Heritagisation of Art Nouveau Urban Architecture

Abstract

This chapter presents monument protection as a revealing indicator for urban history. The cultural and social history of Subotica (Serbia), characterised by its multi-ethnic and multi-religious identity constructions, are told through the history of its outstanding Art Nouveau Synagogue. Art Nouveau architecture was a fusion of international innovations and local traditions that resulted in a special identity-building power. Its Hungarian variety, principally emerging in quickly developing fin de siecle cities, was an attempt not only to manifest a national style, but also to represent modernisation and urban development. This complexity led to many misunderstandings and animosities towards Art Nouveau heritage in those cities, which found themselves in different successor states of Austria-Hungary after World War I. The tormented history of the Synagogue of Subotica simultaneously culminates in its inclusion on the list of the Seven Most Endangered Monuments and Sites of Europa Nostra in 2014 and its costly renovation financed by multi-level actors in 2018 revealing its unique symbolic and historic significances and their political use in the city and beyond.