IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A

Abstract

Intangible heritage together with the material heritage – built environment, form an integral part of our culture: not just the historical one, but also the one that we have been living in now. The spaces in which we want to thrive in our cities are facing a design challenge: to be designed not only reflecting the historical customs, traditions and memories, but also shall meet our current needs, lifestyles in the way that these two demands are merged into the balanced proposal valuable (also) for the future generations. Thus, the question of what to protect, what to reflect from the past, and how can these be designed by architects – is of the utmost importance. The article presents these dynamics on two case studies – important public spaces in the urban core of historical city Trnava, Slovakia, part of its protected historic area: St. Nicholas Square and Synagogue Park. Both spaces have undergone a long and complex functional and architectural evolution from the Middle Ages to the present day and have faced a pressure from new functions and cultural changes. Even though that the sites are almost physically connected, they reflect different ways and perspectives of how the culture as a concept can be safeguarded in the built form. While St. Nicholas Square underwent comprehensive revitalisation stemming from its values in the past – being mainly a market and sacral space, the Synagogue park has been for a long time a neglected area, temporarily used for community traditional markets, concerts and small festivals and its current design merges tangible heritage values from the past with the current intangible ones.