During this year's Architecture Day, 450 events will take place in 136 cities

Prague - This year's 15th edition of the Architecture Day festival will take place in 136 cities and will offer around 450 mostly free events. In addition to Czech cities, some Slovak cities will also participate. The festival will focus on female architects who have established themselves in a male-dominated field. This year's edition, which will run from October 2 to 7, has been subtitled "That Architecture." At the beginning of October, the festival Film and Architecture will also be linked to Architecture Day, the ČTK was informed today by Silvie Marková, on behalf of the organizers from the Kruh association, in a press release.

The festival has published the complete program for this year on its website www.denarchitektury.cz. Most events are free of charge, although some require registration, which will begin on September 14. Tickets are sold for some accompanying excursions, such as guided walks, workshops, or performances, while others are free of charge.

The festival will focus on the first Czechoslovak female graduates of architecture studies from the 1920s, specifically Milada Petříková-Pavlíková, Hana Kučerová-Záveská, and Elly Oehler. It will also dedicate attention to the strong post-war generation represented by Věra Machoninová, Alena Šrámková, Růžena Žertová, and Zdenka Marie Nováková.

The author of the New Orangerie in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle, Eva Jiřičná, will hold a discussion in the castle's Supreme Burgrave's Office. An immersive performance called "Feast of the Architects" will take place in the Prague Činoherní Club, combining theatre with a guided walk. Journalist Táňa Zabloudilová will discuss the current housing crisis. In Brno, one of the events will highlight the pioneer of women's education, Eliška Machová. Architectural historian Adam Štěch will lecture on the works of female architects and designers from the 20th century in Prague.

The festival will also focus on new buildings, renovations, and forgotten places. Walks will take interested parties to areas such as the Morušovka villa district in Hradec Králové, Prague's Baba and Ořechovka, Kylešovský Hill in Opava, the Planýrka area in Brno, or the abandoned workers' colony Karlov in Plzeň. The theme of the walks will also include the transformation of Zlín's historical center and the renovation of the train station and the transformation of Zátkův Embankment in České Budějovice.

Iconic villas of various architectural styles will also come to life during the festival. Among the 20th-century buildings included will be the Koldům in Litvínov, the Langhans Palace in Prague, the former Dukla cinema in Pardubice, and cultural houses in various cities. However, much older monuments will not be missing, such as Judith's Tower of the Charles Bridge, whose tour will be linked to the 125th anniversary of the Club for Old Prague.

Slovak cities participating in the festival include Banská Bystrica, Bardejov, Bratislava, Hlohovec, Kremnica, Piešťany, Šaľa, Tatranská Lomnica, Zvolen, Žiar nad Hronom, and Žilina.

The sister festival Film and Architecture will take place from October 1 to 6, relating to the central female theme of this year's Architecture Day. The film showcase will begin with the documentary "Women of the Bauhaus," a tribute to the forgotten female artists of the famous school, Marková announced in the press release.