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Between 1965 and 1990 in former socialist Czechoslovakia, a law titled Hlava 5 (‘Head 5’) ordered all state-funded construction projects to include artistic interventions. The interiors of public buildings, cultural and administrative centres, hotels and theatres were thereafter dreamed up – often by artists – as complex projects where architecture, design and art came together in fully designed modern environments. During the 1970s and 80s, wedding halls in particular became places where architects and designers had the freedom to create exceptional and striking spaces, in many cases unchanged and still in use today.
‘This huge concentration of wedding halls that emerged all over the country in that period was due to the communist regime and its efforts to promote secular ceremonies over the ecclesiastical ones in churches,’ explains Slovakian art historian Sabina Jankovičová. During her research, she found dozens of wedding halls, often hidden inside seemingly ordinary town halls in rural villages. ‘The regime wanted to create an alternative to churches and provide new type of ceremonial space that would feel special and luxurious,’ she adds.
Together, we visited three of the most singular halls. The first one is located in the small village of Soporňa. It was constructed in 1980, with its interiors masterminded by architects Ivan Petelen and Rastislav Janák. The green-and-orange scheme combining furniture and built-in elements create a colourful, Pop-infused space, complete with bespoke chairs reminiscent of designs by Verner Panton or Pierre Paulin. As is the case across many of these wedding halls, the one in Soporňa was designed down to the smallest details: from artist Stefan Bobota’s eye-catching wall relief layering faces in profile, down to the built-in curved benches and the intricate glass lights, everything here has clearly been meticulously considered.
Just few kilometres away, the village of Kovarce conceals another futuristic gem. Tucked away in the town hall, the extraordinary hall within comes as a total surprise: a vivid Space Age interior in a bright palette of yellow, orange and white. The space was designed by architect Eva Vachálková, who completely covered both the floor and walls with thick carpets to create a compact feel. Sleek white furniture, as well as a striking central lighting fixture, adds to the effect. The dramatic lamp was dreamed up by Jozef Vachálek and, with its movable branches, can be adjusted to different settings. Another abstract wall relief by Bobota completes the hall, which was finalised in 1980.
The last wedding hall we visited is in the reconstructed historical Zichy Palace in the centre of Bratislava. Zichy Palace was built in the centre of the Slovakian capital in 1775 for Count František Zichy, and while it stands out from the surrounding city with its noble Classicist facade, inside it surprises with unusual interior elements that were created at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s as part of the comprehensive reconstruction for cultural and social purposes.
In 1991, a team of architects led by Rastislav Janák, Olga Janáková and Anna Tomašáková won the prestigious Dušan Jurkovič Award for their project: a unique post-modern interior with high-tech elements in subtle beige shades. Glass, metal and polished steel surfaces create a specific atmosphere that is still relevant today, and the design also included several original furniture pieces. The lighting fixtures, of various shapes and sizes, still shine in Zichy Palace during frequent wedding ceremonies.
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