auspices/mayor of the city of Prague Tomáš Hudeček

Landscape architecture hasn´t been focused on as much as it deserves. This project´s aim is to work as an information source and interdisciplinary dialogue attended by both Czech and international specialists on this theme. The project will also incorporate a great share of voluntary workers and students from Czech universities offering landscape architecture in their study programmes. The organisers tend to revitalise the premises of the Žižkov freight railway station in Prague – the premises that seem to be half forgotten and that promise a great potential for future.

idea/

The quality of landscape architecture is often expressed by the rising quality of life which is a very hardly measurable feature. This counts not only projects, but long-term processes as well. And therefore it is vital to discuss a long-term strategy for urban development plans of Czech cities and villages.

Another important feature is to present Czech architecture discipline for public and spreading of idea and impact of landscape architecture in relation to contemporary architecture and public space.

The festival will present eminent examples mostly of European landscape architecture that in future can be realised in the Czech Republic as well. In Prague or in other place of the country there are places that possess a great potential and within the “festival” organisers want to discover them and initiate their transformation.

The organisers have been supported by the city district of Prague 3 that is a main opinion maker in the revitalisation of the Žižkov railway station that is to be reconstructed and redefined similarity as the Vítkovice location in Ostrava.

This landscape festival will link to the cycle of cultural festivals at the ŽFRS that were held in 2013 – Prague Biennale and Designblock 2013. Because of this, the organisers incorporated to the project a section on revitalisation of industrial areas in Germany /Second Hand Landscapes/ that are a good example of contemporary architecture with historical heritage and creativity for future using of these broad urban complexes.

In the whole Czech Republic and dominantly in Prague a debate on long-term cultivation of public space has been set up, attended by architects, artists, public sector and political establishment. Organisers of this project would like to enlarge the discussion with “green” or “landscape” segment that is specific for its diversified aesthetics, not only based on flowers.

A very important moment is a cooperation and co-realisation of more subjects from various fields, both artistic and civic. The aim of this dialogue of disciplines will be a meeting and debate on ways of contemporary understanding of this important segment of public space in the Czech Republic and on prospects of its use in the frame of urban work in cities and villages.

There also cooperates the civic organisation of 4dim in a conceptual and production part on the project in the Žižkov freight railway station. They have prepared the guerrilla – industrial – festival project. 4dim cooperates on publishing of a guide publication as well (details to be found in the closing description of the project).

The second very important partner is FA VUT and its newly created Institute of landscape architecture led by eminent Czech landscape architect Vladimír Sitta.