In Brtnice, a guide to Hoffmann's buildings was baptized

Sanatorium Purkersdorf, 1903

Brtnice (Jihlava Region) - Participants at a meeting in Brtnice, Jihlava Region today commemorated the 140th anniversary of the birth of architect and modern design creator Josef Hoffmann. The meeting included planting flowers in a flowerbed by Hoffmann's birthplace and the baptism of a guide to the architect's buildings in Central Europe.
    "The book on Hoffmann's buildings is unique in that it is a practical handbook and a true guide," said Kateřina Tlachová, deputy director of the Moravian Gallery in Brno, to ČTK. The publication contains descriptions of 39 buildings in several Central European countries in Czech, English, and German, expert commentary, period and contemporary photographs, a map, and GPS coordinates.
    "The interested party can set off with a car and navigation on a trip to Hoffmann's buildings. Thanks to its trilingual nature, the book has a broad appeal to a European audience," Tlachová stated. The book also describes newly discovered buildings in Slovakia and Romania that are not yet widely known.
    The planting of the flowerbed aims to restore the original appearance of part of the garden of Hoffmann's house. In addition to buildings, the architect also designed furniture and interior fittings, focusing on gardens that complemented the atmosphere of the buildings. In his birthplace, he designed a garden planted with flowering perennials. "The goal of the experiment is a colorful flowerbed where flowers will bloom from spring to autumn," Tlachová added.
    During today's meeting, a project titled "Architecture and Interior Design in Central Europe at the Beginning of the 20th Century: Josef Hoffmann and Dušan Jurkovič" was ceremonially concluded. Its aim was to process and present the mentioned topic through the examples of two leading architects engaged in interiors. The project of the Moravian Gallery in Brno and the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna received a grant from the European Union's Culture program.
    The Moravian Gallery, together with the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, has been dealing with Hoffmann's legacy for a long time. "We are preparing a large monographic exhibition dedicated to Hoffmann in Brno in 2012. It should also be supported by a European grant," Tlachová added.
    Brtnice native Josef Hoffmann (1870 to 1956) fundamentally influenced the development of architecture and design in the 20th century through his work. He studied architecture at the Vienna Academy under Karl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner. In 1897, he was involved with Gustav Klimt and other artists in founding the Association of Visual Artists of Austria - Secession.
    A pivotal point in Hoffmann's career was the establishment of the Wiener Werkstätte arts and crafts workshops in 1903. The architect touched nearly all areas of the artistic craft: he designed glass, porcelain, metals, jewelry, furniture, and patterned textile collections.

Skywa-Primavesi Villa, Vienna, 1913-15