The exhibition at the Fragner Gallery will showcase the work of Stavoprojekt from 1948 to 1953

Prague - A new exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague presents, from the perspective of architectural historians, the activities of the state design organization Stavoprojekt, which significantly influenced the shape of Czech towns and landscapes in the post-war period and affected the work of several generations of architects. The exhibition Stavoprojekt 1948-1953 was prepared by the Institute of Theory and History of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture of CTU in Prague in collaboration with the National Archive. It will open to visitors on Thursday and will last until March 1 next year.

Stavoprojekt was established after February 1948 as an organization uniting architects, engineers, and related professions. It was meant to fulfill avant-garde visions, served for the extensive reconstruction of the republic after World War II, and played a crucial role in integrating architecture into the planned economy and construction processes in the spirit of the emerging socialist regime.

Architectural historians led by Petr Vorlík and Klára Brůhová, with the help of unprocessed materials from the National Archive, mapped various aspects of the centralization of design. The exhibition will show how the state institution functioned, using the example of housing estates to illustrate the social priorities and methods of the time, and will also outline the broad scope of Stavoprojekt's activities.

Unpresented archival materials will depict the lives of architects and engineers in the early post-war years. Exceptional collection items from the Municipal Museum in Železný Brod in the Jablonec region will be complemented by photographs from the collections of the National Film Archive.

According to research team member Veronika Vicherková, the goal of the exhibition and the entire research project is neither adoration nor simple rejection, but primarily insight and understanding. "In January and February, we are preparing a supporting program in the form of round table discussions to reflect and compare historical processes and structures with the current state of the field and society,” Vicherková told ČTK.

A comprehensive catalog related to the exhibition is set to be published later this year. In addition to the architects of Stavoprojekt, the catalog will recall their exceptional realizations, including, for example, the transformation of Kladno through the construction of six high-rise buildings in its Rozdělov part according to the design of functionalist architect Josef Havlíček.