East European Modernism

Ignored by the former communist governments and overshadowed by a focus on German and Dutch functionalism, the achievements of early modernist architects in Eastern Europe have often been omitted from western surveys of modern architecture. This text provides a retrospective of functionalist buildings completed between the wars in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. Presenting the work of such architects as Mies van der Rohe, Adolf Loos and Hans Scharoun, this volume is illustrated with archival photographs and drawings of projects from each country: sanatoria, sports facilities, hotels, villas, governmental and religious buildings. An introductory essay by Wojciech Lesnikowski examines functionalism in Eastern Europe from an international perspective, while essays by architectural historians from Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland explore competing ideas and functionalism in each country. Contributors include Vladimir Slapeta, John Macsai, Janos Bonta and Olgierd Czerner.