Register of modern architecture oA HÚ SAV

The Department of Architecture at the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences is currently conducting the most extensive concentrated monitoring of 20th-century architecture in Slovakia. The result will be an expansion of the digital database of 20th-century works in Slovakia, the completion of data on individual works, the expansion of the collection of digital graphic and text materials, and, above all, an overall assessment of the state of the architectural heritage of post-war modernism.

Part of the research project is also the development of a new method for evaluating post-war modernist architecture. The ongoing field research and subsequent evaluation form the basis for the restructuring of the digital database of 20th-century architecture in Slovakia, which is also the starting point for the Register of Modern Architecture. The process of monitoring the architectural heritage of the second half of the 20th century is proceeding along two basic parallel lines. The first line focuses on monitoring those works that have been specified as exceptional in previous research. These are mainly works listed in the international DOCOMOMO register. In parallel, monitoring is carried out that follows the administrative and geographical division of Slovakia and focuses on monitoring the administrative regions. The architectural heritage of post-war modernism in the Trnava region is currently being monitored. It is already apparent that, although there are only a small number of such buildings in the region, they are nevertheless extremely significant works.

In August 2025, the process of monitoring the architectural heritage of the Trenčín Region was completed. As part of this process, we identified the factors that determine the character of its architectural heritage. First and foremost, this heritage is linked to the region's industrial past. There are dozens of production facilities and technical works in the region that deserve protection and restoration. These include the mining towns of Handlová and Prievidza, the traditional centers of the engineering and arms industries in Považská Bystrica and Dubnica nad Váhom, and smaller towns such as Stará Turá and Myjava, which experienced significant growth in the second half of the last century and where dozens of extraordinary architectural works were built. The modern urban centers in Považská Bystrica, Dubnica nad Váhom, and Púchov are unique documents of the final phase of Slovakia's modernization and industrialization, which was completed in the 1960s and 1970s. Such modernist complexes are not only remarkable documents of the era but also bearers of the identity of these towns. Another essential formative part of the modern architectural heritage in the Trenčín Region are the spa towns of Bojnice and Trenčianske Teplice. In Trenčín, the seat of the self-governing region and the largest city in the region, all layers of 20th-century architectural heritage are embodied, with post-war modernism represented mainly by public buildings of local government and educational institutions. The architectural heritage of post-war modernism in the Trnava region is currently being monitored. It is already apparent that, although there are only a small number of such buildings in the region, they are nevertheless extremely significant works.

The aim of the monitoring process is to identify and evaluate works that have not yet been included in the digital database, as well as to evaluate the condition of works that have been included in the database on the basis of previous research. The result of the monitoring process will be a list of the most significant and best-preserved works of post-war modernism in Slovakia, which will serve as a basis for their protection and inclusion among national cultural monuments.

The monitoring is accompanied by the creation of photographic documentation of the most significant works by photographer Diana Kakara Dobrescu.

Post-war modernist architecture in Slovakia: identification, evaluation, and protection, 09103-03-V04-00136