Plecnik Parliament
Encyclopedia
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
. Formally known as the Slovene Acropolis and the Cathedral of Freedom (Slovenska akropola / Katedrala svobode), the two designs were proposed in 1947 by Slovenia
's most eminent architect, Jože Plečnik
, but were rejected in favour of a more conventional design
.
n capital of Ljubljana
, then (as now) occupied by the Ljubljana Castle
. Influenced by the extensive remodeling of Prague Castle
he had carried out during the 1920s, the "Slovene Acropolis" concept called for the demolition of all or most of the medieval structure and its replacement with a monumental
octagonal complex, including a triumphal
access ramp or stairway that would have begun next to the Magistrat
at the foot of Castle Hill.
The authorities were caught off-guard by the radicalism of the plan. Deeming it unimplementable, they instead called for a second round of proposals, this time in the form of an open competition and with a location for the building specified: the Ilirija swimming pool complex in Ljubljana's Tivoli gardens
. While annoyed by the cold shoulder given his idea and not in the habit of entering competitions due to his age and status, Plečnik's initial reluctance eventually subsided. His second design, the "Cathedral of Freedom," is now far better known than the first and the far more common referent of the term "Plečnik Parliament," although the first proposal is technically encompassed by it as well.
d false façade would have surrounded the cylindrical
main building of two stories, surmounted by a tall, spirally tapering conical
cupola
. Supported internally by inclined columns, the cupola would have spanned the parliament chamber. The facade would have measured 50 m in length, the tower rising to 120 m. Several slightly varying designs were produced, some including a second colonnade wrapping the second floor of the main building, different porticoes, or an asymmetrical ground floor.
recovery economy; in practice, numerous other obstacles existed, many of them even less surmountable:
In 1954, work finally began on a permanent legislature building
, to be located on Republic Square in the center of Ljubljana
. Planned by the architect Vinko Glanz, this was a much more conservative and modest design than either of the two Plečnik concepts, being an austere modernist palace with no monumental elements or decorations save a large sculptural group
of bronze figures framing its main portico
. Nevertheless, the building's general plan is thought to contain faint echoes of Plečnik's "Cathedral" design. It was completed in 1959, two years after the architect's death.
Plečnik's second parliament (the Cathedral of Freedom) retains resonance with many Slovenes, who view it as a minor national symbol:
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of the People's Republic of Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
within the second Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. Formally known as the Slovene Acropolis and the Cathedral of Freedom (Slovenska akropola / Katedrala svobode), the two designs were proposed in 1947 by 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...
's most eminent architect, Jože Plečnik
Jože Plecnik
Jože Plečnik , was a Slovene architect who practised in Vienna, Belgrade, Prague and Ljubljana.-Biography:...
, but were rejected in favour of a more conventional design
National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia
The National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia is a modernist palace in Ljubljana housing the legislature of Slovenia.Built between 1954 and 1959 by the Slovene architect Vinko Glanz, the National Assembly Building is located on the Republic Square in the center of Ljubljana.Despite...
.
Slovene Acropolis
In response to a personal government invitation during the late 1940s, Plečnik initially proposed the fairly radical idea of placing the parliament on the hilltop above the SloveniaSlovenia
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...
n capital of 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...
, then (as now) occupied by the Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle is a medieval castle in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is located on the Castle Hill overlooking the old town.- History:According to archeological surveys, the area of the present castle has been settled continuously since 1200 BC, when the first settlements and later fortifications were...
. Influenced by the extensive remodeling of 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...
he had carried out during the 1920s, the "Slovene Acropolis" concept called for the demolition of all or most of the medieval structure and its replacement with a monumental
Monumental
-Music:* Monumental, an album by producer/rapper Pete Rock and rap duoSmif-N-Wessun** "Monumental", title track, and third single off of the album.-Other uses:* Monumental * Monumental Axis, a central avenue in Brasília's city design...
octagonal complex, including a triumphal
Triumphal Entry
A triumphal entry is a ceremonial entry by a person into a city.*The term originates from the Roman triumph, awarded to successful generals in Ancient Rome*Metaphorically, the term is applied to Christ's entry to Jerusalem, commemorated on Palm Sunday...
access ramp or stairway that would have begun next to the Magistrat
Ljubljana town hall
Ljubljana Town Hall is the town hall in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the Town Square in the city centre close to the St. Nicholas Cathedral.The original building was built by the Carniolan architect Peter Bezlaj in 1584...
at the foot of Castle Hill.
The authorities were caught off-guard by the radicalism of the plan. Deeming it unimplementable, they instead called for a second round of proposals, this time in the form of an open competition and with a location for the building specified: the Ilirija swimming pool complex in Ljubljana's Tivoli gardens
Tivoli, Ljubljana
Tivoli Park is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the outskirts of the Center district, stretching to the Šiška district to the north, the Vič district to the south, and the Rožnik district to the west. The park was laid out during the French imperial...
. While annoyed by the cold shoulder given his idea and not in the habit of entering competitions due to his age and status, Plečnik's initial reluctance eventually subsided. His second design, the "Cathedral of Freedom," is now far better known than the first and the far more common referent of the term "Plečnik Parliament," although the first proposal is technically encompassed by it as well.
