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John East of the 20th Century Society gave a fascinating talk about buildings constructed in the Czech and Slovak lands during the 20th century. The wealth of modern buildings dating from the 1920s and 30s in particular, was a revelation and demonstrated the confidence of the young Czechoslovak state as it developed its new identity. Though this pe...
The City of Brno has received 36 million Czech Crowns/ GBP£1,234,000 from the Norway Funds for the repair of the Arnold Villa. The Secessionist/Art Nouveau villa, standing next to the Tugendhat and Löw-Beer villas, is one of the most endangered Czech monuments. The aim is to use the building and its garden to create a centre for dialogue about the ...
In May 2020 the ILUCIDARE Consortium, the European Commission and Europa Nostra announced the shortlisted projects for the first edition of the ILUCIDARE Special Prizes within the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. These projects are "outstanding examples of heritage-led innovation and international relations around Europe". The Frien...
The centenary of the foundation of the Bauhaus in Germany and its influence on design are reminders of the honesty of hand craft and the influence of mass production. Peter Jamieson, an architect and our Chairman, has been a member and an active supporter of SPAB (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) for many years. His article 'Craft, accuracy and production' appears on the SPAB website, click here.
Image of the Bauhaus building in Dessau, copyright Stefan Oemisch
FROM THE VILLAGE TO THE CITY : URBANISATION IN SLOVAKIA On 4th February 2020 Dr. Thomas Lorman of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies gave a very interesting talk to The Friends on the historical process of urbanisation in Slovakia. Photograph from left to right: Peter Jamieson, Chairman FOCH; Dr. Thomas Lorman, Central Euro...
In 2011 The Friends of Czech Heritage secured funding to stop the collapse of the ceiling in this spectacular hall, among other projects that we have carried out there since 2008. The complex is a Renaissance château with Baroque and Neo-Classical modifications, comprising five courtyards including ceremonial, residential and agricultural areas, wa...
The Friends held two very productive working parties at Červený Dvůr in South Bohemia at the end of May and beginning of June. The numbers were small but sometimes this can be an advantage, especially when doing semi-skilled tasks, as we were. The project was centred around the reconstruction of the two gatehouses, which formerly guarded the main c...
The first stop was the Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty, where we first viewed the Chapel with its remarkably intact Norman architecture. After coffee sitting outside the Hundred Men’s Hall the group enjoyed a tour of the Great Hall of the Hospital led by Barbara Peacock, one of the founders of The Friends. Lunch was at The Bell ...
In his talk, Dr Lorman explored how Slovak culture was initially characterised by its rural quality and alienation from the beginnings of mass industrialisation and urbanisation in Hungary (exemplified by the 1896 millennial celebrations in Budapest). He examined how Slovak national identity was then substantially (but not entirely) transformed by ...
Under Rudolf II Prague again became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Following the example of his Habsburg ancestors, he assembled an exceptional collection of works of art for which the imperial palace on the Hradčany was adapted. He patronised painters, sculptors, goldsmiths who flocked to Prague, and also men of learning including Tycho Bra...
