1

2

POLITECNICO DI MILANO

Facoltà di Architettura e Società

Corso di Laurea specialistica in Progettazione Architettonica Urbana

PEOPLE MEET IN PETRŽALKA: the requalification of a public space in

a post-socialist neighborhood

Relatore:

Prof.ssa Corinna Morandi

Correlatori:

Prof. Alessandro De Magistris

Prof.ssa Lubica Vitkova (University of Technology of Bratislava)

Tesi di Laurea di:

FABRIZIA COSIMELLI Matr. 725035

NICOLA PETACCIA Matr. 725071

A.A. 2010/2011

3

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. THE CITY OF BRATISLAVA: THE URBAN EVOLUTION

1.1 The urban history of the city

1.2 The years of Socialism: the public policies for the housing: the Panelàk buildings

1.3 The post-socialist age: the urban transformation of the city

2. THE PETRŽALKA DISTRICT AND ITS HISTORY

2.1 The history of Petržalka from the past to the present

2.2 Genesis of the different parts of Petržalka

2.3 The district today: inhabitants, housing, connection with the Old city

2.4 Petržalka: past, present and forecasts for the next ten years

2.5 Images Gallery

3. THE SOCIALIST CITIES AS URBAN REFERENCE FOR PETRŽALKA

3.1 The idea of “Socialist city” and “Socialist housing”

3.1.1 Programs and Politics in the socialist city: urban shape, territory, public

3.1.2 The socialist idea of house and the Panelàk buildings

3.2 Petržalka’s past and contemporary references for socialist age residential areas:

3.2.1 The case of Kracow: Nowa Huta

3.2.1 The case of Warsaw: Bielany

3.2.3 The case of Moscow: Kimki-Khovrino

4. THE INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION FOR PETRŽALKA, 1966

4.1 The course of the competition

4.2 The construction program

4.3 The contents of the competition design

4.4 The evaluation criteria of the competition designs

4.4.1 The experts’ observations

4.4.2 The conclusions and recommendations of the jury

4.5 Selection of the competition projects

4.5.1 Projects remained for final selection

4.5.2 Projects with honorable mention

5

4.6 The project finally realized

5. URBAN ANALISYS OF PETRŽALKA DISTRICT

5.1 Petržalka and the Old city

5.2 Streets and Public transports at local and city scale

5.3 Housing and Building typologies

5.4 Green areas, water and environment

5.5 Functions

6. URBAN STRATEGIES AND CONCEPT GOALS FOR THE AREA

6.1 The project for out flowing the river Danube

6.2 The creation of new strategic axes/poles and the empowerment of the existing ones

6.3 The empowerment of public transport, cycle and pedestrian routes at local and city scale

6.4 The reintegration of the central environmental/functional axis increasing the quality of the existing

green areas and landscape

7. THE PROJECT for the REQUALIFICATION

7.1 Identification of visual axes in the area

7.2 Identification of spontaneous pedestrian routes near the channel

7.3 Creation of a grid defining the public space

7.4 Definition of the different types and uses of green spaces

7.5 Localization of the buildings in the strategic points

8. THE MASTER PLAN DESIGN

8.1 The project for Petržalka into the new water/landscape system

8.2 General Masterplan of Petržalka

8.3 Zoom 1: The new bridge and the new commercial pole

8.4 Zoom 2: The new cultural centre

8.5 Zoom 3: The new sport area

8.6 Zoom 4: The area near Kutlikova street

8.7 Zoom 5: The new tram terminal and the surrounding area

6

9. NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR PETRŽALKA WITH THE NEW INTERVENTION

9.1 The re-appropriation of the public space

9.2 Chronological program of the intervention

9.3 Conclusion

10. ABSTRACT IN ITALIANO

11. ESTRATTO DELLA TESI IN ITALIANO

12. IMAGES INDEX

13. BIBLIOGRAPHY

14. ATTACHMENTS:

7

Introduction

8

What will be the future of Petržalka? Today this issue represents a debate still open.

The construction of Petržalka in the 70s,under the socialist regimen, completely cancelled a part of Bratislava’s history,

imposing a completely different urban character; Petržalka therefore still stands as a strong symbol for both the city and the

citizens.

After 40 years of urban changes, transformations and despite the new millennium advent, it is straightforward how the utopist

urban experiment of those years miserably failed in that district, as well as in many other European ones. Today the area is

obsolete, connected to the rest of the city only through highways and full of massive and out of scale buildings, without

reference points or public spaces able to offer a qualified living. Beyond the serious technological problems and weaknesses

shown by the buildings, the area misses a lot of services for the inhabitants, as well as aggregation spaces; existing green areas

are indeed designed only in the buildings’ courtyards and not at the district scale.

Up to now, the planning about Petržalka has always involved design strategies willing to “fill up” the unplanned voids resulting

from the concepts of the 70s, according to the idea of adding new buildings and new functions in a big scale. Our research

work for the urban requalification of Petržalka focuses on the human scale, based on the value of the existing landscape and

on the recovery of the district identity.

Opposite to the plans of developers, we believe that Petržalka’s historical identity and future lies in its green heritage, in its

park, in its wood, so beloved by its inhabitants and so full of potential for the whole city of Bratislava. In relation to that, our

willingness to add functions to the area aims at proposing a silent but relevant intervention, by creating a hierarchy of scale

between the district and the city, at the same time channeling flows into the area and marking Petržalka’s watercourse

through a sequence of small and big polarities.

Our research does not offer an absolute solution, but rather provides a point of view, a new approach to a still open debate, as

it stems from the idea that the quality arises around the people and can be generated by a scale reduction which could foster

a new urban identity.

9

1

THE CITY OF BRATISLAVA:

THE URBAN EVOLUTION

10

1.1

11

1.1 The urban history of the city

Bratislava is the cultural and economical capital of Slovakia.

The city is crossed by the river Danube, one of the most

important European rivers. The city has amazing conditions

for the development, due to the massive presence of the

industrial production, a positive geographical position and

a privileged position in communication with the Northern

Europe, including the close distance with Vienna(64km)

and Budapest. Bratislava has quickly increased especially

after the Second world war1. Before World War I, the city

had 42% German, 41% Hungarian and 15% Slovak

population. World War I represented a key milestone in

the history of the city. Bratislava was not directly affected

by the fighting, but its consequences were born by the

people of the city in their everyday lives. The end of World

War I in November 1918 brought major changes to the

map of Europe. The Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved

and the Czechoslovak Republic was created on October

19182. After the city was incorporated into the new state in

January 1919 despite its representatives' reluctance, on

March 27 1919, the name Bratislava was officially adopted

for the first time and Bratislava appeared on the map of

Europe. Left without any protection after the retreat of the

Hungarian army, many Hungarians were expelled or fled

and Czechs and Slovaks took their houses and moved to

Bratislava. In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed neighbouring

Austria in the Anschluss; later that year it also annexed the

still-independent Petržalka and Devín boroughs on ethnic

grounds. Bratislava was declared the capital of the first

independent Slovak Republic on March 14, 1939, but the

new state quickly fell under Nazi influence. In 1941–1942

and 1944–1945, the new Slovak government expelled most

of Bratislava's inhabitants, approximately 15,000 Jews,

with most of them being sent into concentration camps.

1Source: http://www.wikipedia.com 2 Source: http://visit.bratislava.sk

Bratislava was bombarded by the Allies, occupied by

German troops in 1944 and eventually taken by the Soviet

Red Army on April 4, 1945. At the end of World War II,

most Bratislava Germans were evacuated by German

authorities. Following World War II the situation in

Bratislava changed fundamentally. Most of its former

Jewish population did not return from the concentration

camps and, after the city's liberation, most of its German

and Hungarian population was displaced. Bratislava thus

lost much of its unique multicultural atmosphere. The

Communist coup in February 1948 marked a turning point

in Bratislava's postwar development. Czechoslovakia

became part of the Soviet bloc and the buffer zone

between East and West. Europe was divided by the Iron

Curtain. For Bratislava, which immediately after the war

was still linked to Vienna by a tramway, this meant the

construction of sealed borders with the West. Parts of the

city were cut off by the barbed wire used for border

fortification and residents there had to move. The late

1940s and early 1950s were a period of new construction,

and the rebuilding of war-damaged parts of the city,

especially industrial enterprises, which were nationalized

after 1948. The lives of Bratislava residents were affected

by Communist Party repression in the 1950s. The city

annexed new land, and the population rose significantly,

becoming 90% Slovak.

1.1 Historical view of Bratislava, 1800

1.2 Satellite view of Bratislava

1.

12

1.2

13

The Slovak part of Czechoslovakia industrialized rapidly in

the 1950s and 1960s, villagers migrated in droves to the

cities. The cheapest and quickest way to accommodate

them was to construct towering blocks of flats, clumped

together densely so that essential services could be

delivered to them as efficiently as possible. Large

residential areas consisting of high-rise prefabricated panel

buildings, such as those in the Petržalka borough, were

built. The Communist government also built several new

grandiose buildings, such as the Nový Most bridge and the

Slovak Radio headquarters, sometimes at the expense of

the historical cityscape3. In 1968, after the unsuccessful

Czechoslovak attempt to liberalize the Communist regime,

the city was occupied by Warsaw Pact troops. Shortly

thereafter, it became capital of the Slovak Socialist

Republic, one of the two states of the federalized

Czechoslovakia. Bratislava's dissidents anticipated the fall

of Communism with the Bratislava candle demonstration in

1988, and the city became one of the foremost centers of

the anti-Communist Velvet Revolution in 1989. In the

1990s and the early 21st century, the foreign investments

brought a big boom in the city development.

3 Source: http://www.livingspectator.sk

1.3 View of Bratislava, 2010

1.4 View of Bratislava, 1905

1.5 The bridge Nòvy Most

14

1.3

1.4

1.5

15

1.2 The years of Socialism:

the public policy for the housing: the Panelák buildings

In 1968 the Prague Spring started in Czechoslovakia4: it

was a period of political liberalization during the era of

domination by the Soviet Union after World War II. When

Soviet Bloc soldiers entered the country, started a period

of increased oppression called “normalization”.

Normalization returned the card-carrying apparatchiks to

their offices, the overwhelming majority of competent

architects were pushed out of work, many emigrated

(particularly the young generation) and a dark time set in

for architecture Historical sections of the city were

demolished to make way for paneláks and massive panelák

neighborhoods arose5.

Concrete was the easiest and the fastest path for massive

building and it helped to sustain the stability of the regime.

4 The historical background for this paragraph has been taken from the book La Storia dal 1900 ad oggi (A. Giardina, G. Sabbatucci, V. Vidotto; Editori Laterza,2001) pp. 503-505 5Source:http://travel.spectator.sme.sk/articles/1213/sight_unseen_slovak_socialist_architecture

Five-year plans dictated how many apartments had to be

built, and production poured on. There were five large

architecture firms such as the one he worked for in

Bratislava. Five-hundred people produce a lot of projects,

and these were state contracts. The system had to work in

order for it to hold together.

Communist-era rulers, to an even greater degree than

post-war city planners in the West, embraced a kind of

anti-aesthetic theory, with utility and thrift as the supreme

values. A pure form of functionalism held sway: the basic

shape for organizing human life became the rectangular

block: the conquest of the functional architecture was

rejected in order to realize urban complexes characterized

by big monumentalism6. This turn caused a regression in

the methodologies, worsening in the new buildings the

general condition of insulation, aeration, green availability,

safeness in the communication. Therefore, bad solution

6 Source: http//: www.wikipedia.com

1.6

16

have been brought to life either in the locational aspect.

The main mistake of this trend was the misunderstanding

of the fact that the duties of architecture are to improve

the living conditions7. This mistake was amplified by the

investments. Facing the problems of building as many

houses as possible, and having a reduced budget, the first

victims of the cuts have been the facilities which

accompanied the houses, the creation of residential areas,

and small interventions like playgrounds and the finish of

the buildings. Therefore a contrast between the didactic

role of the architect and the real image of urban

landscapes. Equally stark was the break from the

vernacular styles favoured by village-dwelling peasants for

centuries. The panelák, pointing to a picture of one of the

first concrete apartment blocks in Bratislava, together with

the later period of the 60s, 70s, 80s, culminates in

Petržalka. The panelák was the spark that started what

became today’s problem and will still be a problem for

generations. And it’s not just Petržalka, but also for many

panelák neighborhoods. After 40 years, the buildings show

heavy technological and insulation problems. Petržalka,

which houses 125,000 people, also still lacks centers,

squares and infrastructure needed to make it a functioning

community. Architects built storefronts into the buildings’

second floors, which they linked from building to building

with elevated walkways. Today many of these storefronts

are empty. That urbanism had its own idea but reality and

the people‘s life went differently. The community on its on

its own has been never able to use the space as the

architects imagined8.

11 L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 258 8 Source: http://travel.spectator.sme.sk/articles/1213/sight_unseen_slovak_socialist_architecture

1.7

1.8

1.6 The Slavin Monument

1.7 View of Petržalka, 1990

1.8 Petržalka under construction, 1970

17

1.3 The post-socialist age:

the urban transformation of the city

In the first half of the 1990s, Bratislava has been obscured

by booming capitals of neighboring post-communist

countries. The situation though has started to change

rapidly after the parliamentary elections of 1998.

