Plečnik Beyond Ljubljana: Slovenia’s Greatest Artist in and Around Kamnik
Those visitors to Ljubljana with a keen aesthetic eye inevitably fall in love with the architecture of the city’s genius loci, Jože Plečnik. Plečnik is beloved of architectural historians but is not a household name, like Le Corbusier or Mies van der Rohe or Frank Lloyd Wright, because he never joined nor founded an international movement, and his work is primarily in Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana, just beyond the sightlines of most, whose view of architecture focuses on colossal cities in the US, Western Europe and perhaps Japan. Plečnik (1872–1957) was a Modernist mystic, living and working in the context of Modernism, but drawing upon an array of influences, from ancient Egyptian and Etruscan architecture to his contemporary Secessionism, all laced with his own unique perspectives. In just one of his works, the sluice gate to the Ljubljanica River, the keen-eyed art historian can spot visual references to ancient Egypt, Etruria, Athens, Rome, Mannerist and Baroque styles. His work is a like a candy store for architecture lovers. But when he references a past style, it’s not cut-and-paste (stick a Corinthian column here, a barrel vault there), but he internalizes the original shape and then reinvents it, making it his own. In the sluice gate, he borrows the stylized acanthus leaves traditional to Corinthian column capitals but recreates them in his own design.
He “designed” himself, too. He was an unusual gentleman, an ascetic (he favored cold baths and “coffee” made of barley), dressing like a Tibetan monk, refusing to marry (as he was “wed” to architecture, as he said) and consciously choosing not to work in the spotlight of a metropolis, but instead to return to his native Ljubljana, when it was something of a cultural backwater, and try to transform it into a city worthy of the name. An 1895 earthquake — when Plečnik was a 23-year-old — had devastated Ljubljana, levelling some 15% of the structures in the center. Plečnik came of age at a time when a proactive young mayor, Ivan Hribar, head of the city construction office, Matko Prelovšek, and an art historian, France Stele, were there to champion the architect’s work. He landed most of the significant commissions to rebuild Ljubljana and so the city bears his stamp more so than, for instance, Barcelona bears that of Antoni Gaudi. Ljubljana is where you go to enjoy Plečnik’s work. This was the subject of my PhD thesis, which became a book (Eternal Architect, published by the City Museum of Ljubljana) and a documentary short film I presented for RTV.
But his work expanded far beyond the confines of Ljubljana, and there is a rich vein of Plečnik’s oeuvre some thirty minutes to the north, in and around the postcard-perfect medieval town of Kamnik. What must be seen and why?
Around Kamnik
This beautiful church of Church of Saint Benedict, in Zgornje Stranje, is just a few minutes’ drive outside of Kamnik was presided over by a priest, Martin Perc, who was a friend and supporter of Plečnik. Plečnik was very religious but was interested in Catholic mysticism and symbolism. He was also a supporter of local crafts and relished in promoting the best local craftsmen. This church is a sandbox in which he allowed craftsmen from the region to strut their stuff. It is full of lovely details, more interesting than they need to be — for instance, every lamp in this church interior is unique and handmade. He was also sensitive to budgets and capable of humbly working within them. Witness the floor here — the locals couldn’t afford costly marble paving, so the floor is paved with specially-treated logs.
Plečnik was commissioned to create a hunting lodge for King Alexander of Yugoslavia. The idea was for the king to arrive in Kamnik by train (stopping at the Kamnik Mesto station, another Plečnik design) before traveling by automobile to the wooded mountains of Kamniška Bistrica, a popular hunting ground for Yugoslav royalty (and later for Tito). The hunting lodge is a perfect fit for its surroundings, incorporating stone and timber. It is more modest than we might expect for royalty, but was fitted out with precision and loving detail that referenced regional traditions. For example, on the mountain pasture nearby, Velika Planina, there was a tradition that herdsmen keeping night watch for wolves and bears would sit on a two-legged stool. They had to maintain balance proactively — if they fell asleep, they would fall over and thus wake. He noted this and designed high end versions of these stools for the king’s bodyguards, so they couldn’t possibly fall asleep on the job outside the royal bedchamber. This hunting lodge is not normally open to the public, in private hands, and not long ago (to my great surprise) it was advertised online for rent — at only 700 EUR a month! A very reasonable rent to live like a king!
