Jože Plecnik
Encyclopedia
Jože Plečnik , (January 23, 1872 - January 7, 1957) was a Slovene architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 who practised in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...

.

Biography

Plečnik was born in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...

, Carniola
Duchy of Carniola
The Duchy of Carniola was an administrative unit of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy from 1364 to 1918. Its capital was Ljubljana...

, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

 (now the capital of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

). From 1894 to 1897 Plečnik studied with noted Viennese architect and educator Otto Wagner
Otto Wagner
Otto Koloman Wagner was an Austrian architect and urban planner, known for his lasting impact on the appearance of his home town Vienna, to which he contributed many landmarks.-Life:...

 and worked in Wagner's architecture office until 1900. While in Wagner's office Plečnik was affiliated with the Viennese Secession, noted for its rejection of the decorative motifs of historic architecture in favor of a new, organic mode of ornament. From 1900 through 1910 Plečnik practiced architecture in Vienna, completing projects such as the Langer House (1900) and the Zacherlhaus
Zacherlhaus
The Zacherlhaus is a residential and business tower designed by Jože Plečnik and built between 1903 and 1905 in the 1st district of Vienna, the Innere Stadt ....

 (1903-1905). These early projects are characterized by rational organization and planning typical of Wagner's designs for apartments and infrastructure, and richly decorated surfaces featuring organic motifs typical of the Secession. Plečnik's Church of the Holy Spirit (Vienna, 1910-1913) is remarkable for its innovative use of poured-in-place concrete as both structure and exterior surface, and also for its abstracted classical form language. Most radical is the church's crypt, with its slender concrete columns and angular, cubist capitals and bases.
In 1911 Plečnik moved to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

, where he taught at the college of arts and crafts. His teachings emphasized both classical architectural principles and folk-art traditions, and influenced a generation of architects who would help define the avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

 Czech Cubist
Czech Cubism
Czech Cubism was an avant-garde art movement of Czech proponents of Cubism, active mostly in Prague from 1910 to 1914.Members of this movement realised the epochal significance of the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque and attempted to extract its components for their own work in all...

 movement of the 1920s. In 1920 he began work on Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...

, a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 structure that dominates the historic capital. The President at the time, Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak politician, sociologist and philosopher, who as an eager advocate of Czechoslovak independence during World War I became the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, also was...

, sought to renovate the facility and appointed Plečnik chief architect. From 1920 until 1934 Plečnik completed numerous projects at the castle, including renovation of numerous gardens and courtyards, the design and installation of monuments and sculptures, and the design of numerous new interior spaces, including the Plečnik Hall completed in 1930, which features three levels of abstracted Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...

 colonnades.

Much of the work on Prague castle was completed while Plečnik was in his hometown of Ljubljana, where he moved to teach at the fledgling University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...

 in 1921, following the invitation of fellow architect Ivan Vurnik
Ivan Vurnik
Ivan Vurnik, was a Slovene architect. Together with, Ciril Metod Koch and Jože Plečnik, Vurnik is considered one of the initiators of Slovenian modernist architecture.-Early years:...

. Plečnik would remain in Ljubljana until his death, and it is there that his influence as an architect is most noticeable. Working tirelessly throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Plečnik transformed Ljubljana through works such as the Church of St. Francis; civic improvements including new bridges, waterfront, banks, and sluices along the Ljubljanica River
Ljubljanica
The Ljubljanica is a river in the southern part of Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, is situated on the river. The Ljubljanica rises to the south of the town Vrhnika and outflows in the Sava River about downstream from Ljubljana. Its largest affluent is Mali graben....

; new market buildings, kiosks monuments, plazas, and parks; a new cemetery, Žale
Žale
Žale Central cemetery , often abbreviated to Žale, is the largest and the central cemetery in Ljubljana. It is located in the Bežigrad district and operated by the Žale Public Company.- History :...

; and major buildings such as the Vzajemna Insurance Company Offices and the monumental University Library.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Plečnik fell out of favor in the new Communist Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

, where his commitment to classical architecture and his devout Catholicism were viewed with skepticism. His teaching role at the university was gradually reduced and he received fewer commissions, although he did complete some smaller monuments, fountains and church renovations in the 1950s. Plečnik died in 1957 and received an official state funeral in Žale.