Launching a number of social and economic reforms, it

culminated in the accession of Slovakia to the European

Union in 2004 and subsequently to the Shengen Area in

2007. Expected general improvements in economic and

social condition of the country, and above all the entry of

foreign investment as well as the economic recovery very

soon yielded payoffs in Bratislava. As the largest city and

the capital of the country situated on the western state

border and possessing the most advanced infrastructure,

on the onset Bratislava has benefited the most from the

newly formed situation. In the first decade of the 21st

century, the city has undergone a tremendous construction

boom. Dozens of new residential and commercial districts

emerged and further investments were in the making,

unprecedented within this environment. All of these

circumstances formed jointly a sort of a lab environment,

testing the viability of the economy and the country as

such. And so, as it is often the case in a lab environment,

no one was really sure about the results of this ongoing

experiment. This state of uncertainty was partially

perceived by the locals as a positive sign of progress and a

promise of a better future, although there

were also skeptical voices pointing out to the loss of

unique character and identity of the city. The study

outlines Bratislava and its recent construction

development in the broader context of the 20th century. It

highlights the elements considered essential to the identity

of the city. Analyzing a couple of large development plans,

it illustrates the processes and phenomena having impact

on this very identity. With regards to the changes at the

turn of the millennia that the post-communist cities were

or still are grappling with, there are two lines of thought:

On the one hand, there is the rejection of the development

and its condemnation as being barbaric or uncontrolled,

dissolving the unique urban identity and image. In this

context, the need for planning and regulation is usually

emphasized. On the other hand, there are opinions

appreciating these processes as an affirmation of actual

transformation theories or as a

random development generator where traditional master

planning tools are out of place. These seem contradictory

positions, however, are but complementary perspectives

on the same process that – in the context of post-

communist Central European cities – is not even

historically unique, as Bratislava has been virtually in a

state of constant transformation throughout the 20th

century: from the political changes of the state and the city

in 1918-1939,the two waves of swift modernization prior

and after World War II; beyond this, in the second half of

the 20th century happened the biggest rapid territorial and

population growth9.

9 Source: Article “Bratislava: a city with no character?”

18

author MORAVČÍKOVÁ Henrieta, extract from Architektura a urbanizmus n. 1-2 / 201, pp: 34 – 51

1.9 View of Petrzalka

1.10 View of Bratislava

1.11 The shopping centre Eurovea

1.9

1.10

1.11

19

1.11

2.1

20

2

THE PETRŽALKA DISTRICT

AND ITS HISTORY

21

2.1 The history of Petržalka: from the past to the present

At the territory of today’s Petržalka, city district of the

Bratislava, there was located a ford of international

importance already in Middle Ages. The beginning of

settlements in this territory dates back to 13th century.

According to the oldest description of settlement of

today’s Petržalka, there was established village Flezyndorf.

The same territory is mentioned in the document of

Ladislav Kuzmánsky dating back to 1278, by which the

emperor gifted the referred land deserted probably as a

result of Tatar invasion and permanent border commotions

to Bratislava chapter.

The territory, on which Petržalka is being located, is of rich

culture and has been marked by periods of bloom as well

as decline. Year 1672 is connected with the first, so far

known mentioned sacral building on the raised bank of

Pečenské branch of the Danube River. The fundamentals

for terrain adjustments were laid by Maria Theresa with

her order to build dams against floods. Behind the newly

built inshore dam there arose Petržalka´s park called

Sternallee in 177310.

During the period of Napoleon’s wars Petržalka

experienced destructiveness of military siege which meant

a crucible for its citizens. In peaceful times Petržalka was

10 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petzalka

increasingly becoming place of recreation of Bratislava

citizens, at that time stylish café Au-caffé and summer

theatre – amphitheatre Aréna were being built on

Petržalka´s bank of the Danube River in neighborhood of

former propeller station. In 1866 there lived 594

inhabitants in 103 houses in Petržalka. Fires in Petržalka

caused great damage which consequences significantly

affected all district inhabitants; therefore they decided to

create a voluntary fire brigade. Petržalka was indefinitely

connected to Bratislava through the first railway bridge,

constructed in 1891. Previous bridges were wooden and

were often impaired by ice or floods.Although Petržalka

was the biggest village of the Czechoslovak Republic during

1920s, it contained only one folk school. Gradually, over

the next years, there were established more state folk

schools, one civic as well as evangelic folk school.

Economic development did not excluded even Petržalka,

there were established several bigger and smaller

industrial businesses which turned city district into

important traffic crossroads. At that time most of village

inhabitants were significantly poor, which fascism and

tragic accidents resulting from the Munich Treaty which

affected the Czechoslovak Republic, drastically influenced

Petržalka´s development. In 1938 the village was joined to

22

2.1 View to the castle from Petržalka, 1890

2.2 The town of Petržalka, 1890

2.3 The park, historical view to the castle

2.4 View of the mein street of the old Petržalka, 1905

2.5 Postcard with view to the old city, 1910

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

23

2.6

24

25

fascist Germany. After being liberated by Soviet army,

Petržalka fell upon to Czechoslovakia again. In 1946

Petržalka became the part of Great Bratislava. Since 1973

when the decision of liquidating old Petržalka was made,

current appearance of this housing estate has been

formed. From 1950 and 1965 the number of inhabitants

increased from 190.000 to 271.000. An intense production

of apartments and residential buildings for all the

inhabitants increased slowly in the left side of the city. The

requirements of the project were defined in a way to

predict a raise of the population up to 350.00 inhabitants.

Up to 1973 the areas on the left hand which are more

convenient for a concentrated group of buildings according

to the plans should have been completely end. For this

reason was extended at the right side of the Danube, area

of Petržalka that in the past was completely ignored. In

order to obtain an excellent designed solution for this part

of the city, named Petržalka, an International Competition

was open in june 15th 1955. A huge increase in the

number of houses, apartments as well as citizens

influenced not only appearance but also character of

Petržalka. For improving and dulcifying life, a lot has been

done in the last years, though the benefits can be viable

only nowadays. Constructing more bridges, which allow

the citizens to travel to all Bratislava districts, building the

first Petržalka hospital but also the reconstruction of

buildings which were of great importance in the past, leads

toward still better Petržalka.

2.7

2.8

2.9

26

2.2 Genesis of the different areas of Petržalka

Petržalka is divided into seven parts: most of them were

part of the island created by the two channels of water

have been created in different phases: Dvory, Luky, Haje,

Ovsiste, Janikov dvor, Kopcany, ,Kapitulsky dvor. The area

of Dvory is in north-west part of Petržalka: this part was

the last one to be occupied by the panelak buildings: from

the beginning of the century till the 1908s in this part there

have been fields and farms of burgesses. The area of

Ovsiste, in the north-east part of Petržalka: the first this

village of Ovsiste was created in 1921,and there were only

12 houses; in 1946 there were 340 houses; at that time

Ovsiste was an island, property of Palfy family (important

burgesses in Slovak history); there were fields, bottom land

and gardens11. Its first name was Insula Haberm, and after

it got a Hungarian name Zabos. Until the second half of

eighteen century, Ovsiste was in land register of closer

village Prievoz, which today is part of Bratislava. in 1975

the demolition work for Landscape sanitation started and

lasted until 1982. The area of Haje is divided into Stary haj,

Zrkadlovy haj, Haje, and before the demolition work there

were areas with forest, groves, bottom land, forest park,

today small build-up area with horce-race. Zrkadlovy haj is

in the middle part of Haje in Petržalka: prior to the 1970s it

was part of the island and there was a forest park; from

1930 a big Hippodrome in that area helds several horse

11 Source: Bratislava -mesto na mieru- Urban landscapes of Bratislava(Illah van Olijen ,K.Print, Bratislava,2002)

2.10

2.11

2.6 Historical map of Petržalka

2.7 Bathing in the river Danube, 1940

2.8 Fairy in Petržalka, 1939

2.9 View of the panelàks, Petržalka, 1995

2.10 The cafès in the old park, 1900

2.11 Old farms in Petržalka

27

races. The area of Janikov dvor ,(in German “Antonienhof”

is in southern part of Petržalka; it was also an island until

the Panelàk building time, with a small village of few family

houses and farms, which were demolished. In years 1945-

47 of first Czech- Slovak republic, Janikov dvor was in

border territory, and to enter this area was requested

special permission. Today this area ( hunting ground, and

state area, also non-finished building of station) was

mentioned to be served by the subway in Bratislava before

1989, but this project has never been defined. Nowadays

there is a plan to build a stop here for high speed tram

from old city through Petržalka. Also there are several

urban studies which suppose new district with living and

public spaces. The area of Kopcany is situated near

borders with Austria. In the past this was part of the village

Kittsee, which is located in Austria, just near the border

with Slovakia. After the First World war this area became

part of Czechoslovakia. From 1928 is in land register as a

colony called Kopcany, between two railways. After the

first world war there was an important factory for dishes,

today in another city. Now the Kopcany district is famous

for people who do not pay taxes and have problems with

laws. Luky , instead, is in the southest part of Petržalka: it

was built after the area of Ovsiste; before, there were

fields and farms also here. The area of Kapitulsky dvor

(sometimes named Kapitulske) is in western part of

Petržalka. Before the demolition of the 1970s there was

the village of Flantschendorf with wide fields and farms. In

the late XX th century there was built the first cemetery in

Petržalka, the only one still today12.

12 Source: Bratislava -mesto na mieru- Urban landscapes of Bratislava(Illah van Olijen ,K.Print, Bratislava,2002)

2.12 Historical view of the park

2.13 Some panelàks in Petržalka

2.12

2.13

28

2.3 The district today:

inhabitants, housing, connection with the Old city

The area of Petržalka occupies an area of 28,7 km²,

where live 117.227 inhabitants, in

18.000apartments13. The area is characterized by

blocks of flats called paneláks, a neologism for

buildings built made by concrete panels joined

together to form the structure, which were widely

deployed throughout the Eastern Bloc during the

communist era. As the borough was built primarily as

a residential area, it has no clearly defined centre.

Petržalka is divided into three official parts, Dvory,

Lúky and Háje, and further into unofficial parts,

Ovsište, Janíkov dvor, Kopčany, Zrkadlový háj, Starý

háj, and Kapitulský dvor.

Petržalka is connected to the rest of Bratislava by five

bridges, of which three are used for local traffic (Nový

Most, Starý most and Most Apollo) and two for

international traffic (Lafranconi Bridge and Prístavný

most). Starý most, from the first of January 2009, is

closed to all traffic except for public transport,

bicycles and pedestrians. Petržalka is located near a

major international motorway junction, where the D1

13 Source: http://www.petrzalka.sk

and D2 motorways meet.

There is a road border crossing into Austria along

Viedenska cesta near the intersection of the D1 and

D2. The Austrian crossing is called Berg after the

nearby town of the same name. There are no more

border checks from December 21, 2007 with Slovakia

joining the Schengen Area. The only railway station is

located in the western part and is primarily used for

international traffic and for trains to and from Vienna.

There are only buses which connect Petržalka with the

other boroughs. In 1989, construction of a subway

began, but it was stopped shortly after the Velvet

Revolution broke out. Instead, a high-speed tram

(light rail) line is planned, and its construction is to

begin in 2008. There is an incredible high amount of

schools, in the area, according to the ideas of the

project: 11 elementary schools, 19 kindergartens, 20

school canteens and kitchens at kindergartens as well

as Centre of School Services . Gymnasium high schools

include the state-administered Albert Einstein and

Pankúchova 6 gymnasiums and the private Mercury

Gymnasium. The Seat of the University of Economics.

29

The social facilities in Petržalka include : the Facility of

Day Care at Mlynarovičova street and Facility with Day

Care at Medveďova street, both of them being

managed by the city district; Daily Psychiatric

Sanatorium at Haanova street, Sanatorium AT, the

House of Nurses of Mother Teresa, crises centre Gate

to Life (Brána do života), centre Hope (Nádej), Silesian

centre at Mamateyova street.

In Petržalka there are also several sport facilities: the

State Race-ground in the southern part, where there

are regularly organized important horse-races, and

the Fc Art Media Bratislava stadium, in the northern

part. Petržalka has been recently also enriched by

newly-built shopping centers such as Carref our, Tesco

and Aupark14.

14 Source: http://www.petrzalkacity.sk

2.14

2.15

2.16

2.14 Aereal view of the panelàk, Petržalka

2.15 Aereal view of Petržalka

2.16 View of the Eurovea shopping centre and the fairy from Nòvy

Most bridge

2.17 Satellite view of Petržalka

2.16

30

2.17

31

2.4 Petržalka: past, present and forecasts

for the next ten years

The area of Petržalka, for its extension and density

hosts a population almost three times bigger than the

one resident in the old city centre. From the

statistics15 it is evident that in only ten years the

number of the inhabitants in the area decreased of

almost 13 thousand inhabitants, a considerable

number compared to the 5 thousand inhabitants less

than the city centre.

Compared to the Old city, in addition, the density of

the area has increased less than in the city centre;

though, it is estimated that in twenty years the

number of people in the area will increase again and

will overcome the amount reached in 199116. In the

same time, it is clear how the standard of living

conditions has increased through the years: the

number of apartments since 1961 up to 2001

increased three times , and in the same time the

number of inhabitants in apartments is keeping on

decreasing, and in thirty years this value changed

considerably from 3,7 up to 2,54 inhabitants for each

apartment. Therefore, also the average area of the

apartments increased of ten square meters in

comparison with the 70s. For what concerns the

services in the area, according to the statistics17 in

Petržalka the square meters devoted to health

services are much more than in the Old city; in

15 Source: www. Bratislava/data.sk 16 Ibid 17 Ibid

addition, the number of students in selected schools

in Petržalka is much higher than in the city centre, for

what concerns education from kinder garden to

gymnasium, fact which reflects the original idea of the

area of providing the right amount of primary

education services for the people living in the area.

The fields of culture in Petržalka needs to be

improved because there is a strong lack of that kind of

facilities. The numbers of commerce in Petržalka are

quite high but actually these results are given by the

presence of Eurovea and the other big shopping

centers in the area, even though in reality there is a

big lack of small commerce in the area, or small

commerce areas which are affectively working

according to the people. The area o f Petržalka,

instead, has a very big sport heritage compared to the

Old City, because of the wide green areas, the wood,

the hippodrome, and the lake, where it is supposed to

improve the water sports. In conclusion, having

examined the data and the number of statistics, it is

possible to say that the area of Petržalka has a huge

amount of potential in terms of resources and green

heritage which should be valued and improved in

order to bring more urban quality to the living, and to

create attractiveness for this big part of the city so

that this part can be enjoyed by all citizens of

Bratislava and not only by the people living in

Petržalka.

