries are showcased through photographs on tablets placed on wine barrels; above them, there are bottles from the respective winery, allowing people to recognize their labels. On the walls, there are plans of the buildings complemented by a piece of land and stones in a small bag. Throughout the exhibition hall, there is straw on the floor. Visitors will receive a glass of wine from one of the presented wineries with their purchased ticket.
    The exhibition in Prague will last until January 26, after which it will be presented in Wroclaw, Bratislava, and Budapest, and later in other countries whose wineries are showcased in the exhibition. From locations within the Czech Republic, the exhibition features the Moravian winery Sonberk from Popice, known for its new building designed by architect Josef Pleskot. The Gotberg winery is also located in Popice, with its building having been developed according to a project by the Bukolsky architects studio.
    The Krásná hora winery in Starý Poddvorov has a new building designed by the Flying Engineers studio, which adhered to the traditional form of local architecture, while the reconstruction of the wine cellar U Modráka in Vrbovec, by Jan Hora and Barbora Zmeková, gained sufficient fame through an honorable mention in this year's Grand Prix Architects competition.