The never-ending struggle for historic Prague • RESPECT
It is difficult to agree on the architectural and urban development of our capital city. It is too slow for some, fast for others, too conservative for one, too radical for another. There is no doubt about one thing: in debates about the past, present and future direction of Prague, it is worth listening to the voice of Richard Biegel. The art historian, university teacher, director of the Institute of Art History and head of the Old Prague Club knows so much about his hometown that he could write books about it. And he just wrote one too. His name is A city in a storm and this monumental log is one of the best publications ever published about the capital, despite the enormous competition of pragensia.
From demolition to booking
It must have been incredibly difficult for Biegel to choose where to start and where to end. Prague has always been a changing organism, influenced not only by architects and urban planners, but especially by social events, under the influence of which there was a constant “fight for the historic city”. Memorialist Biegel often uses this phrase in the book – and it is not surprising, because in Europe we can find few large cities that, despite all (successful or unsuccessful) attempts to modernize, more or less preserve the original form of the historical core. It is this battle between progress and tradition that is the theme of Biegel’s work, and the time frame of the publication corresponds to it.
On the one hand, it consists of the 1930s. The time when the leadership of Prague decided to leave the borders already defined during…