32

2.16

2.18

2.18 Data of Petržalka and previsions for the next ten years

33

2.5 Images Gallery

2.16

34

2.19

2.20

35

2.21

2.22

36

2.23

37

38

2.24

2.25

2.19 View from Petržalka to the Old City

2.20 View from the Old City to Petržalka

2.21 Panelàks in northern part of Petržalka, view 1

2.22 Panelàks in the northern part of Petržalka, view 2

2.23 One school, the panelàks and the channel

2.24 Green and the panelàks in Petržalka, view 1

2.25 Green and the panelàks in Petržalka, view 2

39

3

THE URBANISM OF SOCIALIST CITIES

40

AS REFERENCE FOR SHAPING PETRZALKA

3.1

41

3.1 The idea of “Socialist city” and “Socialist housing”

In the socialist countries the urban solutions are found in

the Marxist ideas of executive power deriving from a

planned economy. The socialist principles of organizing

the housing have been inspired by ideas of reconstructing

the social network, , starting from the family relationships,

towards a total women emancipation, consequently to an

high request of new houses for the inhabitants; this was

done through a strict control of urbanization from the

government18 . The main goals for socialist urban architects

was primarily a quality in the life environment which could

satisfy the needs of the inhabitants. According to the

socialist theories, the definition of the urban areas of the

city presented differences from a case to another. In most

of the countries the cities were defined as “urban” –

gradova (Bulgaria), varos (Ungheria), miasta (Polonia),

orase (Romania)- and were comparable to the sovietic

“gorod”, though there has never been a rigid application of

population of functional criteria in order to determine the

urban areas on a statistic point of view. The main problems

to solve in the socialist post war cities were: improving the

18 Source: La città socialista. Struttura spaziale e politica urbana/ J.H.Bater ; with the contribution of J. H. Bater, A. D. Burnett, F. W. Carter, G. Church, P. A. Compton, A. H. Dawson, R. Anthony French, E. Giese, H. Heineberg, J. A. Matthews, T. A. Reiner, D. J. Shaw, G. Weclawowicz, A. Werwicki, R. H. Wilson; Franco Angeli Edizioni, Milano,1983 p. 21

street grid, preserving the buildings which had historical

and national value, reducing the problem of pollution

caused by the industries, having less crowded district, the

lack of green. In Poland and Slovakia the priority was given

to the reconstruction of the old city centers19. The

compromise between the historical heritage, the economic

development and the socialist transformation was done

thanks to the introduction in the city of socialist symbols

and substituting the name of the street and of new

functions like cinema, with socialist names. The urban life

was always seen as the highest form of socialist life, and

the city was the place where to realize a deeply socialist

society. In the 70s the local authorities started to pay more

attention to citizens (instead of thinking only to the

industrial development) through surveys and political

debates. Socialism in the USSR proposed the model of

“Agrorod”, an administrative unit composed of an

amalgamation of collective farms. For every urban

agglomeration, there is a spatial and rational lay out of the

different functions: industry (separated from the houses by

green belts), services (at local scale for everyday use or

19 Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp.53-54

42

weekly use, and less frequently used services in the city

centre); all citizens must have the same possibility of

access with a minimum economic effort, and time for all

the material, cultural and social services. The socialist cities

tend to uniform themselves: in a first moment some public

buildings and housing of the same are the same in

Moscow, Berlin, Varsaw. Very popular in the 60s are the six

stories buildings and the high towers in the 70s. The

uniforming criteria comprehend also the aesthetic aspect

of the street: statues of heroes, white writings on a red

background, and the central square as place of cerimonies.

The national culture express itself in the architectural

aspect, in the traditional behavior and in the national

theatre. Though in the European socialist Country there is

less availability of services and goods, some services like

cinema, sport facilities, means of transport are superior in

the socialist cities compared to the capitalistic cities. The

industrial areas are more uniformed and always

accompanied by green areas which separate industry and

housing. The social segregation for fields of interest is

almost inconsistent, in the socialistic city, while a certain

trend to characterize the class of the different type of

buildings. For some aspects, the homogeneity of the labor

force in the industrial cities facilitates this architectural

homogeneity. Above all, in every city the low price of the

lease produce the effect that every part of the city is

accessible to every inhabitant or immigrant in relation to

all kinds of income, social condition and race20

20Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 98-102

3.2

3.3

3.1 Tower buildings in Petržalka

3.2 The district of Gheorghiu Dei, Romania

3.3 The district of Eisenhuttenstadt, Romania

43

3.1.1 Programs and Politics in the socialist city: urban

shape, territory, public

In the development of the housing and urbanism in the

socialist countries phases and different levels of

exploitation are mirror of the socialist economical system.

Socialism has created an incredible increase in the housing

need, related to the demographical growth. The free

housing was conceived as a social service to the workers:

the idea of organizing the residential areas was expressed

in different goals : “the neighborhood unity”, as a try to

build an integrated society, the “social insediative point”,

and the “social organization of everyday life”21 (in the

capitalistic system, on the contrary, the destination of the

areas and the urban shape are determined by the market

which sometimes is imperfect and corrected by several

different interventions). In the case of Soviet Union, for

example, the market does not exists: the areas and their

organization have always to be fixed with other criteria.

Traditionally Marxism has always considered the bourgeois

city as a battlefield for the class struggle.

Another typical aspect of Socialism is the abolishment of

the traditional contradictions between city and country:

this is one of the reasons why industrialization increased

after the advent of the Soviet power, which tried to create

wide areas with an intense development and very similar

to the occidental concept of metropolitan region.

As consequence, the main goals were: the decentralization

of the productive activities and the reduction of the

residential densities trough the redistribution of the

21 L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 248-252

population22. The decentralization would have been

obtained through the development of the satellite towns

or urban areas next to the big cities.

The suburban zones should have worked as oxygen tank

for the cities, and they would have supplied recreational

areas for the population. The satellite towns near Moscow,

for example, turned into be a sort of big dormitories: in

fact, these socialist cities, differently from the American

ones, have all a specialized function, and can be compared

to the green belts of the English cities: there find place only

sports, recreational and agricultural facilities and the

residential areas, with the industrial districts placed

beyond the green belt.

For what concerns the Socialist program for the cities, the

idea of organizing the social life went towards two

different trends: a concentrated one and a scattered one23.

The need of providing accommodation for all the people in

one big building facilitated the organization of a life system

based on the principle of minimizing the single apartment

22 La città socialista. Struttura spaziale e politica urbana/ J.H.Bater ; with the contribution of J. H. Bater, A. D. Burnett, F. W. Carter, G. Church, P. A. Compton, A. H. Dawson, R. Anthony French, E. Giese, H. Heineberg, J. A. Matthews, T. A. Reiner, D. J. Shaw, G. Weclawowicz, A. Werwicki, R. H. Wilson; Franco Angeli Edizioni, Milano,1983 pp.75-83 23 Source: La città socialista. Struttura spaziale e politica urbana/ J.H.Bater ; with the contribution of J. H. Bater, A. D. Burnett, F. W. Carter, G. Church, P. A. Compton, A. H. Dawson, R. Anthony French, E. Giese, H. Heineberg, J. A. Matthews, T. A. Reiner, D. J. Shaw, G. Weclawowicz, A. Werwicki, R. H. Wilson; Franco Angeli Edizioni, Milano,1983

44

and maximizing the use of common services. The theorical

basis was given in the 30s by a special committee, devoted

to define the activity of soviet urban planning and the

utopist ideas which tried to socialize all the aspects and all

the phases of human activities. The work of the committee

was therefore to define different levels of urban

organization with parts interacting from the small to the

big scale, defining the role of each part and giving priorities

in determining the structure of the residential complex, at

the functional internal array24.

In fact, this urban concept was based on the concept of

“Microrejon”(formalized in the 50s and following postwar

years according to the Strumlin theory) as the ideal of a

residential community: a little self sufficient district

considered as the base unit of the residential

development.

Each one of these districts was in fact supposed to

comprehend a population between 10 thousand and 20

thousand inhabitants in an area of 30-50 hectares, with

houses and services like shops, laundries, restaurants,

schools and services for children , and every district should

have been linked to the workplace of the inhabitants.

Therefore, the aggregation of many little districts should

have generated a residential district with a major range of

services for the inhabitants, within a distance of 1000-

1200meters. An aggregation of many residential districts

creates a third level called Urban District (100-300.000

inhabitants).

24 Source: La città socialista. Struttura spaziale e politica urbana/ J.H.Bater ; with the contribution of J. H. Bater, A. D. Burnett, F. W. Carter, G. Church, P. A. Compton, A. H. Dawson, R. Anthony French, E. Giese, H. Heineberg, J. A. Matthews, T. A. Reiner, D. J. Shaw, G. Weclawowicz, A. Werwicki, R. H. Wilson; Franco Angeli Edizioni, Milano,1983

3.4

3.5

3.4 View of Pulawy

3.5 General plan of Pulawy

45

In the big cities is also considered a forth level, the so

called “Urban Zone” (more less a million of inhabitants).

Though, an aspect which characterizes the socialist

development at the different urban levels is that once the

houses and the residential areas have been built the

construction of services and public facilities go slower or it

stops completely25 (on the contrary of what happens in the

United States, where the profit pushes for buildin g more

services than the ones needed). For this reason the same

problematic lack of services which characterizes the area

of Petržalka is typical of almost all the socialist areas,

where the lack of money does not allow to complete the

urban layout providing the necessary functions to the

inhabitants.

25La città socialista. Struttura spaziale e politica urbana/ J.H.Bater ; with the contribution of J. H. Bater, A. D. Burnett, F. W. Carter, G. Church, P. A. Compton, A. H. Dawson, R. Anthony French, E. Giese, H. Heineberg, J. A. Matthews, T. A. Reiner, D. J. Shaw, G. Weclawowicz, A. Werwicki, R. H. Wilson; Franco Angeli Edizioni, Milano,1983 pp.90-91

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.6 The “Young People district” in Gdànsk-Gdynia

3.7 The industrial buildings in Khar’kov

3.8 Fragment of the district PKWN in Lublin

3.9 Scheme of the spatial structure of four industrial

districts: Khar’kov, Volgrad, Gor’kij, Min’sk

3.10 General scheme of Lublin

3.11Economical/spatial scheme of the region Gdansk for the

year 1980

3.12General scheme of Georghiu Dej (Onesti, Romania)

46

3.9

3.10

3.11

3.12

47

3.1.2 The socialist idea of house and the Panelák

buildings The socialist idea of house is remarkable for its strict

connection with the idea of society in general, and equity

between its inhabitants. In fact, The concept of the

socialist common house was based on the idea of totally

abolishing the isolation of the family unit and the

housework. With the term house is meant the whole of

social and spatial elements, linked to the function of living,

and with the term insediative is meant the whole of

residential and services26. The development of the spatial

conditions among the residential theme is a very

interesting chapter into the history of Urbanism. The

problem of organizing the house is linked to the structure

of the social cell (family) and to the main technical and

spatial elements (the house, the family, the district). This

theme is particularly important for the city development,

as in this structure it is possible to discover the general

trends of the social transformation. Organizing the house is

very relevant among the urban solutions, because the

concept of the residential complex mirrors exactly the

urban concept and at the same time it generates its main

characters. The special and social elements of the house

comes also from the role that the house has into the

26 L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 239

hierarchy of the social needs. The social needs are the

main and most urgent needs , and satisfying these points is

the main social goal in all the world. A very important role

have the general activities in realizing the social goals of

the new living. in the socialist thought, the new forms of

living and everyday life are a very practical problem of Urss

after the revolution27: here is also applied the

Functionalism between the two wars, which had been

object of theorical thoughts during the 20’s and 30’s:

houses made of modular buildings and equipped with all

services, big residential complexes, collective building, and

collective houses. The panelak buildings mirror the idea of

social housing, as the main goal of the new socialist

residential areas was to give a new house (the same to all

the citizens) to all the citizens moving from the country to

the city, and the big blocks with standardized apartments

and common services seemed the better solution to reach

the social goals of the socialist mission.

27 L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 241-247

48

3.15

3.14

3.13

3.13 Interior of a panelàk

3.14 Old people in Petržalka

3.15 Panelàk

49

3.2 Petržalka’s precedent and contemporary

references for socialist residential areas:

The socialist urban references for Petržalka go back to the

30’s. In Slovakia, in the time of reconstruction there is a

very interesting estate, as this country shared with Poland

the rationalist idea of living. Characteristic of the new

trends is the project of the district Lochotin a Plzen realized

in the years 1946-47 by a Slovak functional pioneer. In East

Germany, among the most interesting realization of the

post war it is relevant the residential complex in the

central part of the reconstructed Rathenow, built from one

of the pioneers of the movement28. The idea of organizing

the social life went towards two different trends: a

concentrated one and a scattered one. These possibilities

and these perspectives are open especially in the big cities

and, for some aspects, in the new city. In the East Germany

is possible to mention the trend to concentrate the units

and the centers. In Hoyerswerda there has been a

concentration of services and units: there have been

recreated complexes of medium dimension, with their own

centers, linked to a big urban centre, where are set the

28 Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977

Post, the administration building, the house of Culture, the

cinema, a mall, an hotel. In Swedt there have been built big

residential complexes, but also here the creation of local

centers has been necessary the creation of local centers

beyond the Mall. In Halle-Neustadt was accepted the

principle of creating residential complexes of bigger

dimension, with 16-20 thousand inhabitants. The new city

of Gheorghiu Dej, in Romania, which started its

development in 1959, showed during the years the trend

of increasing the structural elements. It was designed a big

residential unit with more than 15 thousand inhabitants.

Looking carefully at what was built in Poland, Russia,

Slovakia and Czech republic, Germany, Bulgaria, Jugoslavia,

Romania, Ungaria, it seems evident the overlapping of the

trends from last period with the new trial of renewal and

new trends and conception. In the changes of the spatial

composition of the residential complexes what is

characteristic is, above all, the technical-aesthetical

evolution of the scheme, linked to the introduction of the

industrialization processes and in the residential

architecture.

