JKF 2010 - second place in the urbanism category

Crucial was deciphering the existing, yet indistinct relationships in the area.

We find ourselves in a borderland. In a place where the overgrown landscape of the last hills of the Carpathian arc transforms into a completely different – absolute plain, stretching all the way to Vienna. Once there was the shore of the sea here, where another life began to develop. A good strategic position for establishing dwellings and settlements emerged on the hill above the river. Nations began to differentiate themselves from one another, and thus people adopted the natural boundary to create a social boundary. This role was, of course, taken over by the river. The social boundary reached its absolute meaning in the form of the Iron Curtain, which, together with the river, formed a barrier between East and West.
The extraction of resources also significantly manifested itself in the area. People began removing layers of limestone from the hillside until they encountered extensive remnants of life, including those washed ashore by the sea. The mining ended, but it left distinct traces in the area – quarries. However, these give it a specific character. It also left industrial traces in the form of pylons from the former cable car that served to transport limestone from the upper part of the mining areas down to the river, where the material was loaded and transported further.
All these influences are concentrated here – it is an area with a concentrated amount of fundamental interactions between humans and nature. This fact is most evident in the transformation of the natural boundary into a social one and in the strong trace of mining.
In the upper, very frequented part of the area, I perceive the natural boundary, I have a view of the landscape, so I understand the context of the entire area.
The lower part, which is visited only rarely, contains, on the contrary, the social meaning of the boundary. I have no view from it, so I am torn from the context of the entire area.

The area is thus divided into two parts that share the same foundation, but today are unable to communicate with each other in any way. The physical division is formed by a densely overgrown belt with occasional gardens and a busy road.
The area should be possible to experience as a whole. Therefore, I create a connection between the upper and lower parts. I clarify the relationships in the area and put them into context. This ensures the flow of people throughout the entire area – the meeting point becomes the entire area. I create a physical connection through a path in the forest that utilizes the natural seam in the slope. A visual connection is created using the line of mining - a direct line of pylons from the former cable car, which are thus displayed as torsos and left to themselves. At the top, the line is terminated by a tower that directs people's gazes through a gap to the direct line of pylons leading down to the river.
The social meaning of the boundary in the lower part is now indistinct. Therefore, I recall the boundary in an absolute and absurd sense – the Iron Curtain. It is a monument of human boundaries – a wall. It evokes an image, a memory. It reconstructs the path and feelings of refugees to the West. The initial feelings of complete isolation from the world. A view through a gap at the "other side" evokes a sense of "the world beyond the wall." Overcoming fear and the decision to move further. A long and chaotic journey full of expectation. The expansion of the horizon to the "other side" through a horizontal gap. This is intersected in the middle by a vertical gap, which turns the attention back up to the tower and the entire upper part of the area.

The experience of the boundary is thus complete.