Dušan Samo Jurkovič (23 August 1868,
Turá Lúka – 21 December 1947,
Bratislava) was a
Slovak architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
,
furniture designer, artist and
ethnographer
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
. One of the best-known promoters of Slovak art in 20th century
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, he is remembered mostly due to his projects of numerous
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
cemeteries in
Galicia and thanks to his wooden works of spa complex in
Luhačovice and mountain cottage hotel Maměnka and canteen Libušín in
Pustevny
Pustevny (1018 metres above sea level) is a mountain pass, mountain saddle in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range of the Czech Republic, not far from Radhošť, in the municipality of Prostřední Bečva. It was named after the Czech word ...
. Thanks to his artistic work with wood, he is referred to as "the poet of timber". His architectonic style was a unique fusion of folk architecture and then-popular architectonic styles, mostly associated with
Art Nouveau. Jurkovič repeatedly stressed: "The work of art is rooted in the time. I also have always cautiously listened to its voice."
Biography
Jurkovič was born on 23 August 1868 in Turá Lúka,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(now part of
Myjava,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
), to a family of Slovak patriots. His grandfather was
Samuel Jurkovič, the founder of the first Farmers Alliance in Slovakia, his uncle was
Jozef Miloslav Hurban
Jozef Miloslav Hurban ( hu, Hurbán József Miloszláv; pseudonyms ''Slavomil F. Kořennatý, Ľudovít Pavlovič, M. z Bohuslavíc, M. Selovský'', 19 March 1817 – 21 February 1888) was a leader of the Slovak National Council and the Slovak ...
, a slovak writer, poet, priest and patriot, his father was a
notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
and his mother was a folk art connoisseur.
He graduated from a local school in
Sopron
Sopron (; german: Ödenburg, ; sl, Šopron) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő.
History
Ancient times-13th century
When the area that is today Western Hungary was a province of the Roman Empire, a ...
and moved to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, where between 1884 and 1889 he studied at the National School of Industry under
Camillo Sitte
Camillo Sitte (17 April 1843 – 16 November 1903) was an Austrian architect, painter and urban theorist whose work influenced urban planning and land use regulation. Today, Sitte is best remembered for his 1889 book, ''City Planning According to ...
. He briefly worked in
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
, where he became fascinated with folk carpenters and their works in wood. Then he moved to
Vsetín
Vsetín () is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants.
Originally a small town, Vsetín has become an important centre of industrial, economic, cultural and sports life during the 20th century.
Administ ...
(eastern
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
), where he continued his studies at the atelier of
Michal Urbánek. Together with his bureau he co-authored the buildings of the 1895
Czech-Slavonic Ethnographic Exhibition in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
and also authored numerous other buildings in
Bohemia.
In 1899 he moved to
Brno, where he designed his own house and a new lodging house for the local school. During his stay in Brno he became friends with local Czech writers
Jiří Mahen
Jiří Mahen (born: Antonín Vančura; 12 December 1882 – 22 May 1939) was a Czech novelist, playwright and essayist.
Life
He was born Antonín Vančura, in Čáslav, to an old noble family of the Bohemian Brethren faith. In his grammar-s ...
, Mrštík brothers and
Josef Merhaut. Among his best-known designs realized in Brno was a villa in Žabovřesky, combining local folk art with the state-of-the-art
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
trends of Vienna. He also authored the design of the Society of Friends of Arts building, a distant cousin to Viennese ''
Wiener Werkstätte
The Wiener Werkstätte (engl.: ''Vienna Workshop''), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that b ...
'' and the geometric school. He also prepared a project of reconstruction of the castle in
Nové Město nad Metují.
Mobilized by the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
during the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he became one of the most notable members of the War Graves Unit. He authored approximately 35 war cemeteries near
Gorlice
Gorlice ( uk, Горлиці, translit=''Horlytsi'') is a city and an urban municipality ("gmina") in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants (2008). It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy S ...
in
Galicia (now
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
), most of them heavily influenced by local
Lemko
Lemkos ( rue, Лeмкы, translit= Lemkŷ; pl, Łemkowie; uk, Лемки, translit=Lemky) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region ( rue, Лемковина, translit=Lemkovyna; uk, Лемківщина, translit=Lemkivshchyna) of C ...
(
Rusyn) folk art and carpentry.
After the war he returned to newly founded
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
and settled in
Bratislava. Among the best known of his later works is the tombs of
Jozef Miloslav Hurban
Jozef Miloslav Hurban ( hu, Hurbán József Miloszláv; pseudonyms ''Slavomil F. Kořennatý, Ľudovít Pavlovič, M. z Bohuslavíc, M. Selovský'', 19 March 1817 – 21 February 1888) was a leader of the Slovak National Council and the Slovak ...
and
Milan Rastislav Štefánik
Milan Rastislav Štefánik (; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. A ...
, monument to
Slovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising ( sk, Slovenské národné povstanie, abbreviated SNP) was a military uprising organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. This resistance movement was represented mainly by the members of the ...
, and the
cable car station at
Lomnický štít in the
High Tatras
The High Tatras or High Tatra Mountains ( Slovak: Vysoké Tatry; pl, Tatry Wysokie; rue, Высокі Татри,'' Vysoki Tatry''; hu, Magas-Tátra; german: Hohe Tatra; french: Hautes Tatras), are a mountain range along the border of norther ...
mountains. He died on 21 December 1947.
Gallery
LibusinPredPozarem.jpg, Mountain cottage Libušín in Pustevny
Pustevny (1018 metres above sea level) is a mountain pass, mountain saddle in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range of the Czech Republic, not far from Radhošť, in the municipality of Prostřední Bečva. It was named after the Czech word ...
, Czech Republic (1897–99)
Lázeňský dům Luhačovice.JPG, Spa house in Luhačovice, Czech Republic (1902)
Brno, Jurkovičova vila, zahrada.jpg, Own villa in Brno, Czech Republic (1906)
Jurkovicuv Most, Nove Mesto nad Metuji (2).jpg, Jurkovič bridge in Nové Město nad Metují, Czech Republic (1910)
Odbudowana Gontyna w Łużnej, Cmentarz Wojenny nr 123.JPG, Cemetery No. 123 in Łużna
Łużna is a village in Gorlice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Łużna. It lies approximately north-west of Gorlice and south-east of the regional ca ...
, Poland (1915)
Regietów, cmentarz wojenny nr 51 (HB1).jpg, Cemetery No. 51 in Regietów, Poland (1915)
Cmentarz wojskowy nr 11.JPG, Cemetery No. 11 in Wola Cieklińska, Poland (1915)
Mohyla Milana Rastislava Stefanika.jpg, Tomb of general Milan R. Štefánik in Brezová pod Bradlom
Brezová pod Bradlom (german: Birkenhain; hu, Berezó) is a town in the Myjava District, Trenčín Region, western Slovakia, at the western foothills of the Little Carpathians, in the Myjavské Kopanice region.
History
The territory of Brezová ...
, Slovakia (1924–28)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurkovic, Dusan
1868 births
1947 deaths
People from Myjava
Slovak Protestants
Slovak architects
19th-century Slovak people
20th-century Slovak people
Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
Rusyn culture