Zprávy památkové péče 2015, 75(5):433-444

The architecture of railway stations of the second half of the 20th century, their artistic decoration and heritage conservation

Martin Strakoš

Railway stations built in the 2nd half of the 20th century represent, in terms of their architecture and artistic decoration, a specific group of transport buildings. Their layout, space and structural designs, their emphasis on the arrangement of public space as large terminal buildings with proper architectural design and artistic decoration, are good documents of trends of late modernism. The introduction of the article describes its focus on the architectural and artistic side of this typologically specific field of architectural creation. First, the text briefly classifies the issue of care for railway stations of the time into a broader context of caring for historical heritage as related to the development of rail transport. A brief section follows that summarizes developmental trends in the architecture of railway station buildings from functionalism to late modernism. This is documented by analyses of railway station buildings designed by architect Josef Danda (Pardubice, Klatovy, Cheb, Ostrava-Vítkovice). On these examples, the author of the article illustrates the architectural and artistic principles that characterize the given period and type of buildings. Detail is dedicated to an analysis of these buildings and their artistic decorations, particularly with regard to changes associated with the retreat of socialist realism and the onset of late modernism in the Brussels style. While socialist realism manifested through realistic and ideologically subject artworks, like for example in the case of the passenger building of the railway station in Klatovy, late modernism in the conception of the Brussels style became typical for new stations emerging from the late 1950's (in the example of Cheb and Ostrava-Vítkovice). These mentioned trends are illustrated in the second part of the text with examples of other railway stations in the Ostrava region. Specifically, these are the railway station building in Třinec which was recently mostly demolished, as well as the railway building in the Karviná main station, the railway building of the Havířov station, and the main railway station building in Ostrava. The text highlights the architectural and artistic quality of these realizations and the need to protect these properties as selected examples of railway architecture of the 2nd half of the 20th century.

Keywords: railway station, architecture of the 2nd half of the 20th century, Brussels Style, Josef Danda, endangered properties

Published: December 1, 2015  Show citation