The Autumn Day of Architecture will open to the public buildings that are forgotten, endangered, damned, and admired

Forgotten places, architectural gems from the medieval period through the 19th century, functionalism, brutalism to the present, original reconstructions, unique urban structures, threatened, despised, and admired buildings are inviting you from the organizers of this year's Architecture Day. Traditionally held on the first weekend of October, it attracts visitors with guided tours, cycling trips, workshops, lectures, discussions, happenings, and video projections, which will take place at nearly sixty sites in Czech and Moravian towns and villages. Entrance to more than a hundred events is free and offers an extraordinary opportunity to delve into the secrets of unique buildings or the history of entire places, often inaccessible to the general public.

Architecture Day was created with the aim of opening this field to the lay public in a broader context. The organizers aim to highlight the intertwining of contemporary and historical architecture in an interesting and informative manner while maintaining a high professional standard. As evidenced by the growing interest from the public, this approach has gained wide popularity.

The program of the sixth edition of Architecture Day has several thematic lines. Evidence that contemporary architecture can shape historical cities will be presented by guides in Slavonice and Černošice. In these towns, we find numerous unique connections between the old and the new. The still controversial socialist architecture, which has significantly influenced our living space, hides unexpected gems. One of them is the housing estate in Brno - Lesná, whose Obzor complex will be experienced for the last time in its original form. Another series of walks and discussions will focus on industrial heritage - participants will tour the glassworks in Josefův Důl. In Prague, among numerous events, there will be a walk among the functionalist villas and terraces of Barrandov. Urbanism on a broader scale will be addressed by a walk tracing the development of the town of Mělník or a tasting of architectural goulash from the 20th century at Wagner Square in Beroun.

Architecture Day will be complemented until Wednesday, October 5, by the Film and Architecture showcase. The conclusion of the celebrations for International Architecture Day will be a lecture by renowned architect Liesbeth van der Pol on October 6, who leads the Dok Architecten studio and has served as the Dutch royal architect. Architecture Day is organized by the association Kruh in close collaboration with local experts and initiatives. Detailed information about the program will be available at www.denarchitektury.cz.

For this year's edition, the organizers have chosen the motto "Less is more" – they prioritize quality over quantity in selecting objects, themes, and lecturers. “Quality is better than quantity; sometimes it's better to build less thoughtfully than more. Our selection will also prioritize interesting and quality architecture over quantity,” says the founder of Architecture Day and the chairwoman of the organizing association Kruh, architect Marcela Steinbachová. In addition to members of Kruh, numerous other significant collaborators from centers and regions, including architectural historians and promoters Miroslav Pavel, Lukáš Beran, Adam Gebrian, Richard Biegel, architects Jana Kubánková, Magda Havlová, Martin Řehák, Ondřej Tuček, Václav Hájek, and Vojta Malina, are involved in the preparation of Architecture Day.

The motto of this year's edition, "Less is more," can be related to certain neuralgic points in the field of quality architecture standards in our country, which the program of Architecture Day will highlight: insensitive reconstructions of houses not only in the Czech countryside, preferences for price over quality in architectural competitions organized by cities and municipalities. The organizers of Architecture Day contribute to raising general awareness of the importance of a responsible approach for the public wherever people shape their surroundings, their place for living and working. Over time, the event has co-initiated several architectural competitions and led to the establishment of several local associations and initiatives in regions that take care of the quality of living spaces without any ties to state governance, engaging in discussions and building proceedings, contesting proposals, or collaborating on positive changes or reconstructions of buildings or organizing various cultural events and discussions.

Program topics and selected events for this year's Architecture Day
 
A City for People
The city should be less for developers and more for people. Citizen engagement should raise questions and seek answers regarding the use of public space: What is our city? Will the centers continue to empty or will they experience regeneration? What is public?
In Beroun, at Wagner Square, the architects Ummagumma will spice up the architectural goulash prepared here by the 20th century with their comments. During a walk through gaps and empty green spaces in the center of Kolín, architect Vojta Malina will search for its inner reserves. A walk tracing the urban development of the town of Mělník will take place under the guidance of city architect Martin Řehák. Landscape ecologist Michal Krejčí from the Society for Beautiful Olomouc will lead an excursion along the Bystřice River in Olomouc, introducing participants to a project aimed at making the river more accessible to people.

How does contemporary architecture shape cities and towns?
There are small municipalities and cities where architectural taste is a given, able to sensitively tackle often tricky problems and aesthetically connect history with the needs of contemporary residents during reconstructions. This will be evidenced by a tour of contemporary architecture in Slavonice and a walk tracing the development of the municipality of Černošice from its beginnings to the present, focusing on characteristic villa construction. Historical, newly realized, and unrealized projects that try to blend into interiors and perceive everything from concept to detail will be part of a walk titled Where Will We Be Allowed in Lanškroun.

