Cultural Houses in Czechoslovakia - Presentation of the Publication
Galerie VI PER, in collaboration with the AAAD (Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague), is publishing the book Enlightenment, Culture, Entertainment: Cultural Houses in Czechoslovakia.
The publication Enlightenment, Culture, Entertainment: Cultural Houses in Czechoslovakia is the first book that comprehensively presents the establishment of a nationwide network of cultural houses, which were systematically established during the socialist period in the territory of former Czechoslovakia. These buildings enjoyed generous state support as places of public life in post-war society, not only financially but also politically and legislatively. Our interest does not focus solely on their specific typology; we also examine their educational and emancipatory potential, as well as their role as a political tool for the organization and control of free time. The publication also seeks to find the roots and programmatic predecessors of cultural facilities that emerged from the 19th century and during the interwar period (associative and national houses or houses of workers), extending into the period after 1989, when buildings and their operators had to, and sometimes still must, cope with contemporary demands. The book covers both the Czech and Slovak contexts of the construction of cultural houses, thereby managing to cover the entire territory of former Czechoslovakia while also capturing different historical experiences.
The book is a combination of a scholarly book and an illustrated publication featuring photographs by Oskar Helcel and Martin Netočný. A series of photographs divides the texts into four parts, with the first focusing on historical precedents of cultural houses in the Czech lands and Slovakia from the 19th century, the second on the practical aspects of their construction during state socialism. The third traces the history and transformations of cultural houses in the Czech lands from the Second World War to the 1990s. The fourth section concentrates on the same in Slovak territory and also includes two case studies, one from Slovakia and the other from the Czech Republic. The individual texts are accompanied by a number of period reproductions, a large part of which is published for the first time.
Pre-order now through the platform Donio
The book launch will take place on March 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM at Karlín Barracks
Editors: Michaela Janečková, Irena Lehkoživová
Concept: Oskar Helcel, Michaela Janečková, Irena Lehkoživová, Martin Netočný
Texts: Jiří Andrs, Jan Galeta, Hubert Guzik, Katarína Haberlandová, Michaela Janečková, Laura Krišteková, Josef Ledvina, Irena Lehkoživová, Henrieta Moravčíková, Peter Szalay, Karel Šima, Jitka Šosová, Lukáš Veverka, Jan Zikmund
Foreword: David Crowley
Photographs: Oskar Helcel, Martin Netočný
Graphic Design: Tereza Hejmová, Adéla Svobodová
The book is published in Czech and English
The publication of the book was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the State Fund of Culture.
The publication Enlightenment, Culture, Entertainment: Cultural Houses in Czechoslovakia is the first book that comprehensively presents the establishment of a nationwide network of cultural houses, which were systematically established during the socialist period in the territory of former Czechoslovakia. These buildings enjoyed generous state support as places of public life in post-war society, not only financially but also politically and legislatively. Our interest does not focus solely on their specific typology; we also examine their educational and emancipatory potential, as well as their role as a political tool for the organization and control of free time. The publication also seeks to find the roots and programmatic predecessors of cultural facilities that emerged from the 19th century and during the interwar period (associative and national houses or houses of workers), extending into the period after 1989, when buildings and their operators had to, and sometimes still must, cope with contemporary demands. The book covers both the Czech and Slovak contexts of the construction of cultural houses, thereby managing to cover the entire territory of former Czechoslovakia while also capturing different historical experiences.
The book is a combination of a scholarly book and an illustrated publication featuring photographs by Oskar Helcel and Martin Netočný. A series of photographs divides the texts into four parts, with the first focusing on historical precedents of cultural houses in the Czech lands and Slovakia from the 19th century, the second on the practical aspects of their construction during state socialism. The third traces the history and transformations of cultural houses in the Czech lands from the Second World War to the 1990s. The fourth section concentrates on the same in Slovak territory and also includes two case studies, one from Slovakia and the other from the Czech Republic. The individual texts are accompanied by a number of period reproductions, a large part of which is published for the first time.
Pre-order now through the platform Donio
The book launch will take place on March 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM at Karlín Barracks
Editors: Michaela Janečková, Irena Lehkoživová
Concept: Oskar Helcel, Michaela Janečková, Irena Lehkoživová, Martin Netočný
Texts: Jiří Andrs, Jan Galeta, Hubert Guzik, Katarína Haberlandová, Michaela Janečková, Laura Krišteková, Josef Ledvina, Irena Lehkoživová, Henrieta Moravčíková, Peter Szalay, Karel Šima, Jitka Šosová, Lukáš Veverka, Jan Zikmund
Foreword: David Crowley
Photographs: Oskar Helcel, Martin Netočný
Graphic Design: Tereza Hejmová, Adéla Svobodová
The book is published in Czech and English
The publication of the book was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the State Fund of Culture.
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
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