Slavko Löwy
Encyclopedia
Slavko Löwy was well-known Croatia
n architect.
to a respectable and wealthy Croatian Jewish family, who were engaged in trade. In Koprivnica he attended the gymnasium school
, and after graduation in 1923, he was enrolled in the Vienna
Technical College. After four semesters, in 1925 he continued his studies in Zagreb
at the department of architecture in Royal Technical College. In 1927 he continued his education in Dresden
, where he graduated in 1930.
. In 1931 in collaboration with Vlado Antolić, Löwy starts a tender for the city Savings Bank project in Sarajevo
. That same year he moved into the architectural studio of Stanko Kliske. Löwy became a licensed architect in 1931, and that same year he established his own architectural studio, „Löwy“. That same year he performed his first self-derived house in Petrić street 7, at the space of the former Zagreb Trust block. He married his wife Terezija Rakić in 1932, and on November 8, 1933 Löwy son Miroslav was born.
Löwy realized his most important achievement in 1933, the nine floors skyscraper in Masarykova street, which will be called the "first skyscraper of Zagreb". He moved his architectural studio, in 1934, at the top floor of that same skyscraper, in Masarykova street, that he designed. From 1934 until 1941 Löwy implemented a number of major housing and business establishments in Zagreb, which belong to the very top of Croatian modernism.
In 1945 he started to work on reconstruction of the Nama department stores in Croatia
, Slovenia
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
. In 1946 Löwy was forcibly moved by communists regime to the Bureau of Architecture project (APZ), where he worked on the types of "rational residential buildings. Since 1950 until 1953 he was also forcibly moved to Macedonia
, Skopje
, where he designed the public buildings. Apartment with his studio, in Masarykova street, were returned to him in 1953 when he returned to Zagreb. After return Löwy renewed his studio in the original space. In 1962 the "Architectural firm Löwy" is merged with "Tehnoprojekt".
and NDH
regime. Apartment with his studio, in Masarykova street, was taken away from him, and most project documentation of his studio has been destroyed. Löwy parents were immediately deported to Nazi death camps, and he somehow survived while hiding in Zagreb. Surviving members of his family claim that Löwy has changed, in that period, as many as 17 locations in Zagreb as he hide from Nazis and NDH regime. After the World War II
things were not much better for Löwy. Under communists regime of newly founded SFR Yugoslavia
he had a problems for being a Jew, but his acquaintance with sculptor Augustinčić partially helped him through those times.
for a lifetime achievement, and in 1977 he was also awarded with the prize of Vladimir Nazor
for a lifetime achievement.
Löwy died on April 1, 1996 at the 9th floor of his apartment and studio skyscraper in Masarykova street.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n architect.
Background, family and education
Löwy was born in KoprivnicaKoprivnica
Koprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011 the city administrative area had a total population of 30,872, with 23,896 in the city itself.-Population:...
to a respectable and wealthy Croatian Jewish family, who were engaged in trade. In Koprivnica he attended the gymnasium school
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, and after graduation in 1923, he was enrolled in the 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...
Technical College. After four semesters, in 1925 he continued his studies in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
at the department of architecture in Royal Technical College. In 1927 he continued his education in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, where he graduated in 1930.
Career
Löwy moved to Zagreb, in 1930, where he started working in the architectural studio of Ignjat FischerIgnjat Fischer
Ignjat Nathan Fischer was a well-known Croatian architect of Jewish ancestry, active in Zagreb in the first half of the 20th century.-Early life and education:...
. In 1931 in collaboration with Vlado Antolić, Löwy starts a tender for the city Savings Bank project in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. That same year he moved into the architectural studio of Stanko Kliske. Löwy became a licensed architect in 1931, and that same year he established his own architectural studio, „Löwy“. That same year he performed his first self-derived house in Petrić street 7, at the space of the former Zagreb Trust block. He married his wife Terezija Rakić in 1932, and on November 8, 1933 Löwy son Miroslav was born.
Löwy realized his most important achievement in 1933, the nine floors skyscraper in Masarykova street, which will be called the "first skyscraper of Zagreb". He moved his architectural studio, in 1934, at the top floor of that same skyscraper, in Masarykova street, that he designed. From 1934 until 1941 Löwy implemented a number of major housing and business establishments in Zagreb, which belong to the very top of Croatian modernism.
In 1945 he started to work on reconstruction of the Nama department stores in Croatia
Socialist Republic of Croatia
Socialist Republic of Croatia was a sovereign constituent country of the second Yugoslavia. It came to existence during World War II, becoming a socialist state after the war, and was also renamed four times in its existence . It was the second largest republic in Yugoslavia by territory and...
, Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina , known until 1963 under the name of People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
. In 1946 Löwy was forcibly moved by communists regime to the Bureau of Architecture project (APZ), where he worked on the types of "rational residential buildings. Since 1950 until 1953 he was also forcibly moved to Macedonia
Socialist Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, where he designed the public buildings. Apartment with his studio, in Masarykova street, were returned to him in 1953 when he returned to Zagreb. After return Löwy renewed his studio in the original space. In 1962 the "Architectural firm Löwy" is merged with "Tehnoprojekt".