In the socialist countries the residential industrialization

was at the beginning far from the technical and economical

50

perfection. The residential industrialization has without

doubt a great importance for the technical- aesthetical

form of the city in its whole. Industrialization promoted the

principles of repeatability, which is in line with the

functional conception of the colonies and the insediative

points. One of the pioneers of residential industrialization,

Hans Schmidt, underlined how the application of

industrialized methods needed open residential systems,

which in the same time resulted particularly convenient for

the city in the hygienic-sanitary aspect. The changes in the

composition of the urban population, the variations in the

occupational structure, the activation of the work, the

changes in the urban structure, had reflections in the social

stratification of the city. In addition, they contributed to

the development of the structural units in the residential

areas29.

29 L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 264-271

3.16

3.16 The kinder garden and the housing in the district

Michelska in Prague, 1970

51

3.2.1 The case of Kracow: Nowa Huta

Another urban example slightly precedent to Petržalka,

and structured according to a strong functionalist urban

layout, is the district of Nowa Uta, founded after the

Second World War (in 1949 ) as a separate town near

Kraków (which is the third biggest Polish city after Varsaw),

city of great cultural importance for its historical,

architectural and urban heritage. Nowa Uta is one of the

four different urban districts which compose Kracow:

Krawod (south-east), Stodmiescie (inner part), Nowa-Uta

and Podgorze (on the right of the Vistola river), and these

parts gravitate around the old city according to a strong

monocentric system. Nowa Uta was founded in 1949, on

terrain resumed by the Communist Government from

former villages of Mogiła, Pleszów and Krzesławice30 , in

order to absorb the urban drift happended after the

construction of the Lenin iron foundry, supposed to be a

huge centre of heavy industry. In 1951 Nowa Uta was

joined with Kraków as its new district, and the following

30 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowa_Huta

year was also started31 the tramway connection. The fame

of this district was given by the fact of becoming an ideal

town for the communist propaganda, populated mostly

by industrial workers. The creation of this satellite city

together with the Lenin metallurgic centre was the

evidence of a new economical impulse from 1945, which

led to a very well planned reconstruction conditioned by

an economical regimen which defined a new general urban

array and the creation of the “Big Kracow”32, which at the

same time caused contrasts between the big housing

development and the old city. Today the city of Kracow

counts 1.689.648 inhabitants33 and almost the 15% live in

31 Nowa Huta. Crumbs of Life and the Meanders of History/ Wydawnictwo Towarzystwo Slowaków w Polsce, Kraków, 2003; 32 where the old restored city had to assume new roles and meanings, Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowa_Huta 33 Number estimated in 2003 according to the Statistics , source: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varsavia

3.18

3.17

3.17 Nowa Huta, aerial view

3.18 Nowa Huta, bird view

3.17

52

the urban district of Nowa Uta34. Still today, as the other

modern industrial complexes and the new built residential

areas, the district of Nowa Uta suffers for a strong isolation

from the old city. The designs for Nowa Huta were created

in an unbelievable short amount of time (supposedly the

first housing estate was designed in three days), and the

first buildings of the later Krakow district were erected in

1949.

The first furnace of the steelworks (for the name “Nowa

Huta” identifies the purpose of the town, meaning “New

Steelworks”) was finished in 1954, and the People's

Theater (Teatr Ludowy) was built a year later35. According

to the urban analysis of J. Guzika, it is possible to outline

the different parts of the district of Nowa Huta, according

to this subdivision : the centre of urban aggregation (1),

the industrial areas (2) , the green areas (3), and the

residential part, consisting of the residential part of the

years 1950-60 (A), the district of Bienczyce (B), the district

of Wzgorza Krzeslawickie (C). In particular, this district

(which counts almost 15 thousand inhabitants) is

remarkable for its residential array, which takes advantage

of the land features ( a dislevel of almost 30 meters)

dividing the two main axes in two subunits linked by the

green space, and the main service centre at the

borders.The district of Bienczyce, instead, is remarkable for

its residential layout, organized around three axes which

define the residential system divided into three big areas,

subdivided in a regular way into many smaller parts

characterized by linear blocks of buildings, each one with

its green area and its services. homogeneously.

34 Studi di Urbanistica/ U. Cardarelli, T. Colletta, T.Giura, M. Tarantino,Vol.4, Dedalo libri,Roma 1980 35 http://www.krakow-poland.com/Tourist-Attractions/Nowa-Huta

Source: http://www.zyciekrakowa.pl

3.19

3.20

3.21

3.19 Model of the district of Nowa Huta

3.20 Project for the district Wzgorza Krzeslawickie in Nowa Huta

3.21 Urban scheme of Nowa Uta according to J.Guzika

53

3.2.2 The case of Varsaw: Bielany In Poland, and more intensely in Warsaw, in the years

1966-70 happens a policy of decentralization and

functional strengthening of the city. The concentration of

the investments for the reconstruction of the city created a

strong imbalance in comparison with the surrounding

areas of the city, and for this reason a plan for the

metropolitan complex of Warsaw was conceived, starting a

policy of urban cooperation36. The urban residential works

between the 60’s and 70’s are therefore characterized by a

great variety of situations: from the organized functional

units, to the groups and residential complexes which are

strictly linked to the near residential areas. Then, more and

more the need of new types of residential organization is

perceived. An example of the level reached in the

residential strategies at the end of the 50’s is the

realization of M. e K. Piechotek in the district of Bielany in

Varsaw. The district is built according to the old urban grid,

and divided into two parts, the area of Bielany II (A) and

the the area of Slodowiec (B). In the district are visible the

centre and the belt of services (1), the schools and

36 Source: Le trasformazioni urbane di Varsavia nel Novecento-una guida bibliografica /Alfredo Boscolo; Quaderni del dipartimento di discipline storiche dell’Università di Bologna, Carocci editore, 2004

kindergardens (2). In Bielany it is also evident the intent of

organizing the children’s life and the recreational activities

inside the residential area, while the services for adults are

located outside of it37. This realization, which derive from

the polish idea about the living, present some real

modifications: organizing the interior of the units according

to the childrens’ needs and the abolishment of traffic.

Another meaningful innovation in the concept of the

Piechotek is the introduction, in the residential complex, of

some small productive businesses. The designers of Bielany

used different building typologies, from the eleven stories

buildings to the ones with two stories. The district of

Bielany is in addition an example which exactly fits the

existent system of infrastructures; it is remarkable that

also the main contemporary realizations in Slovakia show

therefore similar trends in the urban spatial research.

37 Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977

3.22

3.22 View of the housing in Bielany

3.23 Functions in the area of Bielany

3.24 Plan of Bielany

54

3.23

3.24

55

3.2.3 The case of Moscow: Kimki-Khovrino

The wide Russian district of Khimki-Khovrino, instead, fits

clearly into the big urban network. In Urss the organization

of the residential areas was really developed and showed

five different levels from the small to the big scale. In the

big cities it is possible to distinguish “the urban system”,

the “urban district” which comprehends some residential

areas, the “Microrejon” and the “residential unit”, which

corresponds to the Polish “colony”38. The urban districts

might have a mixed character, residential or industrial.

In Moscow it is possible to mention the huge area of the

north-east districts: there, the urban grid shapes the single

districts, often characterized by a various array; a lot of

different areas with different dimension take place: in the

east and north-east part for example, the districts of

Khimki-Khovrino, Fili-Izmajlovo e Chorosevo-Mnevniki.

The district of Khimki-Khovrino is divided into two parts,

where the array is linked by a common green part with

general facilities. Khimki-Khovrino and the other

mentioned districts are also divided into areas of 15-

38 L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 pp. 260

20thousand inhabitants, where often the major districts

are integrated units where the areas for the schools (three

or four schools) are unified and the services can be more

developed.

In the case of Khimki-Khovrino the sub districts show a

structural division in six-eight residential groups

(“colonies”) with a population of more less two thousand

inhabitants, like the Ruzinov district in Bratislava (with sixty

thousand inhabitants, with a system of big sub districts,

where are collocated six or seven colonies of inhabitants).

For what concerns the social organization and the services

organization, the population in an insediative unit is

between 5-6thousand and 10-12thousand inhabitants. In

case of buildings with five stories, the current standards in

the socialist countries reaches an area of 20-40 thousand

ha. While in the areas of new investment, in order to have

an accessibility to the transport system of 500 meters, the

area reaches 60-100 acre with a population of 20-25

thousand inhabitants. Therefore, in this case, it is possible

to pass from the unit with two school to a complex with 3

or 4 schools and also 5 schools. These possibilities and

these perspectives are open especially in the big cities.

3.25

3.25 View of the housing in Kimki-Khovrino

3.26 Experimental complex of Novi Ceremuski

3.27 Plan of Kimki-Khovrino in Moscow

56

3.26

3.27

57

4.1

4.1

58

4

THE INTERNATIONAL DESIGN

COMPETITION FOR PETRŽALKA, 1966

59

4.1 The course of the competition

The International Competition for designing the District of

Petržalka, in the southern area of Bratislava, brought great

interest either in the same country than abroad39. This

have been one of the most important international

competitions after the Second world war, and not just for

the number of projects but for its content. A similar and

rare interest was found only in some scattered cases at the

world scale. The Competition involved several different

interested parts, which at the same time contributed to

increase the fame o f Bratislava in all the world. Though

the number of projects was not the highest in relationship

with the difficulty of the requested solution, the interest

for this area continued to increase also after the end of the

Competition. Beyond the participants, a great number of

local newspapers, and several institutions, including some

39 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka

/Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH,

Bratislava, 1969 p.10

universities and administrations of foreign countries

requested detailed results of the competition and,

according to the jury, a lot of discussions and different

studies regarding the problems in Petržalka have been

held. The basic principles of the new concept were

determined according an analysis of all the projects

presented in the Competition. The publication of all the

projects presented at the competition was therefore a

strong help for all the institutions and administrations who

were interested in the designing problem, and which could

find interesting points for discussions and seminars, which

contributed to enlarge the fame of Bratislava in all the

world. The territory on the right bank of the Danube which

is the object of the town-planning solution is bounded by

the flow of the river and assumed outlet canal. This canal is

to ensure a definite protection not only of the present

unprotected Petržalka against floods but is to protect the

town itself. The condition of the water sign level of the

Danube in 1850 show us that a greater part of the central

region of the town is insufficiently protected from the

4.1 Project n° 46, view of the model

60

floods which have occurred more times within a 1000

years even when measures have been affected against the

extraordinary rising of the level in 1954-55. Thus Petržalka

would have changed into an island lying directly in the

opposite side of the city the position expressively increases

the significance and mission of the new district. These

circumstances considerably influenced the town-planning

solution. The territory is limited by the flow of the Danube

and the outlet canal. It covers an area of about 1806 acres

(including the area of the outlet canal which is 161 ha). At

that moment Petržalka had about 15.000 inhabitants living

in 4113 flats40. The living quarters predominantly consisted

of ground floors family houses with the exception of

particular ones. Their dispositions were primitive and

without even modest hygienic equipment. Besides this, the

houses are not only virtually old but also obsolete in the

buildings technique sense of the word. Most of the roads

have no bottom construction but only a strengthened

bottom with an exigently adjusted surface. The distribution

of gas and public water supply has been performed only in

the last years in a part of former Petržalka. The

canalization could be performed only after the protection

of the territory against floods. The main and only reason of

this condition, which is a contradiction to the present

degree of development of the left bank regions of the

town, lied in the historical fact that, up till 1946, the so

called Ovsiste belonged to the community land-register of

Prievoz, on the left bank, and Petržalka was an

independent community being the greatest village in pre-

war Czechoslovakia. In spite of the fact that its inhabitants

were mostly employed in the city, the community was

administered not only according to the village of that time

40 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka

/Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH,

Bratislava, 1969 p.45

but its construction was also effected in this manner.

Attempts of the previous city administration of Bratislava,

to work out at least a common mutual harmonious plan of

construction, met with a negative attitude from the

administration of Petržalka. After connecting Petržalka to

the city, the political administrative conditions did not

improve, and the technical assumption did not change,

especially regarding the hydrological problem and the

protection of the territory against floods. Then the

economical part of the complex solution comes all the

more expressively into the foreground. Studies of this

solution are at a stage of discussion with the appropriate

departments and by the end of June 1968 decision will be

made according which solution will make use and adjust

the flow of the Danube in such an optimum and

harmonious way so that all regions of the city will be

definitely protected against floods lasting a thousand

years. The competition conditions, obligatory and

informative enclosures and answers to questions, inquires

provided the participants with sufficient knowledge in

order to understand the purpose of the competition, to

know the involved territory and detailed data about the

program in the development and construction of the new

Petržalka. The purpose of the competition was to gain new

and deeper cognitions about general tendencies in the

creation of a living environment of the basis of town-

planning conceptions designs and ideas of a higher

progressiveness which form assumptions for such a level of

this environment as to provide its inhabitants and users,

considering the psychological standpoint, with full, uniform

and long termed conditions for a happy life on a high

technical and cultural level. Most of the inhabitants at a

productive age will be working in regions on the left bank

of the city, mostly in its centre. On the other hand, various

arrangements of a whole city and extra-city equipment

which will be built in the new district will be sought after

by inhabitants of the whole city and by its visitors.

61

Petržalka was not conceived, in the original intent, as a

“living bedroom” but as a formation which through its

attractiveness will form conditions for a constant and

healthy pulsing life. Thus, the composition of the

competition study is to follow the creation of such a town

planning formation which will become an expressive factor

in the whole scheme of the city for regeneration of not

only the physical but also of the physical strengths of the

human which has been weakened by the ever growing

pretensions of mechanized and automatized production as

well as by activity in other branches beginning with

education through distribution up to research and applied

science. The whole concept of the design is to follow up

such a composition, connection and relation of the

separate functional components so that after the

construction of the new Petržalka, Bratislava, will really

become a city on the Danube41.

