Soudobé dějiny

Two three-year periods of architecture

In their publication titled Architektura v přerodu: 1945-1948, 1989-1992 [Architecture in transformation periods: 1945-1948, 1989-1992] (Prague: České vysoké učení technické, Fakulta architektury, 2019), the trio of authors consisting of Dita Dvořáková, Hubert Guzik and Jan Zikmund compares two short transition periods in Czechoslovakia's history, namely the period of the so-called Third Republic since the end of the war till the onset of the state socialism regime (May 1945 to February 1948) and the period since the fall of the regime till the division of Czechoslovakia (November 1989 to December 1992), from an architectural viewpoint. They do not attempt to provide an overall picture, but instead use nine studies on selected topics to capture their specific features differentiating them from periods preceding and following them. In the reviewer's opinion, the objective could not be successfully accomplished, as the studies themselves prove that continuity elements prevailed over those of discontinuity. Still, the project merits recognition, as it courageously tests limits of potential approaches and current knowledge. The approach selected by the authors is also specific in that it perceives developments in architecture through the prism of a general historical context, and its individual studies are excellent.

Keywords: Czechoslovakia; architecture; transition periods; Post-War; Post-Communism; State Socialism