The Architectural Phenomenon of Chernivtsi of the Beginning and the mid-20th-Century: F. Fellner, G. Helmer, F. Kiesler, H. Creangă and Others

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, there has been considerable debate on the styles of modern architecture around the world and, particularly, in Ukraine. Interestingly, proponents of traditionalism seek answers in the reproduction of ornaments and facades of buildings or the imitation and interpretation of folk forms and materials engendered in past eras. Connoisseurs of the latest technologies and trends see the essence of modern architecture in open space planning, the universality of space and share common views on the overall versatility of objects, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. However, it is of the utmost importance that they also study extensively the outstanding personalities and their creative heritage, which will enable them to predict the potential ways of architectural development down the line. For many years the Department of Architectural Environment Design of Lviv Polytechnic National University has been investigating architecture through the prism of continental and world systems of culture with numerous cross-cultural similarities and differences, authenticity and borrowings and synthetic phenomena. In other words, the Department hones in on the development of conceptual ideas throughout European history and the World cultures. It should be noted that within the territorial boundaries of modern western Ukraine there are cities, which used to be the administrative centers of other countries. They developed in accordance with the dominant tendencies of the former capitals, which shifted their culture potential from the center to the periphery, mainly due to architecture. One of the brightest cities of the early 20th century was Chernivtsi. It was the administrative center of Bukovina, which belonged to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and later to the Kingdom of Romania. Hence, the experience of architects who worked in the city and erected many multifunctional buildings constitutes important evidence in our investigation. However, these are not the quantitative indicators of the completed building projects but rather the architects' progressive ideas highlighting a phenomenal universal feature that should be taken into consideration, which is sometimes of greater importance than merely practical optimization of complex architectural forms. The paper seeks to address three architectural phenomena associated with Chernivtsi, namely, the Viennese bureau of F. Fellner and G. Helmer, the futurist designer F. Kiesler, and the Romanian modernist H. Creangą. The criteria for selecting these personalities were their common features: the certain period of time spent in Chernivtsi, enthusiasm and desire to constantly improve architecture, the willingness to seek understanding of the spatial, formal, historical and urban contexts of architecture. The design concepts of these architects are systematically collected and analysed at the Institute of Architecture and Design in Lviv Polytechnic National University. They are developed and implemented in student research projects, as well as bachelor's and master's theses and can lay the foundation for the innovative architectural solutions in Ukraine.