41 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka

/Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH,

Bratislava, 1969 p.46

62

4.2 The construction program

The construction Program required to solve on a given

territory42:

-The housing territory for 100.000 inhabitants was with a

complex public equipment and an extent of 60.000

inhabitants till 1980, and the remaining 40.000 inhabitants

till the next period. Till 1980, the fund of flats was to attain

the standard 13.2 square meters of living area for 1

inhabitant with average of 3.1 persons to a household and

2.6 inhabited rooms to a flat. The new construction would

have to count with an average of 45sm of inhabited area

and 3.12 rooms to a flat. The realization in the construction

of flats will begin on free areas, whereby demolition of the

existing housing fund is allowed in the first place in Stary

Haj, and Ovsiste. A gradual demolition of the housing fund

is also considered in Petržalka. The organization lay-out

and the structure of floor building was left to the free

consideration of the competitors. Indicative and

informative data about these factors were given in the

auxiliary enclosures:

-The area for the construction of industry was obligatorily

determined in the map enclosures as regards the situation

and extent;

-The limited territory is not supposed to be used for

current plant and livestock agricultural production;

42 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.46

-The position and area for the water supply worked as well

as for the canalization. Cleaning station should be also

obligatorily determined in the enclosures;

-The thermal power station was included in the industrial

area.

Further, the program required to place a number of

buildings and equipments of a whole city and extra city

significance, that is, especially:

-The Faculty of physical chemistry of the Slovak technical

University for 500 students with a boarding-school for

about 75%-80% of the students- with an area of about

30ha.

-The Research Institute for the Czechoslovak Academy of

Sciences for physical chemistry, with an assumed area of

about 10-15 ha.

-A park for recreational rest including a building for a

permanent circus;

-An exhibition hall with an area of about 30-40 ha;

-Some sport equipment of an importance for the whole

city: a complex sport stadium with playgrounds for 60-

70.000 visitors; areas and equipments for special water

sports (rowing in boats, kayaks, etc..) summer swimming

pools for 50.000-60.000 visitors;

-To complete the existing horse-race track on an

international level;

-A motel with a capacity of 180 beds and auto-camping for

300 cars

63

- A cemetery area of about 25ha.

The competition conditions devoted special attention to

the solution of green and water areas. Besides dispersing

the green areas into housing formation for an active and

passive rest of the inhabitants, they mostly required to

follow the following principles43:

-to preserve the existing park of Janko Kral and consider it

as a part of the park zones of the city mutually connected

and, therefore, propose its extension with regard to the

dispersal of buildings and equipment of a whole city and

extra city character: to foresee the least possible

disturbance of the green parks by communication lines and

intensified traffic; to substantially preserve the present

natural features of the massive forest which will be formed

into a forest park and will be one of the most important

parts of the recreation equipment of a whole city

significance; to produce adjustments of banks and dikes of

the outlet canal as far as this is in connection with the

placing of summer pools, facilities for water sports,

etc..was left to the free consideration of the competitors.

In effecting this task, the basic protective function of the

canal should not be disturbed; to produce adjustment of

the Pecen branch of the Danube and of all the smaller

branches or their filling up was also left to the solution of

the competitors; to preserve the Chorvatske branch, the

existing summer swimming pool Lido and the lake which

was formed by dredging gravel, and it is required to

appropriately adjust them. From the stand point of solving

the communication network, the district of Petržalka is

touched not only by the internal city transportation region,

dispersed on both banks of the Danube, but also

individually and expressively by the railway, road and ship

transportation as outgoing communications abroad

43 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.47

through Hungary and Austria with which the district

directly borders. In solving the problem of transportation,

the conditions required to thoroughly preserve the

generally used present principles, that is, to form an

integrate, balanced and economic transportation system

with correctly differentiated and categorized

communications. The competitors received comparatively

detailed and completely obligatory, directive and

informative enclosures and data of which the following are

especially indicated: to foresee a complete reconstruction

of the present railway network with a new overbridging of

the Danube is foreseen. However, realization will be begun

till around 1980, and up till then the present railway

equipment must be preserved. These circumstances must

be considered, especially as regards the construction of the

district in stages; the water transportation on the Danube

did not substantially concern Petržalka. It would have been

necessary to preserve the shuttle transportation of

passengers and it is to be foreseen that further

development of connecting both banks will be effected by

shuttle transportation; as the structure of the road

transportation would have gradually changed in the near

future, individual motor transport would have grown and

the transport forecast would have come out of the

presumption that in 1980, the degree of motorization will

achieve a ratio 1:5.25 (from this degree of motorization

will be 1:75, and the degree of saturation is considered

1:39 for all motor vehicles)44.

In Petržalka the mobility of inhabitants would have grown

till 1980 up to 685 drives per inhabitant and 45% would

have be directed to central region, 40% to other parts of

the city on the left bank and only 15% to the district itself.

44 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.48

64

During the last years international tourism has

considerably grown as regards the intensity of motor

transport on roads leading through the territory of

Petržalka. The roads are indicated as E15 (north Sea-

Prague-Bratislava highway E5) and E 16 (Gdansk-Zilina-

Bratislava-on).The degree of growth in the intensity of

transportation cannot be ascertained even by estimation

and therefore it was required to assume a four

communication reserved for motor transport. It was

assumed to build several new bridges to ensure

transportation across the Danube, that is: -a fish square (in

the meantime the construction of the bridge has already

begun), the present bridge from Safarikovo namestie, the

Safarik Square would have been reconstructed for road

transportation in its whole width after transferring the

railway track18. After 1980 a further bridge would have

been planned for internal city transportation as a

continuation of Kosika ulica-Kosika street; further road

bridges are being planned as a continuation of Mlynska

dolina (in the western part of the city) as well as a second

one parallel to the railway bridge (in the eastern part of

the city). These two bridges will enable to transfer the

highway lines from the left bank to the right bank so that

transportation will not have to pass through the centre of

the city. The solution of this connection passing between

the park and the centre of the present construction of

Petržalka was prepared by the masterplan and was not

obligatory for the competitors. The transport forecast

assumes that the requirements on transport caused by a

growth of mobility of inhabitants can be mastered only by

giving preference to collective city transport which is to

participate by 70%. It is assumed that trams and buses will

be used as transport means. Trolleybuses are excluded

from straight terrains but competitors can freely consider

to suggest a perspective high progressive kind of

transportation reserving the appropriate areas. The

conditions contained informative, respectively, directive

data about transport lines which would effectively connect

the single functional regions on the left and right bank of

the river. The following points were obligatory: only bus

lines can be exclusively led across the bridge from Safarik

namestie, Kosika street; for the needs of the city collective

transport it will be further necessary to make a design for a

new wagon-depot with a capacity of 150-200 wagons and

for an appropriate number of transformer stations in an

effective positions. The air transport had no strict

requirements on the limited territory but requests

limitation in the heights of buildings indicated in the

obligatory competition enclosures. Solution of the network

of technical equipment on the territory with the exception

of the communication scheme and transportation

equipment as well as of the dispositional studies of the

buildings was not required. The competition should have

contained18:

-A solution for town-planning study at a scale of 1:5000

-A master plan at a scale of 1:5000 and a model at a scale

of 1:5000

-An accompanying report, filled in form of technical-

economical data of the design

-An official author’s envelope with an envelope for return

address.

65

4.3 The contents of the competition design

According to the main Architect Svedko (one on the main

architect from the committee)all proposals and projects

presented in the competition can still be divided in five

groups, according to the type of project45:

Projects which are continuous in functional

principals of urban design (division in zones with services)

using the classic grid scheme.

Projects similar to the 1st point but avoiding all the

classical urban principles

Organic urbanism like the case of Candilis proposal

in Toulouse la Miraile

Concentration of object in to a fix form as a big

plastic composition

Without an individual concept which handles the

organization of the structure

The winning project was the one from Stanislav Talas and

Jozef Chovanec. This second architect renounced in

cooperating in the project, maybe because of “the

degradation of first winning ideas, as a famous rumor

stated20. This degradation was caused by the compromises

of many politics and the clumsiness of building production.

Despite of this, the basic goal was fulfilled. Habitation is

alive, starting to creating its own subculture and built it on

reduced moments from times of idealistic dreams of big

competition. The competition condition contained a

45 Source: The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;Vydavatelstvo Slovensko fondu vitvarnych, Bratislava, 1969 p.48-49

detailed description and explanation regarding contents of

drawings, forms, ways as well as other items of single parts

of the competition design. The competition enclosures had

an obligatory part contained: topographical plans 1:10.000

and 1:5000 into which it was necessary to draw the design

and the form for technical-economical data. This form was

to be filled in with appropriate numbers by each

competitor46. Informative enclosures were given in the

form of a brochure which contained auxiliary enclosures,

data and documents providing competitors with necessary

information for working out the conception of the town-

planning study. Further information, data and auxiliary

enclosures were received by the competitors in the

framework of answers to questions and inquiries,

especially: -schematic map of the city and its environment

indicating a geomorphological relief-map of the territory,

grown up green areas of forests and parks, a scheme of

railway network, main communication roads and streets,

etc: - panoramic photo view of the territory on the left

bank;-profile scheme of the outlet canal; -developing

assumption of children in households; hydrological and

meteorological data, etc..; more detailed data about kind

and quality of forests in Petržalka;-explanations and

informative data about the extent of public equipment of

housing information, especially in schools and hygienic

equipments.21

46 Source: The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.48-49

66

4.4 The evaluation criteria of the competition designs

The jury was formed by seven members (among which Mr

Andrè Gutton, President of the Institute of Architects,

Paris, France and Mr. Prof. Arthur Ling, from the

Department of Architecture and civil planning of

Notthingham University, UK)21. The first session of the jury

was held on November 10-11th 1966, all members were

present. Mr Prof Arthur Ling was elected chairman and Mr

Ing. Arch. Stefan Svetko, vice-chairman. The jury

acquainted themselves with the approved master plans

and immediate program of construction of the town. After

a survey of the town, especially of the territory on the right

bank of the Danube, the jury dealt with questions

submitted y a number of registered participants of the

competition. The jury decided in what manner to answer

these questions as regards the extent and contents,

whereby individual consideration should be devoted to the

question of respecting the character of the natural

environment of the territory on the right bank of the river

and its connection to the existing town. The jury,

therefore, decided that it was necessary to provide the

competitors with further informative enclosures and data

which have already been mentioned in the previous

chapter chapter of this publication. The jury further

appointed a committee to open designs as well as experts

to make observations on competitions entries in respect of

transportation and economic problems. Mr Prof. Ing.

Marka was appointed expert for transportation and Mr.

Ing. Teodor Bilka, for town-planning economics. Both were

to select further members according to their consideration.

At the same time jury gave instructions as to the

thoroughness of the general expert observations of all

designs for the next session of the jury. The second session

of the jury was held on june 3-4th 1967. After going over all

of the formalities the jury permitted all of the submitted

designs numbering 84, to be judged. The jury determined

the main criteria for judging, which they finally expressed

in the following terms21:

The quality of the new urban environment;

The integration of Petržalka with the existing

environment in relation to

a. The existing town and especially its centre

b. The preservation and development of the existing

landscape features

The integration of Petržalka with the existing

environment in relation to

a. building equipment

b. the main communication system, the district facilities

and other local means of transport, including pedestrian

ways.

Economy of the designs in relation to:

a. the design of the district as a whole

67

b. the technical solution, and

c. its realization in stages.

The above criteria for judging mentioned in the closing

record are substantially the principles and standpoints

expressed as a whole which the members of the jury

adopted during their discussions in detail. When

considering the mission of this publication we further

indicate the most important concrete principles and

standpoints for judging:

-the basic idea of the idea of the complex urban concept is

to show synonymously and expressively the lay-out of the

town on both banks of the river, especially the connection

of the new district with the central region of the towns;

- the quality of the urban composition in relation to the

human as user and visitor of the visitor of the district

should be judging according to the level of public, intimate

spaces and buildings which these spaces create on an

optimum human scale;

- preservation, eventually, development of the present

landscape features which depends from the extents with

which the expressive existing green and further

development of the park and extensive massive of forest

on the embankment will be exercised as well as from the

aspect that the composition should not only have the

appearance of the town undisturbed but should enhance it

at the exposed views from main accessible

communications coming from Austria and Hungary;

-mutual connections and dependences of separate

functional components should be valued according to the

present principles of urbanity newly created living

environments with respect to the specified territory of the

district and contents of the program of its construction.

This individually concerns the connection of equipments

and buildings of a whole city and extra city equipment on

the left bank regions of the town;

-the physical and aesthetical standpoint means the

emotional effect of the whole composition as well as of its

separate parts not only with respect to its inhabitants and

users but also as regards the visitors to the district;

- quality of solving transportation depends from the

extent, respectively from harmony of ensuring continuity,

safety and differentiated traffic of every kind and by

meeting the requirements of the determined competition

conditions. The expert observation will be taken into

consideration to an appropriate extent when evaluating

the proper design;

- economic solution can only be of a help in judging the

town-planning studies and evaluating them. However, it is

necessary to devote attention to the economic conception

when judging the proposed construction in stages;

-inventiveness of the basic urban composition should be

judged according to the level and extent of asset for the

conclusions and recommendations of the jury to the

inventor, that is, for working out the final proposal for the

construction of the district47.

After studying the competition designs individually, all

members of the jury began to judge them with active

participation of the experts. The jury then provisionally

classified the designs in three, respectively, in five

qualitative categories.

The jury further decided to proceed according to the rules

for international competitions in the line of architecture

and urbanism, issued by UIA in 1965, so that each member

of the jury has the right to request a justifiable new

judgment of a low classified into a low category and the

jury unanimously decided to eliminate from further

judgment 55 projects, eliminating other eleven projects

from the 35 projects remaining. The experts were asked to

work out a detailed criticism for the remaining 24 projects,

and domestic numbers of the jury were appointed to study

47 Source: The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.49

68

the accompanying reports of designs. The third and closing

session of the jury was held from June 23-27, 1967. All

members of the jury were present. After getting

acquainted with the contents of the accompanying reports

and hearing reports by the experts, the jury unanimously

eliminated from further considerations other 6 projects. So

that the following 18 projects remained for the final

selection22:

1,6,7,21,23,30,37,40,41,42,43,46,53,65,68,74,79,85.

