Jan Galeta
Lessons Learned from Folk Construction on the Pages of Architectural Magazines in the 19th and the Beginning of the 20th Century
Based on research of architectural magazines from Vienna and Prague, this essay examines how folk construction searched for a path to the world of architecture, how architects presented their surveys and mainly, how interest in folk construction influenced current projects. Carla Etzel’s contribution from 1842 is a good example. He defended the use of local traditions and materials in spite of not being heard. Instead, a wave of Alpine style, which was so successful in the Czech lands, swept through the entire region of Central Europe and across the pages of Viennese thematic periodicals. Some Czech architects attempted to find inspiration in domestic folk patterns in response. Their projects also appear on the pages of these magazines, including works of Antonín Wiehel, Jan Koula and Dušan Jurkovič. Thanks to the magazine publications, their works found an audience in peripheral regions and were able to inspire local builders.
design by Bedřich Vémola
