FIRED FEBRUARY - the group Zapálení celebrated 5 years of existence

"FIRED FEBRUARY," commemorating the five years of existence of the group and the uncelebrated 122nd birthday of architect Zápal, has concluded. The program of "FIRED FEBRUARY" included a traditional visit to the grave of Hanuš Zápal in Rakovník (February 10) and a "fired evening" in Nevřeni (February 16), culminating in a celebration at the apartment of architect Hanuš Zápal, located in his own house in Roudná. Sympathizers of the group were invited as guests for the celebration: sculptor Jaroslav Veselák with his wife, who created a model of the commemorative plaque for H. Zápal free of charge two years ago (the plaque was designed by Jarek Veselák, a member of the group), supporters of modern architecture, Michal Stavař with his wife, the current owner of Zápal's house with his wife, actor and architect David Vávra, and sculptor Václav Fiala. A ceremonial toast was given at the commemorative plaque in front of the house by sculptor J. Veselák and his wife. During the celebration, there was a projection of photographs from the past five years – from the so-called parades, traditional February visits to Zápal's grave in Rakovník, regular meetings at the Jabloň café since the group's formation in 2002, visits to the studios of the group's sympathizers, preparations for the commemorative plaque for architect Zápal, lectures by leading Czech architects at the museum, or the filming of Šumná Plzeň. The projection also included photographic documentation of the work in restoring Zápal's apartment, which is now occupied by one of the Fired.

The apartment is located on the second floor of a functionalist apartment building on Křížková street, which architect H. Zápal designed for himself. The apartment is occupied by Jakub Chvojka (a group member). A partial renovation of the apartment's interior took place gradually from spring 2006 to February 2007.
First, the original door opening between the kitchen and the room was restored (see photo). In both festive rooms connected with sliding doors (also see photo), the parquet floor was refurbished, light switches were replaced with the original white ones, round in shape, and new "stylistic" chandeliers made of milk glass were installed.
A symbolic and very sensitive moment in the interior restoration was the refurbishment of the large four-part window in the bay (see photo), which had been neglected and appeared very disheveled at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that only the side wing oriented to the west was not fitting correctly and was therefore extremely exposed to weather influences. The fittings were disassembled, followed by the metal sealing (made from metal strips). During the stripping of the paint, sanding, and filling, it was confirmed that the wood used is first-class and knot-free, dried without a dryer, of course. In other words, the quality of the delicate wooden window frame is very difficult to achieve in contemporary production. Originally, the windows of the house were green, and the břízolit façade was sandy yellow with a gray-white bay window. Today the windows are white. This circumstance complicated the painting work. Today, the window facing the street is white, but the interior has two shades of green, a dark frame, and light wings. The coloring was resolved based on an examination of the original paint. The restoration work on the apartment was carried out by the current inhabitants of the apartment themselves. The window refurbishment was carried out in the form of a fired happening called "WINDOW FOR HANUŠ."
The restoration of the bay window in Zápal's apartment serves as a reminder of the work of perhaps the most significant architect in Plzeň and a symbolic connection to the figure of Hanuš Zápal. Above all, it is evidence of a relatively easy approach to preserving windows from the interwar period. Their preservation is achievable without high technical skills and large financial expenditures. Why strive to preserve the original wooden windows and not install plastic ones in houses? Windows need to be painted from time to time, but their lifespan is longer, and their service to people and buildings is more advantageous. The only condition for this path is not to refuse to paint windows as a principle beforehand. And even though maintenance may temporarily lapse, it is still possible to restore or repair the windows, allowing them to serve fully again. Damaged plastic windows can only be discarded and replaced with new ones. Furthermore, installing new technology in an old house carries the same risks as putting it in an old car. As a whole, it may seem to work better, but you don’t know where problems will arise in time.

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The Plzeň group FIRED 02 associates architects and passionate supporters of 20th-century architecture. To promote it, they hold public lectures, strive for publishing activities, and undertake so-called Parade rides around the region, during which they visit and search for valuable but forgotten places and buildings. They align themselves with the legacy of significant regional architect Hanuš Zápal.

5 YEARS OF THE GROUP | FIRED CALENDAR

February 2002
uncelebrated 117th birthday of Hanuš Zápal – the group meets for the first time

March 2002
the name of the group is created

Autumn 2002
FIRED organizes the first lecture series on architecture at the museum (lecturers: D. Vávra, P. Šimeček, R. Švácha)

February 2003
uncelebrated 118th birthday of Hanuš Zápal – FIRED visits his grave in Rakovník for the first time

Spring 2003
FIRED organizes the second lecture series on architecture at the museum (lecturers: V. Milunič, J. Pleskot, I. Otruba, Z. Lukeš)

April, May 2003
the group collaborates with D. Vávra and R. Lipus on preparations for filming Šumná Plzeň

January 2004
FIRED organizes a preview of ŠUMNÁ PLZEŇ at the museum

February 2004
uncelebrated 119th birthday of Hanuš Zápal – FIRED visits his grave in Rakovník for the second time

Spring 2004
FIRED organizes the third lecture series on architecture at the museum (lecturers: L. Lábus, A. Šrámková, J. Střítecký)

February 6, 2005
uncelebrated 120th birthday of Hanuš Zápal – FIRED visits his grave for the third time and brings "Zápal's" light to Plzeň, where the next day it played a key role in the unveiling of the commemorative plaque

February 7, 2005
the group unveils a commemorative plaque for Hanuš Zápal at his house in Roudná

April 2005
group member Petr Domanický publishes a work about Hanuš Zápal in čs. ARCHITEKT

January 2006
the group collaborates with D. Vávra and R. Lipus on preparations for filming Šumná Šumava

February 2006
uncelebrated 121st birthday of Hanuš Zápal - FIRED visits his grave in Rakovník for the fourth time
May 2006 group member Jakub Chvojka moves into Hanuš Zápal's apartment; several group members begin the gradual restoration of H. Zápal's apartment; the group starts meeting in Hanuš Zápal's former house and apartment

October 19, 2006
during the discussion forum "Contemporary Architecture in Historic City Areas," the group announces the Anti-Award of Hanuš Zápal. The Anti-Award is given to all those who actively participated in the destruction of a significant building by Hanuš Zápal, the former Social Care House, which later served as a municipal hospital. The complex of buildings was located in Sady 5. května, where the newly constructed Diplomat Hotel now stands. The Anti-Award takes the form of a commemorative sheet given to all present.

February 2007
uncelebrated 122nd birthday of Hanuš Zápal - FIRED visits his grave in Rakovník for the fifth time as part of the program of the so-called FIRED FEBRUARY 2007 and celebrates five years of its existence.