Plečnik's work, which was characterized by iconic, classical forms used in surprising, often unconventional ways, was largely forgotten in the 1960s and 1970s. Renewed interest in Plečnik's work developed in the 1980s and 1990s, as postmodernism
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...

 led to a reconsideration of classical forms and motifs in architecture.

Major projects

  • Langer House. Vienna
    Vienna
    Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

    , (1900-1901)
  • Zacherlhaus
    Zacherlhaus
    The Zacherlhaus is a residential and business tower designed by Jože Plečnik and built between 1903 and 1905 in the 1st district of Vienna, the Innere Stadt ....

    , Vienna, (1903-1905)
  • Church of the Holy Spirit, Vienna, (1908-1913) http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/george/plecCHS.html
  • Prague Castle
    Prague Castle
    Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...

     (various projects). Prague
    Prague
    Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

    , (1920-1934)
  • Prague Castle (Garden of Eden and first court), Prague, (1920-1926)
  • Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Prague, (1921-1932)
  • Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana
    Ljubljana
    Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...

    , (1923-1939)
  • Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Šiška, Ljubljana, (1925-1927)
  • Chamber of commerce, work and industry, Ljubljana, (1925-1927)
  • Church of the Archangel Michael on the Marsh (Sveti Mihael na Barju), Črna vas
    Črna vas
    Črna vas is a settlement on the right bank of the river Ljubljanica, to the south of the capital Ljubljana in central Slovenia. It belongs to the Ljubljana Urban Municipality...

     near Ljubljana, (1925-1939)
  • The Bank of Celje
    People's Savings Bank, Celje
    The People's Savings Bank also known as Celje Bank is a bank in the town of Celje in Slovenia. It was founded in 1895 by the Catholic middle class. It has branches in Celje and Ljubljana. Its building was designed by Slovene architect Jože Plečnik and was built between 1928 and 1929....

     building, Celje
    Celje
    Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...

    , (1927-1930)
  • Roman Catholic Church of St. Anthony of Padua (Crkva svetog Antuna/Antona) with a somewhat leaninghttp://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2008&mm=07&dd=17&nav_category=12&nav_id=308946 tower at Red Cross
    Crveni Krst (Belgrade)
    Crveni Krst or colloquially just Krst is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Vračar and Zvezdara.- Location :...

    , Belgrade
    Belgrade
    Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

     (1928-1932)
  • The Vzajemna zavarovalnica insurance company building, Ljubljana, (1928-1939)
  • "Tromostovje
    Tromostovje
    The Triple Bridge is one of the symbols of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.-History:There is mention of a wooden bridge in this location from 1280, and which had to be built anew in 1657 after a fire...

    " or the Triple bridge, Ljubljana, (1929-1932) http://www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/three_bridges.html
  • National and University Library
    National and University Library of Slovenia
    The National and University Library is one of the most important national educational and cultural institutions of Slovenia. It was established in 1774 by a decree released by the Empress Maria Theresa. It is located in the centre of Ljubljana, in a building designed by the architect Jože Plečnik...

    , Ljubljana, (1930-1941)
  • Cobblers' Bridge
    Cobblers' Bridge
    Cobblers' Bridge or Shoemakers' Bridge is a bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.It is one of the oldest bridges crossing the river in Ljubljana, and dates back to at least the 13th century...

     (Čevljarski or, more accurately, Šuštarski most), Ljubljana, (1931-1932)
  • "Peglezen", the "Flatiron" house, [Ljubljana, (1932-1934)
  • Žale
    Žale
    Žale Central cemetery , often abbreviated to Žale, is the largest and the central cemetery in Ljubljana. It is located in the Bežigrad district and operated by the Žale Public Company.- History :...

     Cemetery, Ljubljana, (1937-1940)
  • The Fish Market
    Ljubljana Central Market
    Ljubljana Central Market in the capital of Slovenia was designed by Jože Plečnik in 1939-41. The market building stretches between the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge, following the curve of the Ljubljanica river.-History:...

    , Ljubljana, (1939-1942)
  • The Ursuline
    Ursulines
    The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...

     gymnasium, Ljubljana, (1939-1940)
  • Slovene National Parliament
    Plecnik Parliament
    Plečnik Parliament is the colloquial name of two designs for a building intended to house the legislature of the People's Republic of Slovenia within the second Yugoslavia...

    , (Katedrala svobode) Ljubljana, (1947) (unrealized)
  • Križanke, Ljubljana, (1952-1956)

External links

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