Following session are chaired by scholars from the IAH CAS:
Panel A2: Housing and architecture in Central European post-war thinking
The war escalated the poor housing conditions of the pre-war times. In addition to deliveries of food and other basic consumer goods, housing became one of the key issues in the post-war years. Central European lawmakers decided on protective measures, especially in regards to the protection of tenants and rent regulation, and partly also in regards to the distribution of unused housing space, while more radical requests were rejected. There were conflicts about whether the state, regions or municipalities should be involved directly or simply stimulate building carried out by individuals and cooperatives. The building of municipal housing only achieved modest results in Central Europe at this time, with the exception of several cities. Many exceptionally interesting urban and architectural plans and visions of this era remained unimplemented. Nevertheless, this was still the first phase of society-wide thinking and discussions about housing availability and quality. This section is for critical discussion on topics connected with architecture, urbanism, housing and legal regulations and social views on housing.
Vendula Hnídková – Pavel Prouza (chair)
Panel B6: Preserving the republic: changes and visions in archival science and heritage preservation
The preservation and upkeep of the historic and cultural heritage is the intersection of archival science and historic preservation. The Czechoslovak Republic’s early years saw fundamental challenges in these areas. An archive school was founded and separations of older archives as well as disputes on an appropriate model for the archive network took place. The field of care for monuments also faced challenges when searching for its new model, and there were disputes over the law on historic heritage. The form and priorities in both of these areas were significantly affected by the process of land reform, restrictions on the export of artwork and archive documents and also by imperfect registers and inspections. At the same time, there were attempts to make fundamental reforms in both archives and heritage preservation which were followed by ideas and visions for their further development. Contributions can also focus on Central European comparisons.
Eva Drašarová – Kristina Uhlíková (chair)