Action week "Avantgarde Architecture" as part of the 8th Petersburg Dialogue from 29. 9. to 3. 10. 2008 in St. Petersburg
Press release from 10/02/2008
As part of the 8th Petersburg Dialogue, the "Avant-garde Architecture" action week has been taking place in St. Petersburg since 29 September and will continue until 3 October 2008.
The aim of the action week is to draw attention to the exceptionally rich heritage of architectural monuments from the early 20th century in Russia and to bring the lesser-known buildings in St. Petersburg to the attention of experts and the interested public. The revitalisation of these buildings, some of which are under severe threat, must take place quickly and effectively.
The action week was realised with the support of the Goethe-Institut, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Berlin State Monuments Office, the St. Petersburg Monument Protection Authority KGIOP and the ProArte Institute.
On a two-day tour with German and Russian press representatives as well as experts from the fields of monument protection and the renovation of old buildings from both countries, various residential and industrial buildings built in the 20th century were visited in St. Petersburg. According to the unanimous opinion of all participating experts, many of the remaining buildings from this important architectural phase in St. Petersburg, as well as in other cities in Russia, are to be considered cultural heritage of supra-regional and national importance. The Russian National Committee and the German National Committee of the World Heritage Council ICOMOS propose in a joint memorandum of the Petersburg Dialogue that outstanding buildings and ensembles of the Russian avant-garde be nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List.
An architectural guide, which was presented by the St. Petersburg heritage organisation KGIOP during the Action Week, lists buildings and ensembles, some of which are in urgent need of action. There are currently 80 architectural and industrial monuments from the early 20th century registered in St. Petersburg.
In addition, four exhibitions are currently being presented at the Russian Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg:
"Bruno Taut - Master of Colourful Building"
"Erich Mendelsohn - Dynamics and Function"
"Living in a World Heritage Site - Six Housing Estates of Berlin Modernism"
"From Experiment to Practice - Leningrad Constructivism"
From 3 October 2008, the Historical Museum in the Peter and Paul Fortress will also be hosting the exhibition "Avant-garde - World Heritage? On the Preservation of Modernist Buildings in Russia and Germany" will also be shown at the Peter and Paul Fortress Historical Museum.
The aim of all the exhibitions is not only to draw attention to the unique architectural monuments of the early 20th century in Germany and Russia, but also to draw attention to the intensive exchange between German and Russian architects of the time, a historical example of German-Russian co-operation that is well worth building on. An international student workshop with participants from Russia, Germany and Italy will be presenting creative proposals for the sustainable conversion of avant-garde and constructivist monuments in St. Petersburg.
The two co-chairs of the Culture Working Group of the Petersburg Dialogue, Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky and Prof. Dr. h.c. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann see these activities as a great opportunity to raise public awareness of the architectural heritage of the early 20th century and, in close cooperation, to preserve and bring to life evidence of Russian constructivism and German modernism, such as the German Bauhaus, as an important part of the cultural world heritage.