Monumentorum Custos 2011

110 sites
Copyright © The Author(s), 2011. Published by the Faculty of Arts of J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem in cooperation with National Heritage Institute, the territorial expert workplace in Ústí nad Labem.

Content

Cultural transfer in the Czech- Saxon borderland in late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times. Current research of so called Saxon Renaissance in Bohemia

Michaela Hrubá – Michaela Ottová

Cultural transfer in the Czech- Saxon borderland in late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times. Current research of so called Saxon Renaissance in Bohemia in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 5–10; Studies

The study summarizes currently on-going research of cultu­ral and artistic climate in the bordering area of North-western Bohemia, or the Ore Mountains area in the turn of Middle Ages and Early Modern Times. The research implemented by the De­partment of History at UJEP and other cooperating institutions lays stress on interdisciplinarity as a main feature. In this historic and historic-artistic research are explored specific qualities of the area (economic, cultural and social). Results of the research serve the need to re-define the term of „Saxon Renaissance“ widely used in Czech academic literature since the work of Architektura české renesance by Eva Šamánková had been published in the year of 1961. The present prevailing bipolar concept, on which the term is based, is further unacceptable by researchers commu­nity. In this concept the Czech part of the Ore Mountains is under­stood as unilaterally artisticly dependent on the Saxon part. To the contrary the basic concept of the research brings an alterna­tive for isolationistic idea of immanent development within na­tional wholes. It is a concept of cultural regions functioning and cooperationg across the border which are defined as compact ar­tistic systems with developed inner communication. An identity of these regions is however time-limited and their borders are defined by a combination of all variety of criteria. Fixed and one­-sided relation of artistic centre dominating the province is possi­ble to replace by an idea of „Kulturtransfer“, a multi-sided artistic exchange among local centres which regardless anachronic state and language borders formed a specific character of the region. Nevertheless the „Kulturtransfer“ has not been understood as an autonomous artistic process but a process structured by complex economic, religious, social and other factors. Undoubtly the Ore Mountains area belongs to regions where this concept could be ideally applied. On-going research is trying to conceive an idea of the region in the period between Middle Ages and Early Modern Times with its art production and social relations in a new light so that the identity of this region and present cross-border co­operation will have a reliable resource in both basic and applied research of the period which appeared to be quite constitutive.

Architectural competitions on the turn of the 19 and 20 century in the town of Teplice and its surrounding. Ordering party, participants, development and social context

Jan Hanzlík

Architectural competitions on the turn of the 19 and 20 century in the town of Teplice and its surrounding. Ordering party, participants, development and social context in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 11–34; Studies

Competitions in Teplice and its neighbourhood at the end of existence of Austria-Hungary offered a unique show and at the same time functioned as “a wrestling ring“ of various trends and styles occurring in cultural environment of German Bohemia. In this environment the trends brought from referential architectu­ral centres such as Vienna, Dresden, Berlin and Prague mixed together. The competitions culminated in the period when Vie­nnese Art Nouveau style was in its prime in Northern Bohemia mainly thanks to students of Otto Wagner, nevertheless this style did not dominate there. To the contrary projects in style of histo­ricizing modernism frequently occured which was caused by cer­tain conservativeness of the public. Some projects were strongly inspired by Saxon historic architecture, especially by Renaissance Revival and Baroque, the fact of which was also related to Ger­man patriotism, sometimes declared, at other times unassuming. Rather remarkable part played mottos of competition projects which often revealed cosmopolitan idea of the project or on the contrary its national directing. It would be quite right to mention here Švácha's term – national regionalism. Many projects also in­terestingly mixed these trends. If the project should have mani­fested certain national mood or respectability of the institution then the jury prefered more traditional style.

