Ivan Vurnik
Encyclopedia
Ivan Vurnik, was a Slovene architect
. Together with, Ciril Metod Koch
and Jože Plečnik
, Vurnik is considered one of the initiators of Slovenia
n modernist architecture.
n town of Radovljica
in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
and is now in Slovenia
. His father was a rather wealthy stonemason who wanted to provide a good education for his son. Ivan was sent to school to Kranj
and then to Ljubljana
. In 1907 he enrolled to the Vienna University of Technology
where he studied under the supervision of the architect Karl Mayreder
.
While in Vienna
, he became influenced by the Viennese Secession, especially by the work of the fellow Slovenian architect Max Fabiani
, with whom he maintained a life-long friendship. Vurnik graduated summa cum laude in 1912 and received a scholarship which he used to travel to Italy
and study the local architecture. When he returned to Vienna
, he was immediately offered a job at the studio of architect Ludwig Baumann, which Vurnik accepted in October 1912.
In the same year, he started to working on assignments in his native country first, first renovating the interior of the parish church in Bled
, and then a similar assignment for the bishopric chapel in Trieste
(1913-1915). In Autumn 1913, he married the Viennese artist Helena Kottler.
, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Once back in his native Slovenia, Vurnik tried to establish a specifically Slovenian style in architecture, combining the modern quest for utility with estheticism and ornamentalism
. For this purpose, he re-interpreted the traditional forms of Carniola
n peasant art, which he incrporated in an essentially Art Nouveau
structures. One of the highlights of this so-called 'national style' is the multicoloured, patterned building of the Zadružna gospodarska banka ("Cooperative Credit Bank") in Ljubljana
, designed in 1921 and finished the next year. He later moved to simpler ornaments with more archaic flavour, such as the central building for the Slovenian Sokol
movement in the Tabor quarter of Ljubljana (thus known as the Taborski dom or "The Tabor House"), built in 1926, and a two very similar structures, one in Golnik
and the other one in Kranj
which was destroyed in World War II
. In the late 1920s, however, he completely rejected the search for a "National Style" in architecture and turned to a purely functionalist architecture
.
In 1919, Vurnik managed to establish a department of architecture within the Technical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana
. He convinced architect Jože Plečnik
to join it as a full-time professor which he did in the late 1920s. Nevertheless, a rival relationship developed between the two. Vurnik thought it was Plečnik's inflence in the conservative circles of local Slovenian policy-makering that prevented him to carry into effect his functionalist projects. Another reason for the antagonism between the two architect might have also derived from their different political ideology, since Plečnik was a conservative and fervent Roman Catholic, while Vurnik (although also religious) belonged to the Slovenian progressive
and national
-liberal
tradition.
and Radovljica's only hotel, the Grajski dvor. A less famous, but still important work from this period is a set of family houses for industrial workers in Maribor
, which fully exemplify Vurnik's new vision of a simple, ascetic and purely utilitarian style.
In 1965, Vurnik was offered by the local Catholic Church to renovate the Carniola
n and Slovenia
n national shrine at Brezje. He did so returning to the "National Style" he had rejected in the mid 1920s.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. Together with, Ciril Metod Koch
Ciril Metod Koch
Ciril Metod Koch was a Slovene architect. Together with Max Fabiani, he introduced the Vienna Secession style in the Slovene Lands....
and Jože Plečnik
Jože Plecnik
Jože Plečnik , was a Slovene architect who practised in Vienna, Belgrade, Prague and Ljubljana.-Biography:...
, Vurnik is considered one of the initiators of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n modernist architecture.
