In July 2021 Plečnik’s work in Ljubljana was inscribed on the World Heritage List as an exceptional example of human-scale public space design. With the inscription on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites the international community recognized in the architect’s work the values that transcend national or regional boundaries and are of common importance for all humanity. Plečnik’s approaches, including his uncovering of the context of the city, the diversity of meanings and functions, economy of interventions, and first and foremost human-scale urban design, came to be seen as attributes of outstanding universal value. The inscription is the most prestigious international recognition, but at the same time it also binds us to ensure systematic protection of the values embodied by Plečnik’s architecture and urban planning. This is only possible in contemporary coexistence with Plečnik’s heritage, with a collective understanding of the importance and values of public space of Plečnik’s Ljubljana, through its continuous updating, contextualizing, and inclusive integration into our daily lives.
With this in mind the principal stakeholders of the inscription of the selected Plečnik works on the UNESCO list transformed the architect’s kiosk in Prešeren Square into a space of awareness-raising and communication of the values of Plečnik’s Ljubljana. The City of Ljubljana, in cooperation with the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, restored the kiosk and entrusted its management until March 2023 to the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (MGML).* Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) and MGML in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture will be in charge of the programme in the kiosk, including exhibitions, lectures, and tours of the city. Come summer it will be occupied by a BIO27 Super Vernaculars – Design for a Regenerative Future programme, when the interdisciplinary group Garnitura prepares an instructive but fun project based on Plečnik’s principles and playful architectural language, integrated into the Ljubljana city centre. The Garnitura team stressed: “In the framework of the BIO27 biennial programme we are planning to set up a temporary iconic Plečnik kiosk with a different intended use. It will serve as a space for impromptu events and a starting point for various programmes through which we will present Plečnik’s legacy. At this info point we will present different aspects and new products, integrating them into a single whole.”
Situated directly by the master’s Three Bridges the kiosk will also serve as a telling warning, reminding us how to tackle the challenges of commercialization, reckless interventions into heritage, and mismanagement. An opportunity to preserve quality public space and enjoy everything it has to offer is in keeping with the message communicated by the inscription to the local audiences and international community.
May Plečnik’s heritage serve as a space of reflection on the values of public space, its functions, quality, and importance for the citizens. Together we reflect on the quality environment for the benefit of every person and society in general, taking into account both the achievements of the past and contemporary interventions, and assessing its quality not only in terms of economy and function, but also in view of how we experience a space, its context, and beauty. Plečnik inspires us to integrate architecture and the built environment with the principles of the green answer, sustainable development, and an inclusive society.
* The renovation of the kiosk is expected to be completed in June 2022.
Programme coordinators: Tomaž Štoka (MAO), Milan Dinevski (BIO), Maja Kovač (MGML).
Text by: Tomaž Štoka and Špela Spanžel
PLEČNIK’S YEAR PROGRAMME (MAO/MGML)
Plečnik’s Ljubljana in old photographs
Mala galerija, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana
- 5.–18. 9. 2022
Rock, Paper, Scissors. Architectural heritage in graphics
Plečnik House, MGML
- 5.–14. 10. 2022
Stories of modern architecture. Super Vernaculars: Design for a regenerative future (BIO27)
Plečnik’s newsstand, Prešeren Square, MAO
- 5.–29. 9. 2022
Seen-Unseen. A contemporary tribute to Plečnik’s oeuvre.
Plečnik House, MGML
- 11. 2022–8. 1. 2023
Plečnik: metropolis, place, garden
City Museum of Ljubljana, MGML
- 6. 2022–12. 2. 2023
Plečnik and the river: reconstruction of Ljubljana’s embankments and bridges (video)
Plečnik’s newsstand, Prešeren Square, MGML
- 6.–3. 7. 2022
Plečnik and water: the fountains in the city (video)
Plečnik’s newsstand, Prešeren Square, MGML
- 7.–31. 7. 2022
Plečnik and the sacred (video)
Plečnik’s newsstand, Prešeren Square, MGML
- 8.–7. 8. 2022
Fragments from the documentary film on Plečnik, 1951–52 (video)
Plečnik’s newsstand, Prešeren Square, MGML
- 9.–25. 9. 2022
Architecture Live:
Plečnik’s newsstand, Prešeren Square, MAO
- 6.–3. 7. 2022; 25. 7.–7. 8. 2022; 19. 9.–25. 9. 2022
Old New World: Jože Plečnik and his milieu
Museum of Architecture and Design
- 10. 2022–1. 3. 2023
Plečnik’s School in Ljubljana
Plečnik House, MGML
- 10. 2022–29. 1. 2023
Partners:
Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana / Plečnik House, Museum of Architecture and Design, BIO27, City of Ljubljana, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, Ministry of Culture, Centre for Creativity