Two most important competitions were competitions to build a realschool and a spa house with a concert hall in Šanov (part of Teplice). In these competitions met local architectural elite with elite from the whole Cisleithania but the results of these competitions differed significantly. While the competition for the realschool won the project by Wenzel Bürger from Saxon Kamnitz in national style of modernized Saxon Neo-Renaissance, the competition for the spa house was won by Marcel Kammerer, the pupil of Otto Wagner with the project in style of pure Vie­nesse Art Nouveau that was more suitable for wordly character of Teplice spas. It is also worth to mention a high quality winning project of the competition for townschool (a kind of junior high school until 1948) in Trnovany by Friedrich Kick, again in pure style of Wagner's Art Nouveau.

Another interesting thing was correctness of the competi­tions. The Association of Engineers and Architects publicly clai­med that two of the competitions, namely the competition for People's school in Bohosudov and the spa town in Šanov were against the rules. The Association criticized the ordering party for violating the copyright, low salaries and change of members of jury during the competiton. In case of the competition for the spa house, Friedrich Ohmann even resigned from the jury as he had been especially annoyed by disrespect for creative work of architects and by degradation of historic environment of Šanov with modern pompous new buildings.

Faithfulness to tradition or an exploration of the work of an organ maker Stefan Müller from Křemýž

Vít Honys

Faithfulness to tradition or an exploration of the work of an organ maker Stefan Müller from Křemýž in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 35–44; Studies

On the turn of the 19 and 20 century one of the last organ­-makers who stuck to classical principles of organ making on the principle of a mechanic slider system – was a regional organ maker Stefan Müller from Křemýž near Teplice (born 14 Nov. 1841) The study provides characteristic of his organ making activities, of which the most outstanding was impelementation of a new 2-manual organ with 20 registers for the church of St. Martin in Rtyně nad Bílinou from the period of 1881–1883. The process of its building was documented with rich archival material. The concept of organ prospect, the dispozition and some construc­tional features were inspired by organ built not long before by brothers Fellers for the church of St. John the Baptist in Teplice and by Josef Prediger for the church of Annunciation of Virgin Mary in Duchcov. In the second manual Stefan Müller used seve­ral pipe ranks taken over from previous Baroque chair organ (or Ruckpositiv). This conservative and eclectic character was typical for the most of his following works, of which the most important was the reconstruction of the organ in the church of St. Lawrence in Kostomlaty pod Milešovkou from the year of 1898. This is also the last example of placing the chair organ (or Ruckpositiv) in in­dependent case in the staircase. His conservative adherence to principle of slider chest till the end of his working activity in the 20's of the 20 century was compensated by quite utilitarian com­position of fragments of historic pipe ranks with newly bought pipe material and other cost-saving arrangements.

The case of “hospital, Duchcov, confidential“

Marian Hochel

The case of “hospital, Duchcov, confidential“ in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 45–60; Studies

The manorial hospital in the castle garden in Duchcov dating to the first third of the 18th century was a common masterpiece of top Baroque masters who in connection with the Waldsteins breathed a spirit of high French Baroque to the whole castle grounds. The hospital with the central church of Assumption of Virgin Mary was built in the years of 1716–1728 on the axis of the western facade of the main castle building in the distance of 310 metres. According to the authors´ intention the building of the hospital made an important part of the whole work of art as it should have functioned as an ideological and architectural coun­terpoise of the castle. It was a two-winged building, in the cen­tre of which stood the hospital church in a shape of ellipse with three smaller side chapels and a vestry. For the Waldsteins the establishment of a hospital foundation in the year of 1727 and the construction of Duchcov hospital meant a good opportunity to represent their own charitability and so they gave a conside­rable amount of money for building works. The result of it was a highly regarded piece of art. The life in the hospital was closely related to spiritual life, that is why the hospital also involved the chapel and the church. Its function was to care for orphans, el­derly and poor people in the sense of Christian help to one's nei­ghbours. The Waldsteins also established a pharmacy and a hos­pital laboratory, moreover they also provided surgical care. In the hospital should also have been treated people with minor or more serious injuries including serfs´ diseases. This fact was quiet exceptional among other hospital institutions in the area of Lito­měřice. The difference between spectacular noble foundation in Duchcov and other poorer institution was obvious – they diffe­red in the extent of provided care, in location and appearance of the hospital building. The Waldstein hospital served its original purpose for almost two hundred years. After the final departure of the Waldsteins from Duchcov the hospital was expropriated and nationalized. Although in the 40's of the 20th century started some restoration works on the hospital and the building should have served as a seat of a district museum, in the 50's a mining company demanded its liquidation due to intended opencast coal mining there. In spite of outrage, interventions and doubts of both institutions and individuals, of which the most active in the case of renovation of the hospital and its transformation to the district museum was the department of culture at the board of Regional National Comittee and also State Conservation He­ritage, the efforts to save the hospital were not successfull and the hospital with the part of the castle garden was destroyed. On the basis of government's decree the hospital had to be pulled down in the year of 1958 and give way to opencast coal mining which nonetheless proved to be useless due to insignificant ex­tent of the power producing source. Before the demolition of the hospital valuable sculptural and painting decorations were saved from it. The non-existing Waldstein hospital in Duchcov lives on in a collective memory of the region, its legacy and its meaning will be preserved for ever. Its story became a symbol of devasta­tion in this region and a mean of self-identification for local peo­ple, whose lives were and have been influenced by ill-considered preference of economic values to cultural or heritage ones.

