Cultural Revolution in Europe
- Mar 19, 2019
- 3 min read
The opportunity for an Arts Society Study Day was not to be missed and what proved to be an fascinating day on Cultural Revolution in the Heart of Europe was delivered by Gavin Plumley, a leading cultural historian, well-known for his work on Central European music and culture in the 19th and 20th centuries.
During the 19th century, when many Central European countries were still under the control of the Habsburgs in Vienna, art and culture were often the only ways in which the Empire’s crownlands could express national identity. Throughout Europe the year 1848 was the Year of Revolution and there were many, mainly unsuccessful, uprisings. The domination of the Empire came to an end with the Great War in 1918 and our study day looked at three case studies, the Czech lands, Slovenia and Hungary, through the prism of their capital cities: Prague, Ljubljana and Budapest. We have long wanted to visit Budapest so this inspired us to book a Danube River Cruise for May!
Prague was our first stop, capital of the Czech lands, also known as the Lands of the Bohemian Crown. The third largest city in the Empire, after Rome & Vienna, Prague was fiercely independent and determined to keep alive the Czech language. At the time the language of the aristocracy and middle classes was German but the workers in the countryside spoke Czech and passed down their folk tales and stories in that language. A revolution through language was taking place as an expression of identity. The Moldau River, from its source in the mountains of the Bohemian Forest, through the Czech countryside, to the city of Prague was immortalised in Smetana's haunting symphonic poem.
Smetana was the first Czech writer of opera for the theatre.
Mozart also wrote many pieces of music for Prague, including the opera Don Giovanni and, of course, the Prague symphony:
Many Czech artists moved to Paris, attracted by Art Nouveau and were referred to as 'Bohemians', which of course they were, a phrase which has remained to this day. One such artist, Alphonse Mucha, became hugely successful by advertising Sara Bernhart, a famous actress of her day.
Our second stop was Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. In 1849 the railway came to Slovenia, running through the Alps from Vienna to Trieste but bypassing Ljubljana. On Easter Sunday 1895 a massive earthquake struck the city, destroying most of its ancient architecture. However, this was a blessing in disguise, provoking a second renaissance and a competition was set up for the redesign of the city. The competition was won by Max Fabiani, a cosmopolitan Italian/Slovenian architect and town planner who had a rational approach to planning. He worked with the architect Bernig to design bright modern buildings and used folk art to symbolise the nationalism of the city. The cultural rebuilding of the city made Slovenia the epicentre for Impressionism in the Empire. Ljubljana is full of beautifully designed buildings and bridges and well worth a visit.
And so to Budapest. The events of 1848 did not miss Hungary. They rebelled against the Habsburgs demanding national rights. The Hungarians were favoured over other slavic nations and the Habsburg monarchy became the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1867. The resultant economic boom resulted in the creation of the capital of Hungary, Budapest in 1873 with the merger of three cities: Buda, Obuda and Pest. An explosion of art, design and architecture resulted in some spectacular buildings and bridges. The Parliament building (right) was, as you can see, modelled on the Houses of Westminster. The centuries old Matthias Church regained much of its former splendour in the boom years after 1873. The last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, Franz Josef 1 was crowned here.
Other landmarks were modelled on the restoration of Paris by Baron Hausmann taking place at that time. The Budapest Western Railway Station (which travels east!) was built by the Eiffel Company of Paris before the Eiffel Tower.
Budapest shows its cultural heritage and folk art in its tilework across the city. The Great Market Hall is an excellent example of this and was the largest factory in Europe until the construction of the London Brick Company factory.
Towards the end of the 19th century the Arts and Crafts movement became influential across Europe. Artists became more forward thinking, looking for the vernacular and rejecting the grandeur of the past. Many of the 'En Plein Air' artists of the time trained at the Munich Art School. Bela Bartok, a Hungarian and one of the most important composers of the early 20th century aped them by bringing the music of the fields into the city.
If you want to read more about this fascinating world, the celebrated
Transylvanian Trilogy by Count Miklos Banffy is a stunning historical epic set in the lost world of the Hungarian aristocracy just before World War I.
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