Members of the jury were appointed to work out

proposals for the evaluation of the designs. The prepared

proposals of the evaluation were discussed and adjusted at

the plenary meeting of the jury. According to the results of

all proposed evaluation designs, the jury came to the

conclusion that none of these fulfilled the qualitative

criteria and requirements of the competition conditions to

such an extent as to justify awarding it a 1st or 2nd price. In

these circumstances the jury unanimously decided to:

a. Combine the monies set aside for 1st, 2nd and 3rd price to

give a total of 200.000 Kcs and divide this equally to

provide 5 third prices;

b. To divide the sum of 60.000Kcs, giving six equal rewards

each.

The jury further decided unanimously to award a high

commendation to other ten designs for partial quality and

more expressive partial ideas22. Among these ones, was

mentioned the Italian project of the architects: Alessandro

Mendini, Mario G. Olivieri, Paolo Viola (ing.), Luciano

Boschino, Francesco Mendini, Emilia Rossi, Antonio Susini,

Ettore Zambelli, Rossana Zambelli-Raitieri. Team workers:

Arch. Fabrizio Carola, Francesco di Salvo. Design: Paolo

Scheggi22.

In deciding about the high commendations according to

the appropriate rules of the mentioned international

competition order of UIA , the jury took into consideration

justified recommendations of some of its members and

accepted acknowledgments regardless of the fact whether

it proceeded for final selection. In conclusion to this part

we point out that according to the statement of the jury

the submitted designs represent a wide variety of town-

planning conceptions, notions and ideas. They range from

those which are purely schematic and theoretical based on

a rectilinear or axial conception to those which are free

and flexible in composition, taking the existing landscape

as a starting point for an artistic sculptural or even

fantastic approach to the design of a new form of

environment. A similar variety is represented even in the

character of the proposed building up of an entirely wavy

flowing in the most different types of housing buildings,

from enclosed blocks and stereotyped rows throws

flowing, grill, octopus like and striking forms of objects. We

further point out the evaluation of the winning schemes,

awarded and highly commended schemes are literally

indicated in the illustrated part.

69

4.4.1 The evaluation criteria of the competition designs

It has already been mentioned that in connection with the

judging activity of the jury, the expert observations had

been worked out in two stages. According to instructions

of the jury the experts performed a general observation of

all competition designs at the first stage, that is:

-observations were made as to whether the requirements

of the competition conditions were met in solving

transportation problems, as regards the connection of

routes to the separate kinds of transportation concerning

the obligatorily determined points48. The observations

checked on the relationship with each functional area and

on the required categorization of communication

relationships on the base. According to these criteria each

design was arranged in classified groups;

-technical-economic observations dealt with problems of

meeting the requirements of the construction program of

the district without checking the statistical data which had

been indicated by each competitor after filling in the

official form. According to this investigation with respect

to the present application of the technical-economic

indexes, a provisional qualitative degree of solution was

determined. At the second stage only 24 designs were

judged by the experts. These remained for final selection

after the elimination procedure by the jury. The experts

48 The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.50

worked out already more detailed observations for these

designs, that is:

-in solving the transportation problems the connection of

the separate kinds of transportation to the obligatorily

determined connecting points was investigated more

carefully once again. Further, the solution of each kind of

transportation was judged from standpoint of economic

realization and the traffic itself. In conclusion to the

judgments there is a brief evaluation of the solution of

each competition design;

- technical-economical level in the solution of the

mentioned 24 designs was judged in such a manner that

the extent of the single functional areas and the

percentage of participation in relation to the area of the

whole district and in the framework of the housing

territory was checked, respectively, ascertained. Further,

the basic indexes were ascertained, and especially the

average number of floors in the housing,the density and

the number of inhabitants, the stages, etc..

The possibility of accurately ascertaining the data,

especially, as regards the areas, was considerably

dependent on the thoroughness of the graphical work up

of the competition design and according to the way it was

presented. Due to this fact it was not very well possible to

achieve an entire numerical harmony between the total

areas of some designs with the data of

70

partial functional areas. However, this circumstance does

not influence the possibility of judging the qualitative

degree of solution.

The result of the experts observations are included in two

tables as follows:

- the table for solving transportation contains a general

observation of all competition designs. A detailed

observation is not included for the reason that its

conclusion are contained in the evaluation of the jury

appropriately adjusted to a suitable extent. The evaluation

of the jury are literally mentioned in connection with the

illustrations of the prize winning and award winning

designs;

- the table of technical-economical data contains numerical

results of a detailed expert observation of 24 designs and

their classification according to qualitative degrees. The

mentioned data in the table enable a mutual confrontation

of urban economy as well as a comparison of indexes

applied in various countries and religion;

In referring to the expert observations, we consider it

necessary to point at the character and purpose of the

competition. The invitor was conscious of the fact when

compelling the competition condition that to require

designs and ideas of a higher progressiveness for a town-

planning study solution of a district and at the same time

to achieve their optimum in harmony with the solution of

the transportation, and the technical-economic level of the

designs, is really a task which exceeds the framework of a

competition. Therefore, the invitor opened the

competition to get ideas and profound impulses. At the

same time, however, these circumstances inevitably led

the jury to the fact that expert observation were only a

help for a complex judgment and evaluation of each

competition design.

71

4.4.2 Conclusions and recommendations of the jury

In concluding the results of the competition the jury

summarized its conditions49 which are to be followed in

the construction of Petržalka, as well as its

recommendations to the National Committee of the City of

Bratislava, regarding the procedure in preparing the final

design for construction.

The ideas emanating from the projects receiving prices or

awards comprise a valuable source of inspiration for the

preparation of the plan for Petržalka particularly in respect

of:

The need to achieve a close relationship between

the existing city and its extension south of the

Danube

The importance of preserving and enhancing the

existing landscape qualities of the site

The opportunity of developing the waterways as

basic elements in the designs

The desirability of avoiding rigid solutions which

overemphasize theory or monumentality at the

expense of the natural landscape and the human

scale

The necessity of integrating all the major functional

elements of the plan into a comprehensive design;

The need of an in-built flexibility in detail to allow

for change and growth:

49 Source: The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 p.51

The paramount importance of creating human

environment in which people as individuals and as

members of a community feel that their needs

have been met in an imaginative and convenient

way.

It would have been easier for the jury to give advice to the

authority as further steps to be taken in the preparation of

a final design for Petržalka if the jury had found it possible

to single out one design which would had shown superior

quality and progressiveness in the urban solution to all

other designs. It was difficult, however, to place the final

selection of projects in any order of merit because of the

variety of solutions and ideas contained. The jury was of

the opinion that none of the schemes had completely

solved the particular problems of the new Petržalka and it

was for these reasons that the prize money was divided

into five equal prizes. It is only possible, therefore, to draw

attention to the wealth of ideas, principles and

conceptions that they and those receiving awards and high

communication contain. The jury attempted in the list

above to emphasize the main principles which, it feels,

have emerged from this competition.

For the procedure in preparing the construction: it would

have been necessary for a special project-team to be

established by the City Council for the final plan. In order

that the results of the competition could have been

analyzed and fully understood in relation to local

conditions. It was considered desirable that a discussion or

72

seminar should be held by Slovak architects and other

experts concerned so that a series of main conclusions can

be drawn up.

Following this, the prizewinning projects should have been

brought into further discussions so that advantage could

have been taken from their investigation and ideas, and

the conclusions of the previous discussions put to the test

as a wider basis. It would have been necessary if the

authors of the prize-winning projects could have managed

in some way –however modest- to make practical

contributions to the realization of the final plan24.

There are therefore some particular problems in respect of

which the jury wishes to make the following observations

or recommendations:

1. The Canal: If the Hydrologists have decided about the

absolute necessity of enlarging the cross-section of the

river on front of the city, the jury is of the opinion that

most of the economical and rational solution would be to

widen and deepen the river moderately. The construction

of a canal and new bridges would be expensive and would

limit the new district towards the west and the south. This

solution, however, can be acceptable only under the

presumption that the embankments of the Danube would

not create a slightly aesthetical dike but they would have

the character of a promenade with a free architectural

conception. These embankment would be freely planted

with trees in order to preserve their present appearance.

2. Main communication: in the first stage a road should be

constructed, making use of difference in the level of the

present dike, or of the future embankment with

connection to the Prague highway, and the new bridge to

the east. This road would pass through the new district

parallel to the river. It would be partially covered and

situated in parkland so that it would not separate the

district from the river. The road would serve the

augmented traffic on the left bank. In the second stage a

new bypass would be constructed to the south of the city

in the direction of Austria and to the highway Prague-

Budapest.

3. It is necessary to expressively determine the

construction on the territory in Petržalka again in such a

manner that only such industries will be allowed which will

not be harmful to hygienic and quiet living or to the

construction of residential areas because of dust, smoke,

noise, etc.. It is required, therefore, to give preference to

the construction of laboratories, research centers and

similar equipment.

4. It will be necessary to protect the natural features (the

forests, waterways, lakes, etc..) By widening the Danube

use can be made of the excavated earth to create a new

landscape.

5. The new district should not be so rigidly planned that it

becomes impossible for future generations in the light of

changing needs, to continue to works already begun.

6. The housing units should be varied in form so that the

inhabitants can have a wide choice in a composition which

allow in detail for change in character, scale and

architectural conception, providing people with a lively

human environment.

7. The best parts of the old city should be preserved for

future generations and new buildings should be designed

of this age but in scale with the existing buildings; the city

with its squared boulevards, pedestrian streets, and

embankments, should be the starting point for a modern

study of the future Petržalka as a city district set in a

landscape of forests and waterways with its unique

position on the Danube50

50 Source: The International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;Vydavatelstvo Slovensko fondu vitvarnych, Bratislava, 1969 p.60

73

4.5 Selection of competition projectsIn this part we publish views of the competition designs; the area extent and eventually, also the number of views of single

competition design is differentiated according to the degree of their evaluation by the jury; the views contain the solution of

the master plan at a scale of 1:5000, of the model and eventually a characteristic detail; the view of the model is taken either

from the south side or the north-west side (approximately from the castle hill on the left bank)51.

51 The description of the winning projects: 7,42,43,46,74,1,6,23,53,68,79, are presented in The book International urbanistic Competition – Bratislava Petrzalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969 pp. 61-78

4.2

4.3

4.2 Project n° 53, views of the model

4.3 Project n° 7, view of the model

4.4 Project n° 42, view of the model

74

4.4

75

4.5.1 Projects remained for the final selection

Project n°7 ( Bratislava, CSSR: Tibor Alexy, Jan Kovan, Filip Tkrnus)

This scheme combines a linear lay-out parallel to the Danube with development in depth at right angles to it. This satisfactorily

expresses both the individuality of the new district and its vital significance as an extension to the existing city. This project is

commended for its rich variety of housing forms which creates spaces of different dimensions as an essential part of the urban

environment. The connection between the old town and the new district centre is strong in character but its form requires

study. Less successful is the architectural emphasis of the north-south axis which dominates the structure in too forcible way

disrupting the existing landscape and the meandering waterway. The transport system is complicated and expensive, involving

a sunken motorway. But the system of communications as a whole is capable of development towards a satisfactory solution.

There is a balanced content and the project can be implemented in stages.

4.5

76

4.6

4.7

4.5, 4.6, 4.7 Project n° 7, views of the model

77

Project n° 1 ( Brno, CCSR : Vladimir Palla, Silvester Vagner, Josef Krejcik, Eric Vrtis)

This project has a concentrated linear form parallel to the Danube45. This enable natural features of

the site to be preserved. There are interconnections between various social facilities east to west,

whilst there is a community connection with the south. The educational buildings on the southern

periphery have good contacts with the parkland. In the interior, intimate urban spaces are proposed

and the housing development does not involve a large proportion of high buildings. the overall

layout, however, has a rigidity which would make it difficult to meet changes in social or

technological requirements in the future. It is arranged to allow for self-contained stages in

construction, although the new centre in the position proposed would involve an early demolition of

the old Petržalka.

4.8

4.9

4.8, 4.9, Project n° 1, views of the model

78

Project n°53

(Yugoslavia: Vladimir Music, Marjan Bezan, Nives Stark)

This is an imaginative scheme with characteristics of

flexibility and variety25. Its transport structure is over

elaborate and expansive although it has been studied in a

wider regional scale. A strong connection is provided to the

existing city by an extensive spine consisting of pedestrian

walk-ways in association with the public buildings and shops.

This spine also gives an effective link with parkland to the

south where the existing natural features are preserved. The

water ways are integrated into the housing areas which have

a variety in form of disposition allowing for easy staging in

development and for changes in social needs.

4.12

4.11

4.10

4.10, 4.11, 4.12 Project n° 53, views of the model

79

Project n°42 (Olomouc, CSSR: Karel Typovsky, Jaroslav Novacek, Vit Alamek)

This project is remarkable for the manner in which not only the existing landscape is preserved but also for the way in

which new parks are created encircled by blocks of flats of 8 to 20 floors45. The housing areas are divided into sub-

districts with social facilities are located on the first two floors of the surroundings curved blocks of flats. The bank of

the Danube is retained for parks and open spaces and only opposite the castle is an architectonic relationship

expressed with the old city. Here are located the eastern end of the park. The communications system is simple and

efficient but the motor-way inevitably divides the residential areas and the centre from the park, although pedestrian

ways at a different level are proposed. A distributor road encircles the residential areas and the park. Although the

scheme is somewhat exaggerated in scale and form, particularly as regards the centre and overwhelming size of the

flats, its structure as a whole is sound and definite and provides the basis for further development towards a scheme

which is both practical and more humanized.