Gothic Madonna from Zadní Lhota near Těchlovice – new facts

Ľubomír Turčan – Martin Barus

Gothic Madonna from Zadní Lhota near Těchlovice – new facts in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 61–68; Documents

The study originated on untraditional cooperation of an art historian and an archivist. Both authors dealt with one of the most important medieval sculptural work of art in Northern Bohemia – the Madonna from Zadní Lhota near Těchlovice in the district of Děčín. The art historian (Ľ. Turčan) finds considerable sculptu­ral analogy between this Madonna and the key work of Gothic sculpture: Madonna from the church of St. Bartholomew in Pil­sen. Ľ. Turčan shares this idea with O. Votoček, the author of older art-historic classification. In agreement with M. Ottová the author also emphasizes an important attribute of the work from Těch­lovice – its direct dependance on above mentioned work of art – Madonna from the church of St. Bartholomew in Pilsen – which apparently gave an initial impulse to origins of Madonna from Těchlovice that was probably made as a devotional copy of Ma­donna from Pilsen.

The archivist of Litoměřice diocese (M. Barus) dealt with quite a troubled fate of Madonna from Těchlovice in modern history. From the year of 1804 when a Baroque chapel with the sculpture of Madonna from Těchlovice were flooded with water, through the next year, when the sculpture was again found floating in the river till the year of 1812 when P. Gaube from Zadní Lhota had a new chapel for Madonna from Těchlovice built. In the period of modern history M. Barus concentrated on the year of 1957 when the sculpture was discovered and deposited in the North Bohemian Gallery of Fine Arts in Litoměřice by its then director O. Votoček.

Newly found grave ledgers in the church of St. Martin in Markvartice in the district of Děčín

Václav Zeman

Newly found grave ledgers in the church of St. Martin in Markvartice in the district of Děčín in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 69–74; Documents

During the ongoing reconstruction of the church of St. Mar­tin in Markvartice two so far unknown grave ledgers were found under its floor. The village of Markvartice was since the period of Middle Ages divided in several parts and the parts often functio­ned as seats of these homesteads. Noble owners were buried in the local parish church, which was also the case of two discove­red ledgers. The first dates to the year of 1565 and due to signi­ficant damage of a sign the name of its owner is uncertain. It is, however, possible to conclude with the use of a period chronicle that the person was Petr from Schönfeld, the member of a family, who held a lower part of the village in the 16 century. The youn­ger ledger belongs to Ernest Franz from Rechenberg (died 1662), the owner of the upper part of the village with a manor house Fa­voritenhof. That was the next-to-last owner who really sat on the stronghold, then in the year of 1668 the most of the village was unified in the hands of owners from Benešov nad Ploučnicí. Both findings represent important additions to the fund of sepulchral sculpture in the district of Děčín and they also bring interesting information about regional history of the village in Early Modern Times.