Cathedral of Freedom
A square, colonnadeColonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
d false façade would have surrounded the cylindrical
Cylinder (geometry)
A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes, the surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given line segment, the axis of the cylinder. The solid enclosed by this surface and by two planes perpendicular to the axis is also called a cylinder...
main building of two stories, surmounted by a tall, spirally tapering conical
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. Supported internally by inclined columns, the cupola would have spanned the parliament chamber. The facade would have measured 50 m in length, the tower rising to 120 m. Several slightly varying designs were produced, some including a second colonnade wrapping the second floor of the main building, different porticoes, or an asymmetrical ground floor.
Fate
Nominally, the principal reason the project remained unrealized was the financial burden it would have imposed on the struggling post-World War IIWorld 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...
recovery economy; in practice, numerous other obstacles existed, many of them even less surmountable:
- The structure was widely perceived as being too grandiose for a legislature of what was at the time a federalFederalismFederalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
constituent of Yugoslavia, and therefore a potentially dangerous focal point for nationalismNationalismNationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. - While Plečnik continued to hold a position of honour as the nation's preeminent architect, his devout CatholicismCatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
was viewed with suspicion by postwar authoritiesJosip Broz TitoMarshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, and his idiosyncratic architectural style had fallen out of fashion with the public. - The first design had been deemed additionally unacceptable for entailing the destruction of a historic landmarkLjubljana CastleLjubljana Castle is a medieval castle in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is located on the Castle Hill overlooking the old town.- History:According to archeological surveys, the area of the present castle has been settled continuously since 1200 BC, when the first settlements and later fortifications were...
.
In 1954, work finally began on a permanent legislature building
National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia
The National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia is a modernist palace in Ljubljana housing the legislature of Slovenia.Built between 1954 and 1959 by the Slovene architect Vinko Glanz, the National Assembly Building is located on the Republic Square in the center of Ljubljana.Despite...
, to be located on Republic Square in the center of 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...
. Planned by the architect Vinko Glanz, this was a much more conservative and modest design than either of the two Plečnik concepts, being an austere modernist palace with no monumental elements or decorations save a large sculptural group
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
of bronze figures framing its main portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
. Nevertheless, the building's general plan is thought to contain faint echoes of Plečnik's "Cathedral" design. It was completed in 1959, two years after the architect's death.
Cultural significance
- Slovenska akropolaSlovenska AkropolaSlovenska akropola is an album by Laibach, released in 1987 by the Ropot label.-Track listing:#"Nova akropola" – 5:24#"Krvava Gruda - Plodna Zemlja" – 4:28#"Vade retro Satanas" – 4:31#"Raus! " – 4:48...
is the title of an 1987 album by Slovenian industrial musicIndustrial musicIndustrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
group LaibachLaibach (band)Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
.
- The first stamp issued by Slovenia on June 26, 1991, one day after its declaration of independenceTen-Day WarThe Ten-Day War or the Slovenian Independence War was a military conflict between the Slovenian Territorial Defence and the Yugoslav People's Army in 1991 following Slovenia's declaration of independence.-Background:...
, depicted the Plečnik Parliament in silver on a blue-green background. Carrying a denomination of 5 units of the then as-yet-unnamed national currencySlovenian tolarThe tolar was the currency of Slovenia from 1991 until the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2007. It was subdivided into 100 stotins...
, it was immediately banned by Yugoslav postal authorities. The stamp had been issued illegally, as Slovenia was not yet a member of the Universal Postal UnionUniversal Postal UnionThe Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
.
- On 7 October 2005, the Plečnik Parliament was unveiled as the design for the national side of SloveneSloveniaSlovenia , 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...
0.10 € Euro coinsSlovenian euro coinsSlovenian euro coins were first issued for circulation on 1 January 2007 and a unique feature is designed for each coin. The design of approximately 230 million Slovenian euro coins was unveiled on 7 October 2005. The designers were Miljenko Licul, Maja Licul and Janez Boljka...
.
- On 24 April 2007, the Slovenian World Congress called for the construction of the Parliament, predicting that its "conical tower would serve as the unifying axis, the omphalosOmphalosAn omphalos is an ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Greek, the word omphalos means "navel" . According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world...
, the axis mundiAxis mundiThe axis mundi , in religion or mythology, is the world center and/or the connection between heaven and Earth. As the celestial pole and geographic pole, it expresses a point of connection between sky and earth where the four compass directions meet...
of world Slovenedom."
- During August 2008, a maquetteMaquetteA maquette is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished architectural work or a sculpture...
of the Parliament was featured at the Project Plečnik exhibition on the architect's life, held at the Council of the European Union buildingJustus Lipsius buildingThe Justus Lipsius building is a building in Brussels that has been the headquarters of the Council of the European Union since 1995. Unlike the European Parliament, visiting is restricted...
in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on the occasion of the Slovene EU Presidency. The exhibition's curator Boris PodreccaBoris PodreccaBoris Podrecca is a Slovene-Italian architect and urban designer living in Vienna, Austria. Podrecca is considered by some critics a pioneer of postmodernism...
described the Parliament as "the most charismatic object" of Plečnik's opus.