In the Oko cinema, Jan Kaplický was remembered today

Prague - On the 6th anniversary of the sudden death of architect Jan Kaplický, this significant man was remembered today at the Oko cinema in Holešovice. The goal of the gathering, which began at 4:00 PM, was, according to the organizers, not only to commemorate the personality of Jan Kaplický but also to inspire people towards civic engagement and interest in their surroundings.
    The composed evening was divided into three segments. The first part of the evening, titled Architecture Today?, is dedicated to architecture and public space. Artist Federico Díaz and young architects inspired by Kaplický's work appeared. Documentary filmmaker Olga Sommerová spoke on the topic of the tunnel Blanka's exhaust, and the mayor of Prague 7, Jan Čižinský, discussed the Palác Stromovka, a newly emerging administrative building being constructed despite local residents' opposition.
    During the main part titled Jan Kaplický Today?, reminiscences about this architect were shared by, for example, Karel Ksandr, the director of the National Technical Museum, and Aleš Knížek, the director of the Military History Institute. Visitors learned about the activities of the Kaplicky Centre Foundation and viewed sculptural portraits of Jan Kaplický from a competition announced by the Association of Sculptors of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia.
    At 8:00 PM, the documentary Plan was screened, followed by a discussion with its director Benjamin Tuček and Matěj Stropnický, the deputy for urban development and urban planning in Prague.
    The evening was organized by the civic initiative Jan Kaplický Today, which was founded in 2012. Its goal is to inspire people towards independent actions and stimulate interest in social and cultural events in their vicinity.
    Architect Jan Kaplický became better known in his homeland only after winning an international competition for the new building of the National Library, at which point he was nearly 70 years old. Politicians began to speak out against the design of the library, which was to arise according to Kaplický's progressive and very unconventional vision, following the intervention of then-President Václav Klaus, leading to the project's failure. The library then decided to address its long-term spatial issues through the renovation of its current structures.
    Disputes, debates, and numerous attacks against his work and person, as well as ongoing explanations and defenses of Kaplický's project, left him very exhausted. On the day his second wife gave birth to their daughter, January 14, 2009, the architect passed away at the age of 71.