Early years
He was born in an artisan's family in the Upper CarniolaUpper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
n town of Radovljica
Radovljica
Radovljica is a town and a municipality in in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The municipality has around 18,000 inhabitants and an area of 118 km²...
in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and is now in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. His father was a rather wealthy stonemason who wanted to provide a good education for his son. Ivan was sent to school to Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
and then to Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. In 1907 he enrolled to the Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology is one of the major universities in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Founded in 1815 as the "Imperial-Royal Polytechnic Institute" , it currently has about 26,200 students , 8 faculties and about 4,000 staff members...
where he studied under the supervision of the architect Karl Mayreder
Karl Mayreder
Karl Mayreder was an Austrian architect.- Life and work :Karl Mayreder was born the son of hotelier Leopold Mayreder and his wife Henriette Mayreder...
.
While in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, he became influenced by the Viennese Secession, especially by the work of the fellow Slovenian architect Max Fabiani
Max Fabiani
Max Fabiani, was a Slovene-Italian architect from the Gorizia region. Together with Ciril Metod Koch, he introduced the Vienna Secession style of architecture in the Slovene Lands.-Life:...
, with whom he maintained a life-long friendship. Vurnik graduated summa cum laude in 1912 and received a scholarship which he used to travel to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and study the local architecture. When he returned to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, he was immediately offered a job at the studio of architect Ludwig Baumann, which Vurnik accepted in October 1912.
In the same year, he started to working on assignments in his native country first, first renovating the interior of the parish church in Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, and then a similar assignment for the bishopric chapel in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
(1913-1915). In Autumn 1913, he married the Viennese artist Helena Kottler.
After World War I
In 1919, the couple moved to LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Once back in his native Slovenia, Vurnik tried to establish a specifically Slovenian style in architecture, combining the modern quest for utility with estheticism and ornamentalism
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
. For this purpose, he re-interpreted the traditional forms of Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
n peasant art, which he incrporated in an essentially Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
structures. One of the highlights of this so-called 'national style' is the multicoloured, patterned building of the Zadružna gospodarska banka ("Cooperative Credit Bank") in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, designed in 1921 and finished the next year. He later moved to simpler ornaments with more archaic flavour, such as the central building for the Slovenian Sokol
Sokol
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
movement in the Tabor quarter of Ljubljana (thus known as the Taborski dom or "The Tabor House"), built in 1926, and a two very similar structures, one in Golnik
Golnik
Golnik is a village in the Municipality of Kranj in the Upper Carniolan region of Slovenia.Since 1921, it has been best known for its hospital for diagnosis and treatment of patients with pulmonary and allergic diseases, now known as the Golnik University Clinic of Pulmonary and Allergic Diseases...
and the other one in Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
which was destroyed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In the late 1920s, however, he completely rejected the search for a "National Style" in architecture and turned to a purely functionalist architecture
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
.
In 1919, Vurnik managed to establish a department of architecture within the Technical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
. He convinced architect Jože Plečnik
Jože Plecnik
Jože Plečnik , was a Slovene architect who practised in Vienna, Belgrade, Prague and Ljubljana.-Biography:...
to join it as a full-time professor which he did in the late 1920s. Nevertheless, a rival relationship developed between the two. Vurnik thought it was Plečnik's inflence in the conservative circles of local Slovenian policy-makering that prevented him to carry into effect his functionalist projects. Another reason for the antagonism between the two architect might have also derived from their different political ideology, since Plečnik was a conservative and fervent Roman Catholic, while Vurnik (although also religious) belonged to the Slovenian progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and national
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
-liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
tradition.
Late years
After 1925, he devoted his time mostly to teaching. He continued to draw architectural and urbanistic projects until his death, but almost all remained on paper. Among the very few realized projects from this second period, the most famous are perhaps the summer swimming pool in RadovljicaRadovljica
Radovljica is a town and a municipality in in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The municipality has around 18,000 inhabitants and an area of 118 km²...
and Radovljica's only hotel, the Grajski dvor. A less famous, but still important work from this period is a set of family houses for industrial workers in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
, which fully exemplify Vurnik's new vision of a simple, ascetic and purely utilitarian style.
In 1965, Vurnik was offered by the local Catholic Church to renovate the Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
n and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n national shrine at Brezje. He did so returning to the "National Style" he had rejected in the mid 1920s.