Naslov
Discussing Urban Reconstruction in Early Post-War Croatia: Some Modernist Perspectives on Historic Environments

Autori
Raič Stojanović, Iva

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Doconf 2017: Facing Post-War Urban Heritage in Central and Eastern Europe

Mjesto i datum
Budimpešta, Mađarska, 06.10.2017. - 07.10.2017

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
Croatia, post-Second World War period, urban reconstruction, Modern Movement, Conservation Movement

Sažetak
The Second World War brought extensive damage to urban areas across Croatia. In the immediate post-war period the country underwent a rapid reconstruction process, fuelled by the Yugoslav government’s desire to build a strong socialist society. Architects and planners were presented with both utilitarian and ideological imperatives: to meet the practical needs of housing and industry and, at the same time, create environments which would reflect the new political values. Unencumbered by the direct Soviet influence and Socialist Realism after Tito’s break with Stalin in 1948, the architecture community joined in the international Modern Movement and fully embraced the principles outlined in the 1943 Charter of Athens. This common narrative of post-war reconstruction in Croatia, although not exactly misleading, offers a somewhat simplified picture of contemporary discussions. Early 1950s urban plans for historic towns and cities, such as those for the centres of Zadar and Šibenik, show considerable concern with the particularities of the existing urban environments. Important starting points were the early 20th- century Central-European conservation tradition and the pre-1945 discussion on new architecture in historic Mediterranean settings. The post-war conservation professionals, empowered by the first comprehensive legislative framework, started to exert significant influence on the course of the reconstruction debate. They seized the opportunity to emphasize that built heritage was as important in the construction of the country’s socialist identity as what was being built anew. The intention of the present paper is to expound on the interplay between the Modern and Conservation Movements, their impact on the early post-war urban reconstruction in socialist Croatia, and their subsequent reception. Selected excerpts from the post-war Croatian architectural and planning discourse will illustrate a range of proposed approaches to rebuilding historic cities, which were – to a greater or lesser extent – informed by the efforts of urban conservation. Suggesting a more nuanced understanding of the historical debate, the paper aims to explore ideas that have led to the present-day appreciation of both historic and modernist environments.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Povijest umjetnosti

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