Architecture of the Socialist Era
The walks will focus mainly on our ambivalent relationship with housing estates, which some label as rabbit warrens while others consider them legitimate living spaces with autonomous character.
With Martin Maleček, there will be a last opportunity to see the Obzor complex in its original form, proposed in 2010 as a cultural monument in the housing estate of Brno – Lesná, where people have lived in greenery for 50 years. The meeting with architect Jana Kubánková will address the existing values and possible future development of the reborn Most. A walk through Jihlava's Housing Estate I, located at the site of the former military training area in the western part of the Špitálské suburb, will be organized by architects from the Jihlava studio UNArchitekti, and a discussion about the past and present of the Vítězný Únor housing estate (now Rozdělov estate) will take place in Kladno with architect Magdalena Havlová and the Kladno association Halda.

Lost Glory of Industry
The emphasis of the organizers in relation to the rich heritage of industrial architecture is evident: the trend should be fewer new buildings and more conversions that give unused spaces new life without losing the characteristic atmosphere and genius loci. The lost production of printed fabrics in the 19th century and selected buildings associated with Czech industrialist Franz von Schmitt will be recalled by conservationist Jaroslav Horáček in Český Dub. A walk through the glassworks in Josefův Důl near Jablonec nad Nisou, an integral part of the historical development of industrial heritage and glassmaking in the Sudetes, will take place under the knowledgeable guidance of co-author of the book Industrial of the Liberec Region Lukáš Beran, owners of the glassworks, and Petra Farářová Veselá. Fans of industrial architecture can look forward to accessing the former mechanical weaving mill from the late 19th century in Lomnice nad Popelkou with a rich accompanying program or exploring Turnov from a different perspective – architect Václav Hájek will lead a visit to the tower, waterworks, and railway depot here.

Historical Jewels
Less is more in the history of architecture as well, as evidenced by the modest functionalism of the first half of the twentieth century. In Brno, this will be confirmed by a guided architectural walk through the streets of Černých Polí with Lucie Valdhansová, which will also include the iconic Tugendhat villa. A similar exploration of functionalism in Prague will be a walk about the fulfilled dream of Václav M. Havel with Stanislava Micková among the villas and terraces of Barrandov. The beauty of Art Nouveau can be discovered at one of the newcomers of the Architecture Day project in Hořice in the Krkonošsko-jesenická region. Kulhánek - Wagner villa will be opened, guided by the son of Josef Wagner younger, the author of a document about the intricate family history of this famous artistic family, along with Fleček's, Hirsch's, and Feuerstein's factory villa. The reconstructed Dance Hall in Račí údolí in the Rychlebské Mountains and the once-popular tourist route to Javorník will be traversed by interested parties with architect Matyáš Švejdík.

Hooray Inside!
This is the part of the project that will open normally inaccessible buildings and spaces. In addition to buildings from the 70s in Prague, the Moravian Gallery in Brno will open normally inaccessible spaces in the Besední House and in the basement of the Governor's Palace. The community association Prostor města in Prachaticích prepared a tour of one of the most significant modernist buildings in South Bohemia, J. N. Krale villa by Viennese architect Fritz Reichl. Architect Jan Horký will guide visitors through the department stores in Přerov without shopping bags.

Walks and Cycling Trips
Interesting and unconventional views on architecture are also promised by the cycling trip in Jablonec nad Nisou with members of the PLAC association through selected examples of facade creativity of insulated buildings, ending with a lecture on successful realizations, Mnichovo Hradiště through the eyes of a pilgrim in public space with Milan Macoun, or a walk through Pardubice with theorists and practitioners from the Offcity association and other invited guests around the city, past sculptures and memorials built in the past as well as places where new monuments are to be created. It will be possible to thoroughly discover even the most respectful places: On an architectural walk through the unique complex of the memorial site and new village of Lidice with curators of the Lidice Memorial, Luba Hédlová. In Klatovy, there will be a walk that will recall the elegance and problems of the first republic era in comparison with contemporary architecture.

Film and Architecture
This year, there will be another edition of the Film and Architecture film festival, running from Saturday, October 1, to Thursday, October 5, at the Světozor cinema in Prague. The dramaturgy is also contributed to by the well-known architecture promoter Adam Gebrian. The showcase will also include a block of films about Mies van der Rohe's buildings and films about women architects. As part of the festival, the winners of the My Street Films competition will be announced.

Overview of venues:
Beroun, Bílovice, Bratislava, Brno, České Budějovice, Český Dub, Černošice, Dačice, Havířov, Hořice in the Krkonošsko region, Hradec Králové, Hranice, Hronov, Mnichovo Hradiště, Jičín, Josefův Důl near Jablonec n/N, Jihlava, Karlovy Vary, Kladno, Klatovy, Kolín, Kyjov, Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem, Lanškroun, Liberec, Lidice, Lomnice nad Popelkou, Louny, Mariánské Lázně, Mělník, Mnichovo Hradiště, Most, Nymburk, Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice, Pelhřimov, Piestany, Písek, Plzeň, Praha, Prachatice, Přerov, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, Slavonice, Strakonice, Šumperk, Javorník in Silesia, Teplice, Trutnov, Třebíč, Turnov, Ústí nad Labem, Vimperk, Volyně, Vrchlabí, Vysoké Mýto, Znojmo, Žďár nad Sázavou