In Kamnik
When we filmed for the RTV documentary, we got access to a private room above the Stele family candle shop, in their apartment. The room is a miniature museum with many fine objects, but the star attraction is a table, several chairs and a candlestick all in wood, fitted with family-specific carved symbols and references, all designed by Plečnik exclusively for the Stele family (you can visit the room, but need to call ahead of time and make a plan with TIC Kamnik or the Stele family). Plečnik was close friends with art historian, France Stele, and often took the train up to visit Kamnik to spend time with him.
Plečnik did some designs for Kamnik’s Main Square, though the majority of the work was assigned to his students, particularly Anton Bitenc (another example of his work largely handled by a student is the Kamnik Mesto train station). In 1952, the most beloved building in Kamnik was knocked down. It was called Kamniški Dom and from looking at archival photos it would have been the centerpiece of a visit to Kamnik, which is saying something, since Kamnik boasts three castles. A palatial mansion with a beautiful, ornate façade, it covered the width of the main square and was the heart of public gatherings in the town. The “problem” at the time was that this building was associated with the Church and the socialist government objected. When it was damaged in an earthquake, rather than rebuild it, they saw the opportunity and demolished it. The majority of the locals were very upset, and in an effort to mollify them, the government asked Plečnik to make a new design for the Main Square. His complete design was never implemented, only some elements, like the façade of the building on the east side, which now houses a café on its ground floor. A small remnant of Kamniški Dom remains: you can still see the blue-and-white tiles that were on a bathroom wall, which remains fixed to the façade of a building shaped like a fishtail in the right corner when you face the Plečnik façade.
The Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher was built in the Franciscan church of Kamnik between 1952 and 1954, with a priest called Martin Perc instrumental in bringing Plečnik to the project (as well as to the renovation of the church in Stranje).
In this chapel we have what art historians call a gesamtkunstwerk, a German word for a “complete work of art,” in which all aspects of the space: Architecture, sculpture, painting, furniture, design, lighting, are unified in purpose to create an immersive, three-dimensional experience for the viewer. The lighting, for example, is built into the wall and looks like stars in a night sky, like the stars that the shepherds and Three Magi followed to Bethlehem, to pay homage to the newborn Jesus. The sconces for the lights also look like military helmet, which is intentional, since the scars of the Second World War were fresh when this was built.
The space is named after the tomb in which Jesus was placed after his death, but the room is meant to represent his complete lifespan. Above the altar, sloped wooden beams resemble a roof of a stable, such as the one in Bethlehem in which Jesus was born. The monolithic stone tabernacle on the altar, made of Plečnik’s favorite stone, called Podpeč, recalls the stone that was wheeled in front of his tomb, to seal the entrance, and which was moved aside after three days to reveal that his body had gone missing. The walls are covered in sgraffito, carved patterns, that have symbolic meaning, and include implements used in Christ’s Passion, like the scourge with which he was whipped, and the holy nails of the crucifixion. Christ is represented most clearly on the wall opposite the altar, in the crucifix. Visually, the altar (recalling the space in which he was born and the tomb in which he was buried) is connected to the crucifix (his death) by a vine that spans the length of the ceiling. Grapes and vines are Christological symbols (think of drinking sacramental wine during Mass). Written on the wall above the altar is the last word Jesus said before he died: “It is done.” Behind the monolithic stone tabernacle, representing his tomb, there is a large golden circle, representing the sun that rose on the third day after his death, and indicates his resurrection.
If God is all around (this being a church) and Christ is present in the form of the crucifix, you might wonder about the third component of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. It’s there too, but you have to look for it. It’s in the form of a dove — the handle of the door through which you walked to enter the chapel.
Plečnik’s Holy Sepulcher is among his most complex and complete works of art. If you haven’t been, or have not been for a while, go and admire it for yourself. No photographs, videos or descriptions can compare to experiencing a great artwork in person.
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Noah Charney
