Jože Plečnik is considered a significant architect not only in his native Slovenia but also in the Czech Republic. For Czechs, his work is connected to the foundation of the Czechoslovak democratic state in the 1920s. Perhaps thanks to his experience from Prague, Plečnik came back to Ljubljana with clear views on the city’s issues and left the capital with architectural masterpieces. These are now part of the city’s unmistakable panorama and also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

How would the face of Ljubljana have changed if this great visionary had been able to carry out all of his outstanding projects?

We are inviting you to a lecture and a follow-up discussion with two experts on both of Plečnik’s life stages.

Professor and architect Vladimír Šlapeta, one of the biggest Czech experts on Plečnik, will talk about Plečnik’s work in Prague, disclosing Plečnik’s relationship to Prague and his legacy in the city.

The lesser-known chapter of Plečnik’s life is the one with his unrealized projects for Ljubljana. The architect’s (mostly unfulfilled) dreams about the look of Slovenia’s capital are documented in various plans related to these projects. Ana Porok, curator of the permanent exhibition on Plečnik in the Plečnik House in Ljubljana, will introduce four unrealized projects.

This one-off event takes place on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Plečnik’s birth and engages experts from both countries in which the genius architect worked. The uniqueness of the event is emphasized by the venue – Collegium Maxium, an auditorium at the Faculty of Law, Charles University, designed by Plečnik’s contemporary and close friend Jan Kotěra. The event will be hosted by art historian and tour guide Markéta Čejková.