Abstract
The year 2020 saw the 90th anniversary of the construction of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Košice, as well as the 125th anniversary of the birth of its designer, the Košice architect Ľudovít Oelschläger. These commemorations lead us to consider the fate of this remarkable multifunctional structure, a listed cultural monument and important example of Košice modernism, which has long ceased to serve its original purpose and now lies empty and neglected. Indeed, the latest owner was able to reclassify the building as residential and is currently selling the property. Its forlorn state and uncertain future use, together with the impending deterioration of its still-present architectural qualities, warn of the potential threat both to the physical integrity of this cultural monument and its expressive originality.
Highlights
Históriu novostavby Obchodnej a priemyselnej komory (OPK) v Košiciach – originálneho reprezentanta architektonického dedičstva košickej moderny, do istej miery naplnil už predchádzajúci archívny výskum autorky
The Chamber in Košice operated from two leased offices in the building of the Košice Savings Bank at Hlavná 4 and was formed with the primary aim of supporting the development of local commerce and industry and overcoming specific business problems which existed within the district
The management of the Chamber was drawn from leading figures in the economic life of the city and district who could use their influence in critical decisions, such as the extension of the railway network to Košice and later to Kysak and Prešov, the urban development of the city and its gasification and electrification, and the introduction of vocational education, in which it played a pioneering role in Hungary
Summary
Históriu novostavby Obchodnej a priemyselnej komory (OPK) v Košiciach – originálneho reprezentanta architektonického dedičstva košickej moderny, do istej miery naplnil už predchádzajúci archívny výskum autorky. A to jednak kvôli uvedomeniu si rozsahu pôsobnosti tejto unikátnej medzivojnovej inštitúcie, ktorá do siedmich rokov od dokončenia novostavby samotnej budovy OPK dokázala zrealizovať moderné bývanie pre vyše dvadsať rodín svojich zamestnancov, ale aj pre autora projektu bytového domu. Oslovený bol opäť architekt Oelschläger, ktorý invenčné riešenie tentoraz zákazky v kontexte bývania, s odkazmi na kompozičné riešenie presvetlenia priestoru nad vstupom židovskej školy v Užhorode – vertikálnym pásom ukončeným kruhovým oknom (1926), použil v Košiciach nad vstupom bytového domu, ale v opačnom garde. Realizátorom moderného bytového domu v závere historického centra mesta, tak ako aj novej budovy OPK, bol opäť domáci staviteľ Hugo Kaboš. V priebehu necelého roka po dostavbe bytového domu pre zamestnancov komory, sa vedenie košickej OPK angažuje aj na príprave jubilejnej výstavy k 20. OPKs were mandatory organizations covering all sectors of commerce, crafts and industry and were funded through specific surcharges on direct earnings taxes.[1]
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