4.13

80

4.14

4.15

4.13, 4.14, 4.15 Project n°42, views of the model

81

Project n°43 (Tokyo, Japan : Shiojiro Yamane, Denji Ogura, Yashimosa Okuma, Masashi Mijakawa,Hiroshi

Taginuki, Jiro Onuma, Josuma Myojyo, Tzuneiko Hongo)

The stated aims of this project45 are: a continuity in planning from a single dwelling to the city ; harmonious proportioning of

space between pedestrians and motorists sequential experiences; a pattern that allows for growth. A spiral with three “lines

of life” points to the district centre whilst links are provided with the existing city and an exchange route connects them

laterally. A public recreational and cultural zone is sited on the bank of the Danube are a single monumental plaza

commanding a panoramic view of the old city with the castle as a focal point. The traffic arrangements are well conceived. The

flowing housing courtyard are linked by shopping arcades and a served on one side by car parks, off the distributor roads and,

on the other, by open space and school. Public buildings are located at strategic points. This is very carefully considered

scheme, sensitively detailed and respectful of the existing landscape and waterways. The repetition of similar housing units

appears though monotonous on the model. The jury appreciated the avoidance of excessive dramatization and

monumentality. It considered the project well-balanced, economic and capable of realization in stages. It was concerned,

however, about the possible self-containment of the plan which might tend to make the district a separate satellite.

4.16

4.17

4.16, 4.17, 4.18 Project n°43, views of the model

82

4.18

83

Project n°46 (Los Angeles, California, USA : G. Vernon Russel, Anton Jemric, John Mc Keown Jr, Lianne Paxton)

This projects shows a profound appreciation of the existing landscape with its shape and waterways45. Its author senses that

Petržalka might become a unique island-city extension if regard is paid to natural assets and liabilities; he seeks to extend the

free of the landscape to the architectural and circulation patterns, avoiding rectilinear solution as anachronistic. the “stacks”

of apartments and low-rise extensions serrated in plan and skyline are grouped alongside or associated with the waterways

around a large park, which allows the retention of the existing Petržalka for the time being. The use of waterways for pleasure

and transport is proposed. Some aspects of the transport elements of the plan can be faulted and the district centre is isolated

but in the opinion of the jury these criticisms do not invalidate the contribution, this project make towards the creation of a

new urban environment with strong functional recreational area for the whole city as well as a modest visual

acknowledgement across the river. There are proposal for the economical utilization of the alluvium gravel for dikes, roads,

etc.. and for the manufacture on site of prefabricated housing units, the excavation forming new lakes and water-ways, which

could be used for transporting the new building elements. The jury considered this project to be one of great originality

showing a deep concern for the landscape qualities of the site.

4.19

84

4.20

4.19, 4.20 Project n° 46, views of the model

4.20

4.20

85

Project n°74 ( Wien, Austria: Roland Rainer, Albin Arzberger, Herbert Karer)

This project is highly with a strong relationship to the existing concentrates development in three communities around a

district centre and there are strong pedestrian and traffic links between them25. The exhibition area, the university and sports

facilities are located on the river bank, so enabling the majority of existing landscape to be retained. Its transport elements are

carefully considered, particularly as regards the level of the level station and the level of the local tramway which serves all

areas in a most economic way. Each community is made up of five neighborhoods, different in character, containing a variety

of dwellings which built-up to a high level of awards. The social facilities, as well as the parking spaces, are incorporated in

circular complexes. The jury considered this project to have a convincing structure with a most suitable relationship with the

road pattern of the existing city. It felt, however, that the standardized neighborhood unit was no conductive to change as the

development proceeded and that such a highly organized scheme was more suitable for implementation over a very short

period. These critics, could, it was considered, be met by the introduction of a great variety and a less rigid design in detail.

4.21

86

4.22

4.21, 4.22 Project n°74, views of the model

87

Project n°23 (Berlin, Germany : Merete Mattern, Manfred Waltz, J. Akni, Mike Mott, Hermann Mattern)

Whilst the jury recognized the qualities of the scheme n°1,

it also appreciated the contrasting message of this project-

a reaction to the rectangular and schematic approach and

an advocacy of town planning as an artistic and sculptural

activity25. The jury welcomed the comprehensive

approach in developing large-scale forms of landscape into

townscape preserving the meandering water-ways and

creating new ones by building up the ground formation so

enhancing the urban composition. This cannot be

considered as a scheme to be implemented as it stands. It

is a beginning, a vision, a reminder that town cannot be

human if they rely only upon scientific, lifeless formulas

from the computer.

4.23

4.24

4.25

4.23, 4.24, 4.25 Project n°23, views of the model

88

Project n°68

This project consists of two spines incorporating

pedestrian ways which are linked by a third spine at right

angles to the Danube extending from the existing park to a

new railway station25. As the park end, the connection

with the existing city is weak and the new district appears

to be a satellite rather than an integral part of Bratislava.

The housing areas lie at right angles to the two spines and

are of linear form allowing the penetration of green

parkways on either side so providing a good living

environment with easy access to open space and

educational facilities. Although the housing elements are

mechanically expressed, the organization of the scheme is

very expressive.

4.26

4.27

4.26, 4.27 Project n°68, views of the model

89

Project n°79 ( Frunze, Russia: V. Lyzenko, A. Abalian, V. Kurbatof, V. Cubenko)

This project consists of a series of compact neighborhoods

circular on form, formally disposed in the landscape, which

is substantially preserved25. The circular neighborhood

consists of buildings of 10 up to 28 floors, open at the

groud level and with built-in social facilities on the first

floor above where is a pedestrian walk. Despite its faults,

this scheme shows strength of character and originality

particularly in its attempts to provide an environment in

which public and private activities can be more readily

associated. The transport arrangements are generally

satisfactorily but the monorail is badly related to the

concentration of people and in any case would be

expensive in case of ¬¬¬ population growth.

4.29

4.28

4.28, 4.29 Project n°79, view of the model

90

91

4.5.2

Projects with honorable mention

Project n° 17 (Montereau, France: Henry Poney, Jan Maniaque, Albert Longo, Alain Fabre)

The project is commended for the reason that it contrasts with current planning theories by creating a

framework which allows more freedom and flexibility in the achievements of a variety of living

environments by different forms and densities of the buildings.

Project n°18 ( Karlsruhe, Germany: Uwe Freidinger, Rachid, Jarkass)

This project has vigorous formal qualities with strong relationships with the existing city,

but ignores the existing landscape features and its transport arrangements are incomplete.

4.30

4.31

4.32

4.32, 4.33 Project n° 18, views of the model

4.33

4.30, 4.31 Project n° 17, views of the model

92

Project n°21 (Wien, Austria : Robert Ruchitzka, Helmut Heisenmenger, Eric Holfmann, Jork Klinger, Rudolf Vieden) This project has a strongly articulated linear plan at right angles to the Danube. It has some excellent theoretical qualities but

unfortunately fails to pay sufficient attention to the existing landscape features.

Project n° 37(Dusseldorf, Germany; Thomas Robaschik, Mir Szabo, Rudolf Baumann, Jochen Brandtner)

The quality of this project lies in its consideration of the new district and its transport arrangements within wider regional

context. In contrast, its details are purely schematic.

4.34

4.35

4.36

4.37

4.34, 4.35 Project n° 21, views of the model

4.36, 4.37 Project n° 37, views of the model

93

4.6 The project finally realized

The final project for Petržalka does not belong to any of

the projects presented in the competition, as the final

response of the jury did not consider any of the projects to

perfectly match to answer all the points requested. The

final Masterplan of the area shows different

characteristics, divided into different residential areas

(built in different phases) and located around a central

axes where it was planned the area with public services.

This axes was generated by the big pedestrian bridge

(today closed to the public) which was an extension of the

main street of the city (Sturova, which arrives to the

centre). As in many others socialist areas, the urgency of

answering to the primary needs, which are the houses for

all citizens, the lack of money, caused the fact that only the

residential part of the project to be realized with the main

services to the citizens (like schools and post offices),

ignoring all the central part of different kind of services.

This lack was the main cause of the failure of Petržalka and

the reason why it seemed at once a dormitory area.

The different areas, built in different phases, show

different building typologies, which reflect the different

architectural experimentations and influences before and

after socialism. Compared to the building typologies of the

competition designs, it is easy to identify how in those

projects it has been pursued a major level of research and

complexity, compared to the socialist typologies spread

out in the previous years; though, the buildings realized

reflect a backwards look at the first socialist

experimentations, with the same failures and old-

fashioned ideas for the years Petržalka was built. The

north-east part of the area was the first to be built, and it

has an introvert disposition in comparison with the central

axes, orientated towards the landscape component of the

wood, which separates from the river; the building

typology reminds the one in Moscow and Nova Huta of the

second phase, a layout with a central open space and

services in the middle, in the part which costs the planned

axis of services for the area, in order to give a more

introvert aspect compared to this and open towards the

landscape, while in the meantime there are residential

blocks which remind the building typologies of the

residential areas in BIelany, Chimki-Chovrino (Russia) and

Nowa Huta (Poland). Proceeding towards the southern

part of Petržalka, the typologies are mainly with central

courtyard, with semicircular blocks which create circular

squares. This typology of buildings here used works more

than other typologies, revealing a better control of the

space, theme which represents the main problem of the all

area of Petržalka. The north-west part, which costs the

Panoska Cesta street and the industrial part on the left side

of the area, and is the third to be built, and reminds the

typology already used in Bielany, Chimki-Chovrino (Russia)

and Nowa Huta (Poland), with residential buildings of

different dimensions and buildings for the services (mainly

schools, posts) together with smaller dimension blocks.

This area costs the central axis in a more scattered way,

with blocks of different dimensions, with blocks of various

dimensions without a precise array of open spaces, which

94

seem to be more a not characterized open space than a

formal square. The northern part of Petržalka , in addition,

which is also the most recent one, shows building

typologies with central courtyard and “C” shaped, more

rigid in comparison with the typologies built in the

southern part, but they keep the same layout with services

(schools and post offices) of the all other residential areas;

the blocks are arranged in a introvert centric way

compared with the channel, costing the railway and the

Panoska Cesta street. In a symmetrical way to this, another

area costs the highway which reaches Vienna, (the Panoska

Cesta in the opposite side) and the small residential area

with more recent single houses. It is possible therefore to

deduce how the competition design proposals for

Petržalka were more refined and with more functions and

services, better integrated with the residential part,

compared with what was finally realized. For what

concerns the final shape of the buildings, it is clear how the

projects with organic shapes and more related with the

landscape around (like the projects n°42 and 46) have not

been taken into consideration, compared with the squared

lines and the more rigid articulations given by the

precedent architectural socialist examples. In addition, it is

to say that the economic component of the production

process gave influence on the design choices, as the

standardized productive process in the socialist building

trade finally determines specific design choices, very fast to

realize, to the detriment of a more qualified design and

more careful of the real needs of the citizens.

95

5.1

96

5

URBAN ANALISYS OF PETRŽALKA

DISTRICT

As first approach with the area we passed through a long

time analysis where we considered all the urban

components which characterize the area and its

relationship with the city of Bratislava ( the link with the

Old city, the infrastructures, the public transports, the

functions and services in the area). We produced some

schemes which represent the current situation, focusing on

the characteristic and interesting aspects of the area,

elaborating a precise description of the urban situation of

Petržalka, highlighting the weaknesses the main problems

to solve and the urban potential as the starting point of our

project of requalification.

5.1 Scheme: Housing concept of the area

97

5.1 Petržalka and the Old city

The district of Petržalka is linked to the city centre trough

five bridges: two for the highway, one old pedestrian

bridge and two bridges with the connection for cars to

allow them to cross the Danube. The bridge Novy Most is

the world's longest cable-stayed bridge in category with

one pylon and with one cable-stayed plane . The bridge

Kosicka is located between the current Pristavny (Port)

Bridge and the Old Bridge originally built by the Russian

army after World War II. The connections between

Petržalka and the Old city are only through buses: in fact,

after several purposes, the idea of having an underground

line getting to Petržalka was finally rejected as the soft land

where Petržalka lies has serious problems with excavations

because of the water floods. Consequently to that, the

proposal of having a high speed tram line has already been

proposed and accepted. Another aspect which separates

Petržalka from the Old City, beyond the Danube, which is a

natural and physical barrier, is the position of the highway

which, even more than the Danube, gives the sensation of

being a strong and impassable part of the area, especially

to the pedestrians, who have just the choice of using some

uncomfortable and narrow pedestrians bridges which link

one side to the other and do not have the strength of

valuable connections between the commercial area (where

Aupark stands, which is an attraction point for all the city)

and the residential Petržalka. In addition, it is to say that

the only part of Petržalka which is deeply and really used

by all the people of the city is the park which costs the

river: in fact, that part is really appreciated by the sport

lovers from all the city, and it is probably the only part of

Petržalka, as people living in the Old district still feel in a

very strong way their status of “Old city citizens” and want

to keep their ideal difference from the “Petržalka citizens”.

5.2 Scheme: Petržalka and the strategic areas of Bratislava

98

5.2

99

5.2 Streets and Public transports at local and city scale

In the analysis of the infrastructures in the area we

considered first of all the hierarchy of the streets which

serve the area, the system which links Petržalka to the rest

of the city and the close Austria, Vienna above all. The area

in fact is in a strategic position for the closeness to the city

centre and Vienna, which is linked by a regional train

system, thanks to which a lot of workers living in Petržalka

reach every day their work place there. For what concerns

the mobility at local and city scale, Petržalka suffers for the

strong presence of the highway in the northern part, which

is a strong barrier which separates the park and the new

commercial area of Aupark (which is the most “lived” part

of Petržalka from the rest of the city, from all the

residential part, which suffers consequently for functional

an infrastructural loneliness.

