Expulsion – Occupation – Revival / The Architectural Appearance of Ralsko in the Last Century and Current Perspectives

Provider: Strategy AV21 – Resilient Society for 21st Century
Duration: 2022–2025
Recipient: Institute of Art History of Czech Academy of Sciences
Principal Investigator: Ludmila Hůrková              
Co-Investigtors: Klára Mezihoráková, Marie Platovská, Dalibor Prix, Markéta Svobodová, Pavel Vlček, Jitka Walterová

The project Expulsion – Occupation – Revival / The Architectural Appearance of Ralsko in the Last Century and Current Perspectives is part of the research programme Resilient Society for the 21st Century (Odolná společnost pro 21. století – Výzkumný program Strategie AV21). The main objective of this programme is to support research that focuses on the problems and challenges that our society is facing today. The theme of the four-year activity is part of the sub-theme Resilient Ralsko (odolné ralsko).

In the context of the political changes of the 20th century, the focus is on the reconstruction of the former state of the Ralsko side and also on the understanding of the architectural changes due to the long-term existence of the military area. The current research covers a wide range of buildings and structures in Ralsko, from pre-war constructions, through utilitarian-military buildings, to contemporary realisations that show the revitalisation of the whole area.

The aim of the activities is to initiate a wider dialogue on the future of the former military area in Ralsko, especially in the field of architecture. The discussion is based on art-historical research (field research, photographic documentation, archival research) of existing and lost sites in this locality, on the publication of results and on workshops prepared by professionals and also students.