‘From Your Room Straight To The Sea’: Jan Kotěra’s Projects for South Slavic Regions

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Ironically, the push for ‘civilizing’ the Adriatic and creating tourist infrastructure was slowed by political events such as the Balkan wars and WWI. These events hindered the colonization of the Balkans by Central Europe and prevented the construction of many monumental buildings. As a result, some areas, like or Ičići, have preserved their picturesque and historical character. Popular tourist destinations on the Croatian Adriatic now face challenges due to the very conveniences provided by hotels from that era (the Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik, for example, is one of six Hilton hotels in Croatia) and other infrastructure. Locals often endure precarious seasonal work in tourism services while finding the cost of living prohibitively high. Maja Vusilović, quoted in the introduction, asks, ‘Who is Croatia really for? Who can enjoy those paradisiacal bays, pristine beaches, and the idyll depicted in the kitschy language of the tourism industry? And who actually has the right to rest?.’30 The architecture of tourism, as created by Kotěra’s generation of architects, belongs to the past. A recent book by the Viennese architectural center Überturismus shows, which highlights Dubrovnik as a prime example of the damaging effects of overtourism,31 shows that the rise of tourism in the twentieth century transformed some destinations beyond recognition. The original focus on agriculture, which preserved their untouched and picturesque rural character, has disappeared, replaced by changes in demographic structure, transportation infrastructure, and urban development. This rapid transformation is unsustainable in the face of the climate crisis. For the era of post-tourism, we need a fundamentally different approach.

Jan Kotěra; modern architecture; modern design; architectural pedagogy; furniture design; architectural history; Wagnerschule

JACKSON, L.

31. 12. 2024

Pravý úhel

Hradec Králové

978-80-907128-6-7

Jan Kotěra: Czech Modern Architecture in Context

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