Historic photographs in collection of the National Heritage Institute – Regional Office in Ústí nad Labem

Marta Pavlíková

Historic photographs in collection of the National Heritage Institute – Regional Office in Ústí nad Labem in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 75–82; Documents

National Heritage Institute is a professional organization of the state heritage preservation and care, which apart of many other functions also administers extensive movable funds depo­sited in state castles and chateaus. These funds comprise large collections of historic photographic material which is quite di­verse and contain a wide range of historic photographic tech­niques and picture themes. In fact they could make a picture family archive of original owners of later confiscated property. In collections from Ústí nad Labem the most historically valuable objects are portrait photographs made by the techniques of am­brotype, daguerreotype and pannotype found in depositories of Libochovice and Velké Březno. Besides the oldest photographic material in the funds of Ústí NPU Office there could be also found very interesting photographs and films taken by some enthusias­tic photo amateurs from aristocratic and entepreneurial circles. Extensiveness of photographic collections from depositories of National Heritage Institut in Ústí n. L. along with unfinished do­cumentation of these funds impede their definite evaluation and setting in a period context. Yet we can state already today that many photographic documents are of greater than regional im­portance and some of them are even invaluable from historic and artistic point of view.

Holy Steps in Rumburk and their restoration in the years of 2007–2011

Eva Francová

Holy Steps in Rumburk and their restoration in the years of 2007–2011 in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 83–90; Documents

In her article the author deals with space of Holy Steps with the chapel of Calvary situated on the grounds of the Loreta Cha­pel in Rumburk (the district of Děčín) and with the process of their restoration in the years of 2007–2011. After a brief summary of history of the whole grounds the author pays attention to Holy Steps. The Rumburk imitation of Roman pattern of the Holy Steps on which Jesus Christ walked to Pointius Pilate was, comparing to other such implementations in our country finished due to the lack of money quite late, in the year of 1770. At first the author deals with the description of architectural concept of Rumburk Holy Steps. These are classically arranged: the central staircase is flanked by two side staircases with the side space of the Holy sepulchre and the scene of the Mocking of Christ. The author then describes iconographic decoration of the Holy Steps and the chapel of Calvary in Rumburk as traditional and referring to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and other related topics. Apart from painting decorations there could be found sculptu­res such as a group Ecce homo and a group of outraged Jews. In the main part of the text the author deals with the process of restoration of both wall and ceiling paintings and sculptural de­corations in the space of the staircases and the chapel and also with the problems arising during the process of restoration. The state of paintings has been significantly influenced by bad clima­tic conditions combined with badly chosen painting technique in the middle of the 19 century and this fact requires to be taken into consideration. Yet we could say that the finished restoration works have considerably contributed to renovation of the most valuable spaces of the cloister by the Loreta Chapel in Rumburk.

Extinct Church of St. Francis Seraphim in Dolina, Chomutov District

Mirjam Skoumalová

Extinct Church of St. Francis Seraphim in Dolina, Chomutov District in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 91–94; Vanished Monuments

Until now, very little information about the Church of St. Francis Seraphim has been found; basic data can be found from modest descriptions on the registration sheets of cultural monuments, in specialist encyclopaedias and in regional inventories. An idea of its architecture and interior furnishings can be obtained only from a few surviving (technically and documentarily very poor quality) photographs. The village of Dolina disappeared as a result of the construction of the Přísečnická hydroelectric reservoir, as it was located in the first protection zone of the drinking water source. The church of St. Francis was demolished around 1974. Only the monument of 65 victims of World War I, renovated in September 1995 at the expense of the original inhabitants of the village, and a cast-iron cross with a stone base remain. The cadastral territory of the village was taken over by the newly created MNV Kryštofovy Hamry on 1 July 1974.

