The festival's underlying idea is to raise awareness of the scope, meaning and significance of landscape architecture in relation to contemporary architecture, art and public space. The Landscape Festival project seeks to raise awareness and promote interdisciplinary dialogue not only among Czech but also international experts, artists, politicians and the general public.
The venue of the 11th Landscape Festival will be Jihlava - a regional city on the border of Bohemia and Moravia. A city of many layers: historical, social, cultural and finally geological, whose richness was the initiating factor for the creation of the city.
In some ways, Jihlava is reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty - beautiful, hidden and sometimes a little bit stuck in the past. The city's generous layout reflects the medieval prosperity associated with intensive silver mining. At that time, Jihlava was on the rise as the second largest centre of trade after Prague. The region's population was predominantly German until the mid-20th century, and the city is still dealing with the unfortunate consequences of post-war displacement today. Jihlava is often associated with the Zoo or the Prior department store building in the middle of the square.
The Landscape Festival will provide an opportunity for Jihlava to promote other contemporary themes dedicated to: the quality of public spaces, their sustainability, biodiversity or adaptation to climate change. It will be an excellent possibility to discover the multilayered nature of Jihlava's urban landscape for both local residents and out-of-town visitors. However, Jihlava is also a place that has a distinct historical cultural footprint. This context is very important for the curatorial concept, which offers a different view of the city's genius loci in collaboration with local organisations (Jihlava Gateway, Vysočina Regional Gallery). The festival is not limited to the city and its immediate surroundings, but by extending to Brtnice, Branišov and Humpolec, it will commemorate important architects, artists and organisations that have shaped and are shaping the cultural image of the Highlands - for example Gustav Mahler, Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos, Bohuslav Fuchs, Věra Machoninová, Čestmír and Ivan Kafka or the 8smička cultural zone.
- to attract the attention of the public and awaken their interest in cultivating Jihlava's public space
- to intervene through architectural interventions and art installations in the urban space and thus in the life of Jihlava itself
- to present Jihlava as a green and sustainable city with a distinctive architectural history and cultural heritage
- to present inspiring examples of Czech and foreign landscape architecture, industrial architecture and quality public spaces in the form of exhibitions
- to promote certain locations as the subject of studio works by students of professional universities
- to connect various cultural activities - theatre, dance, music, architecture, visual arts
- to involve a large number of institutions and associations engaged in similar activities and to encourage their natural cooperation
- to involve local architects and artists from Jihlava and the Vysočina Region and present their work
- dialogue between civil society and political representation
- to look for opportunities to reclaim some sites that are currently unattractive but have a high potential for the future
- to revitalise the summer season and help tourism
The festival organiser is Architectura association and Brána Jihlavy p.o.
For more information visit www.architectura.cz.