Personal life
In 1942 the work of Löwy architectural studio was prohibited by NazisNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and NDH
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
regime. Apartment with his studio, in Masarykova street, was taken away from him, and most project documentation of his studio has been destroyed. Löwy parents were immediately deported to Nazi death camps, and he somehow survived while hiding in Zagreb. Surviving members of his family claim that Löwy has changed, in that period, as many as 17 locations in Zagreb as he hide from Nazis and NDH regime. After the 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...
things were not much better for Löwy. Under communists regime of newly founded SFR Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
he had a problems for being a Jew, but his acquaintance with sculptor Augustinčić partially helped him through those times.
Retirement and death
He retired in 1966. In 1970 he was awarded with the prize of Viktor KovačićViktor Kovacic
Viktor Kovačić was a Croatian architect. His projects are marked with subtle purity of reduced elements of historicism, like in monumental Stock Exchange Palace in Zagreb, 1924...
for a lifetime achievement, and in 1977 he was also awarded with the prize of Vladimir Nazor
Vladimir Nazor
Vladimir Nazor was the first head of state of modern Croatia. A member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia , he led the Croatian World War II wartime assembly, the ZAVNOH, and later served as the President of the Presidium of the People's Assembly of PR Croatia - the head of state of the People's...
for a lifetime achievement.
Löwy died on April 1, 1996 at the 9th floor of his apartment and studio skyscraper in Masarykova street.
Zagreb
- Residential and commercial building Grünsberg, Petrićeva 7, 1932–1933.
- Residential and commercial building Schlenger, Bogovićeva 4, 1932–1933.
- Hirschler residential house, Gornje Prekrižje 2, 1932–1933.
- Nossan residential house, Zvonimirova 23, 1932–1933.
- Residential and commercial building Radovan, Masarykova 22, 1933. – 1934.
- Polak residential house, Tuškanova 15, 1936. – 1937.
- Lebinec residential house, Ribnjak 20, 1936. – 1937.
- Federbuš residential house, Novakova 19, 1936. – 1937.
- Residential and commercial building Schlenger, Boškovićeva 7b, 1936. – 1937.
- Wiener Bankverein residential house, Bulićeva 4, 1936. – 1937.
- Residential and commercial building Jadranskog osiguravajućeg društva, Draškovićeva 13, 1936. – 1937.
- Residential and commercial building Radovan, Savska 8, 1937.
- Beck residential house, Vinkovićeva 8, 1937.
- Prpić residential house, Solovljeva 22, 1938.
- Löwy residential house, Mandrovićeva 12, 1938. – 1939.
- Bukovačka 149, 1941.
- Pichler residential house, Grškovićeva 7, 1941.
- Master workshop Vanje Radauša, Zmajevac 8, 1949.
- Master workshop Antuna AugustinčićaAntun AugustincicAntun Augustinčić was a prominent Croatian sculptor. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Frano Kršinić he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th century...
, Jabukovac 10, 1949. - Residential buildings factory „Rade KončarRade KoncarRade Končar was a Yugoslav Communist leader and legendary World War II resistance fighter.-Biography:...
“, Gajnice, 1949. - Residential buildings, Galjufova 4 – 12, 1949.
- Steiner residential house, Grškovićeva 25, 1955.
- Dorm „Cvjetno naselje“, Odranska 8, 1955.
- Nursing home „Lavoslav Švarc“, Bukovačka 55, 1955. – 1956.
- Economics institute, Kennedyjev trg 7, 1957. – 1963.
- Restaurant „Trnjanka“, Trnjanska cesta 31, 1959. – 1960.
- Dorm „Ante StarčevićAnte StarcevicAnte Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...
“, Ljubljanska avenija 2, 1961. - Dorm „Stjepan RadićStjepan RadicStjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
“, Horvoćanska cesta/ Jarunska cesta 2, 1961.
Croatia
- Arrangement of the Jewish cemetery, KoprivnicaKoprivnicaKoprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011 the city administrative area had a total population of 30,872, with 23,896 in the city itself.-Population:...
, 1930. - Memorial to the Jews who died in World War I in the town of Koprivnica cemetery, Koprivnica, 1930.
- Löwy family tomb, Koprivnica, 1930.
- Remaking of the Synagogue, Koprivnica, 1930.
- Elektroprimorje administration building, Viktora Cara Emina 2, RijekaRijekaRijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, 1953. – 1955. - Central substation, Grohovčeva 2, Rijeka, 1960.
- Dorm, I. G. Kovačića 4, OsijekOsijekOsijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
, 1962. - Dorm Podmurvica, Čandekova 4, Rijeka, 1963.
- Excursion forest management „Crna Gora“, Koprivnica, 1970.
- Residential family house Švarc, Krešimirov trg 5, Koprivnica, 1973.
- Memorial to the Jews who died in World War I in the town of Koprivnica cemetery, (modification of the monument from 1930.)
Other countries
- The city public beach, Skoplje, Makedonija, 1950. – 1951.
- Student village, Skoplje, Makedonija, 1950. – 1951.
- Administrative centre, Skoplje, Makedonija, 1952. – 1953.
- Disabled persons home, Skoplje, Makedonija, 1953.
- City hotel with a VardarVardarThe Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
promenade VardarVardarThe Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
, Skoplje, Makedonija - Department store, Skoplje, Makedonija, 1957.
- Federal Chamber of Commerce building, Beograd, Srbija, 1958. – 1965.