Church of St. Jiljí in Libyň – Museum of Art Glass and Stained Glass

Jiří Bureš

Church of St. Jiljí in Libyň – Museum of Art Glass and Stained Glass in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 95–98; Monument Restoration

The Church of St. Jiljí in Libyň near Lubenec (Louny district) has been undergoing a complete restoration since 2008. The sacral building, which had been unused for decades and deprived of its liturgical purpose, had been in a state of disrepair for many years, and in 1986 a procedure was initiated for the abandonment of monument protection, and the building was in danger of collapse. Until 2006, the building was owned by the Bishopric of Pilsen, after which the church was taken over by the Civic Association for the Rescue of St. Jiljí Church.

Restoration of the Bell Towers of the Churches of St. Wenceslas in Dlažkovice and St. Peter and Paul in Sutom

Jindřich Zajíc

Restoration of the Bell Towers of the Churches of St. Wenceslas in Dlažkovice and St. Peter and Paul in Sutom in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 99–102; Monument Restoration

In 2010 and 2011, repair work was completed on the bell towers of the churches of St. Peter and Paul in Sutom and St. Wenceslas in Dlažkovice. Both of these projects are specific in terms of financing, approach to restoration, subsequent presentation and use of the buildings themselves.

Wallenstein Castle Picture Gallery in Duchcov

Dana Průchová

Wallenstein Castle Picture Gallery in Duchcov in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 103–108; Castles and Chateaus

Six interiors of the first floor of the main chateau building in Duchcov were restored during 2010 and 2011, while at the same time preparations were underway for a new exhibition dedicated to the chateau picture gallery, which was opened in June 2011. The picture gallery was part of a wider project reminding visitors of the now scattered Wallenstein collections once concentrated at Duchcov and their historical exhibitions.

Report from the Conference Poohří II. – "Monuments and Society"

Jiří Bureš

Report from the Conference Poohří II. – "Monuments and Society" in Monumentorum Custos 2011, p. 109; Seminars, Conferences, Events

On 8th and 9th September 2011, the second annual Poohří Conference with the thematic focus "Monuments and Society" took place in Žatec. The conference was prepared by members of the civic association History and Present of Poohří and was part of other events prepared in connection with the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Žatec as a municipal conservation area and the opening of the European Heritage Days 2011, which took place in Žatec.                                             

Presentation of the Project "Documentation, Digitisation and Presentation of Endangered Cultural Heritage in the Border Area of North-West Bohemia in the Framework of an Exhibition at Duchcov Castle"

Martin Medek

Presentation of the Project "Documentation, Digitisation and Presentation of Endangered Cultural Heritage in the Border Area of North-West Bohemia in the Framework of an Exhibition at Duchcov Castle" in Monumentorum Custos 2011, p. 109; Seminars, Conferences, Events

As part of the annual Night of Churches, the exhibition "In the Matter of Reiner – Fresco", which maps the transfer of the Baroque fresco by V. V. Reiner from the closed hospital chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and recapitulates the turbulent fate of Reiner's work in the second half of the 20th century, took place.

Professional Conference of Graduates and Students: 20 Zears of KHR – A Retrospect

Michaela Hrubá – Barbora Větrovská

Professional Conference of Graduates and Students: 20 Zears of KHR – A Retrospect in Monumentorum Custos 2011, pp. 109–110; Seminars, Conferences, Events

On 30-31 March 2012, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Cultural and Historical Regional Studies at the Department of History of the Faculty of Arts of UJEP, a conference of graduates and students was held at the Větruše restaurant.

3D Printing of Altar Statues from the Church of St. Florian in Krásné Březno

David Skalický

3D Printing of Altar Statues from the Church of St. Florian in Krásné Březno in Monumentorum Custos 2011, p. 110; Seminars, Conferences, Events

In the first week of June, 3D printing of the altar statues from the Church of St. Florian, i.e. St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Matthew and St. Mark, took place at the FUD of UJEP. The aim of the printing was to representatively model the important Renaissance artefacts, which will undergo a demanding restoration as part of the ongoing renovation of the national cultural monument.