23/08/2018
CULTURAL HERITAGE - PLEČNIK HOUSE
A pearl of Slovenian cultural heritage of 20th century
Plečnik House with a permanent 'Plečnik' exhibition
Permanent exhibition
“A tower, a mule, me and the garden” – that is how Jože Plečnik imagined his life when he didn’t know yet that after Vienna and Prague his native Ljubljana would be his lifetime’s environment for his creative work.
He didn’t have a mule, but the house in Trnovo where he moved into in 1921 soon got a tower – a cylindrical annexe with two round rooms on two storeys. After having bought the neighbouring houses, Plečnik added a garden to his home and later also an original winter garden as devised by the architect who left his mark on Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana in the first half of the twentieth century. Among the more interesting rooms are his studio, with desks bearing numerous instruments, plans and models; the spartan-looking bathroom complete with ingenious wood-heated shower; the small reception room, where he would receive friends and colleagues (note the stove with its built-in copper kettle); and the kitchen, containing his special chair that enabled him to eat and work at the same time. Having browsed around the house, it's hard to reconcile such a modest man with the grand structures that have left such an indelible mark on this city.
PLEČNIK – A NEW PERMANENT EXHIBITION
A novelty in the renovated Plečnik House is a permanent exhibition prepared by Ana Porok, the Plečnik collection’s curator at the Museum & Galleries of Ljubljana, who was assisted by her colleagues. In terms of content, the exhibition is divided into two parts, the architect’s works in Vienna, Prague and particularly Ljubljana, and his private life. In the entrance hall, the visitor comes to know Plečnik’s biography, the key events in his life and work, his contemporaries and the buildings of his time. Then two critical places of his creative work are presented – Vienna with Zacherl House and Prague with Prague Castle. The largest room is dedicated to presenting Plečnik’s works in Ljubljana; a model of Ljubljana highlighting Plečnik’s urban prospects and buildings. Some original designs are placed in the drawers of the base carrying the model and digital screens are located next to the model to allow for more detailed searches. A selection of Plečnik’s great projects in Ljubljana is presented on the walls: the Žale cemetery, the National and University Library, and the Main Market. In the following small room, Plečnik’s unrealised visions of Ljubljana are presented where special attention is paid to the Cathedral of Freedom, the architect’s vision of the Slovenian Parliament. The final exhibition space on the ground floor is the so-called Urška’s room where Plečnik’s housekeeper Urška Luzar lived during his lifetime. Plečnik’s personal world is put on display in here – his family and origin, his years of study, his contemporaries and his students. His personal photographs and items, awards, photographs and some objects Plečnik designed are shown here.
publications/2018/02/13/Hiša_Plečnik_House_13.2.2018-pop.j