The area in fact was designed for cars, and is completely

encircled by the highway and the two beltways, but the

pedestrian and cycle connections are completely inefficient

or absent. The biggest problem involves the pedestrian

accessibility to the area and the infrastructures, as beyond

the buses there are no other means of transport

connecting Petržalka to the rest of the city: the project of a

metro line which could link the area with the old city was

rejected as Petržalka’s ground, once an island, does not

allow to realize this intervention; instead, the project of an

high speed tram connecting with the rest of the city is

nowadays under design and comes also to be one key

point of our strategy for the area.

5.3 Scheme: Streets and public transports in Bratislava

100

5.3

101

5.3 Housing and Building typologies

The area of Petržalka is characterized by several building

typologies, different for the plan, the array of the buildings,

the height. In all the different parts composing Petržalka

the buildings have an introvert array, and face the

courtyards where the schools lie. The typologies are

divided according two different categories: line shaped or

with staircases in the middle. The line shaped typology is

the most spread, with nine up to eighteen floors: the

buildings have different layouts and are assembled in

different ways in order to form geometrical shapes, C

shapes, broken lines, and their height decrease

progressively from the area near the channel towards the

inner housing areas. In the line shaped typologies the

staircases are well visible, and in the last few decades their

facades have been painted in order to distinguish the

several buildings. The typologies with staircases in the

middle are spread mostly in the northern part of the area,

and stand like towers of variable height, between fourteen

and sixteen floors. In the southern part of Petržalka these

buildings stand together with the line shaped buildings

creating some broken line shapes. The common character

of the buildings is to have the canteen in the basement or

sometimes the shops in the first floor. In several buildings

the basements host the shops, but in almost all of them

the commercial function is not strong enough to stand as

reference points in each small housing area of the district.

For what concerns the structure of these houses, all the

buildings have columns up to the first floor, and from the

second one the structure is made by the precast panels

assembled in the building site.

5.4 Scheme: Housing typologies in Petržalka

102

5.4

103

104

5.5: Housing typologies in Petržalka

5.5

105

5.4 Green areas, water and environment

The area of Petržalka has a very consistent green heritage

and potential. First of all, this is caused by the fact that

Petržalka was originally and island, and it was actually

surrounded completely by the water, thanks to two

branches of the Danube, which spitted into two parts

joining against the floods in the south of Petržalka. This

particular layout has been really positive for the growth of

a consistent green belt of wood, which today stands as the

biggest natural richness of the city. Nowadays the Danube

surrounds Petržalka only in the northern part, as in the

70s, when the residential project for Petržalka became

reality, the local administration and the experts decided to

cover the smaller branch of The Danube, giving it the

appearance it has today. This decision, though, revealed to

be a failure as in some particular times the floods rich a

very high level of water giving some problems of

incontinence. In addition to the particular natural layout of

the area, the area of Petržalka is very attractive under the

aspect of the sport activities: the central part, where is the

artificial water channel, is very much appreciated by

running and roller skating lovers, and also the southern

part, from the area around the hippodrome (which attracts

fans from all the city during the races) going to the area

next to the lake, which has a very big potential for water

sports. Though the residential area is densely rich in terms

of green areas, surrounded by the wood and the

agricultural fields, there is a deep lack of green facilities

and leisure, so that finally it is very difficult for the

inhabitants to enjoy the green heritage they have.

Therefore, in our design proposal, we consider to ask

ourselves how to give urban quality to the existing green

areas, creating different types of them, and developing the

potential that this space can have for its inhabitants.

5.6: Green typologies in Petržalka

106

5.6

5.6

107

5.5 Functions

The Petržalka district, in the way it has been particularly

designed, is very rich in services like schools, post offices

and municipalities. For what concerns other kind of

services, these should have been in the area according to

the original project, but they have never been realized

because of lack of money. The most relevant problem of

this area is the highway, which like a barrier separates

Petržalka from the area of the park and the stadium. The

analysis on the area proved the need of creating a mix of

services in the central part, in a well planned system which

could link the different part of the district, which results

completely patchy and scattered. From the map of the

functions in the area it is evident how the number of the

schools is even higher than the number needed; the sport

activities are concentrated around the schools and some of

them are relevant at city scale, like the stadium, the Arena

and the hippodrome. The commercial areas are

concentrated in few points with big Malls and shopping

centers, which attract citizens from all the city but do not

fulfill the Petržalka citizens needs.

5.7 Scheme: Existing functions in Petržalka

108

5.7

109

110

6

URBAN STRATEGIES

AND GOALS FOR THE AREA

6.1

6.1 Scheme: Existing functional poles in Petržalka

111

6.1 The project for out flowing the river Danube

In the course of the centuries the river Danube near the

area of Petržalka suffered for many modifications: till the

end of the XIX century Petržalka was an island, surrounded

by the channels and periodically liable for inundations

which caused big problems to the inhabitants, damaging

the inhabitants’ houses and crops, as the area was famous

for its fertile earth and its wide cultivations. At the end of

1800 the local authorities first decided to modify the

course of the river, and in the 50s the authorities decided

to drain up completely the channels, and Petržalka became

a uniform area as we know it today. Nevertheless, after

this intervention of draining of the Danube, a lot of

problems of floods came because of the lack of the

channels which contributed to canalize the water in

different directions. Therefore, the local authorities are

thinking to face this phenomenon creating again a net of

canalizations and waterways which could go cross the area

and link the riverfront of the old city to the water basin at

south of Petržalka. The project of outflow has been carried

out by the University of Technology of Bratislava together

with the University of technology of Vienna in 2005. The

project, named Bajoproject ,had several different goals:

the renewal of the relations between the neighboring

northern boroughs of Bratislava across the Morava River

with municipalities in Austria, the activation of new cross-

border by development of urban and transport

infrastructure in the direction of Devínska Nová Ves –

Marchegg– Gänserndorf: improving the walking and cycling

connections across the River Morava in the area of

Devínska Nová Ves, and the development of international

cycling paths along the River Morava with facilities within

urbanised parts of the settlements; secondly, the

restoration of the historical relations and ties with

neighbouring Austrian and Hungarian municipalities in the

southern part of the city Petržalka – Berg – Wolfsthal –

Hainburg; Building up a central space around and alongside

the historical route to Vienna; the creation of four

development ring roads connected above the motorway to

Austria Jarovce – Kittsee – Brucka/L and Hungary Rusovce

– Rajka – Hegyeshalom, and an anti-flood protection of

Bratislava in the form of the new Danube channel, which

will bring back the phenomenon of water to the urbanised

environment of the city, as well as recreational areas.

6.2 Project for out flowing the river Danube

112

6.2

113

6.3

6.4

6.5

8.1 The project for Petržalka into the new water/landscape system

114

6.6

115

6.2 The creation of new strategic axes/poles and the

empowerment of the existing ones

For the development of our intervention strategy we

focused on the infrastructural aspect, focusing on the most

important infrastructural axes, defining their function and

their influence on the surrounding territory. The main

infrastructural axes, which are also the main streets are the

Dolmosenka cesta and the Panonska cesta, highways which

link the city with Hungary at south. Along these axes lie

different poles, at city and local scale, attraction poles

which bring attention to the area of Petržalka. On the axis

of Dolmozenka cesta there are city attractions like: the

commercial center of Aupark, the Fairy, and the station

which links the city of Bratislava with Vienna, which is an

important node for all the commuters working there and

living in Petržalka. On the Panonska cesta are other poles

like the Mall Eurovea, the Faculty of Economics and the

Hyppodrome, which attract flows from all the city. We

therefore focused on the lack in the main axes which

historically departs from the old city centre and through

the old bridge gets to Petržalka crossing it and creating a

crack which separates the area in two parts. This central

part, which in the phase of creation of Petržalka was

disposed for the services and functions missing in the

district, and then never built for the lack of money, sees

today some poles at the city scale like the Stadium but

above all at the district scale, like some commercial units

as Billa, Lidl, a small cultural centre (which became one of

the few reference points of the area), some churches and

some other commercial units standing next to the channel.

This missing axis, which has a great landscape potential

thanks to the channel and the big green central space,

today is left abandoned. In our intervention strategy we

propose to revaluating this potential and re-establish the

original function of this axis, adding the new functions and

missing public spaces increasing at the same time the value

of the surrounding landscape.

6.3Scheme: Existing green, streets, water system

6.4Scheme: Project for the new water system

6.5Scheme: The new green system

6.6 Scheme: The new water and landscape system

6.7 Scheme: Axes and strategic functional nodes

116

6.7

117

6.3 The empowerment of public transport, cycle and

pedestrian routes at local and city scale

In order to obtain an efficient link between the district ,

the Old City centre, and the city in general, we considered

the project (already proposed) of a fast tram line which

could link the centre with the Petržalka area, crossing it

from north to south. In the same time our strategy has the

goal of solving other two infrastructural problems, as the

development of the railway Bratislava-Vienna and the

improvement of the pedestrian connection between the

area close to the park and the residential area from which

results separated because of the highway, which like a

barrier obstructing the flow of pedestrians in the

residential district. In fact, costing the area around the Mall

Aupark, it is possible to cross the highway only through

narrow pedestrians bridges which cost the street in four

different points. Though, getting through them is not very

inspiring, and so they are not much used. In our

intervention strategy there is therefore the intent of

talking the massive presence of the barrier, and developing

more the connection between with the mall and the park,

inviting the pedestrians to cross the highway. At the same

time the strategy involves also the railway station of

Petržalka, of great importance for the commuters which

everyday go to work in Vienna,: nowadays the station is

little accessible, reachable only from Rusovska cesta and

not from Panovska cesta, one of the two main

infrastructural axes which cross Petržalka. Empowering the

strategic role of the station it is possible to create a link

with the core of the area, improving the usability and the

accessibility for the commuters.

6.8 Scheme: The new tram line

6.9 Scheme: Empowerment of the existing cycling line

6.10 Scheme: The new pedestrian routes

118

6.8

119

6.9

120

6.10

121

6.4 The empowerment of the existing green areas and

landscape through the reintegration of the central

environmental/functional axis

In order to give value to the urban green in the area we

consider the hypothesis of reconverting all the green

space existing in the central part in a multipurpose green

axis where the landscape, the buildings and the

infrastructures interact Naturally, in order to create spaces

which give breath to the district tackling the massive

buildings in Petržalka. In detail, the goals to obtain in the

requalification of the area are of different typologies: for

what concerns the open space, our strategy has the

mission to differentiate it in squares, green areas with

facilities, green for sport, naturalistic greenery, picnic

areas, boulevards, in order to create a mix of possible uses

of the area. The mobility has a fundamental role, with the

fast tram line which has the role of structural axis for the

new intervention. The buildings that are about to be built

are more a filling of the public space than a presence which

face the surrounding context. The intent is also to face the

theme of identity in the area, where the inhabitants have

difficulties to distinguish the different part of the area, or

to find their own house: our strategy points at the

differentiation of the area in three parts, characterized by

the presence of three different functional themes like: a

commercial theme for the northern part (closer to the old

city centre and the commercial area of Aupark; a cultural

theme, with the core in the area around the cultural

building already existing (where we suppose a link with the

station) and a theme that involves the sport and the nature

in the southern part of the main central axis, where there

is the lake, the hippodrome, the wood and a big green

heritage. These interventions are supposed to be punctual,

concentrated around four main strategic nodes: the first,

to be placed in the area around the beginning of the

channel, where there are the shops Billa and Lidl , and a big

free area to design; the second one to place in the area

surrounded by the curve of the channel; the third one near

the crossing with the street Painstunska, where there is

already a small functional pole; the fourth to realize near

the last stop of the tram, close to the last curve of the

channel, where is possible a link with the new residential

area, at south of Petržalka.

6.11 Scheme: The central environmental/functional axis

connecting the areas of the district

122

6.11

123

7.1

124

7

THE PROJECT FOR THE

REQUALIFICATION

125

7.1 Identification of reference visual axes in the area

In order to identify the matrix of our project, so that our

design goals could be reached, we started observing the

pre-existing residential area of Petržalka, made up of so

introvert and scattered parts that seem like lonely islands

in the whole district. In order to break the mutual

loneliness emphasized from the big central whole today

abandoned, we started with tracing some ideal and visual

axes which cross the watercourse in may points linking the

different areas. These axes, which are made up of green

and paths with trees, graft into the courtyards of the

existing buildings, which today are abandoned lawns, and

small playgrounds; from these existing courtyards , the

general plan is to graft paths with trees which could link

each area with the project area, where it is supposed to

have a specific array of the public space with paths, lawns,

facilities, and naturalistic green. In addition to the axes

which link the different areas of Petržalka from a side to

another, the general plan is to place some axes which

create a flow of lines which according to the project merge

to the north crossing the highway, creating a bridge which

at the different levels (infrastructural, pedestrian, traffic)

could cross the barrier of the highway, and which could

invite all the flows of pedestrians coming from the old city

to enter the area of Petržalka, through a track which could

led the pedestrians and the cars into the area. Therefore,

the system of axes crossing the project area linking the

different areas with a net of paths and trees lines together

with a system of visual axes which merge into the bridge

like flows merging into the Old city, create a base matrix

which defines at a first level the basic articulation of the

public space.

7.1 Concept sketch for the masterplan

7.2 Scheme: Visual Axes in the area

126

7.2

127

7.2 Identification of spontaneous pedestrian routes near

the channel

In order to identify a reference grid for the articulation of

the public space, we observed how in the course of the

time, beyond the spaces carefully and strictly designed in

the socialist era which characterize the area, a lot of

spontaneous pedestrians routes which cross the area of

the channel form a side to another, in a very random way.

These routes, traced in the existing green and mostly

without ending, define a patchy track which costs all the

design area. In order to articulate the public space, taking

into consideration the visual axes as a mean to link the

different parts of the area, we started considering these

routes with the idea of creating a more free fruition of the

public space, resulting from the observation of how

spontaneously the inhabitants of Petržalka love to walk

along and near the channel to reach their destinations.

In order to recreate this usage and habit, we considered a

hierarchy of secondary lines which could lay on the grid of

primary visual axes we have defined: in this way we have

tried in this project to grant a walkability which could offer

a multiplicity of alternatives and different routes, either

with naturalistic routes and paths or open spaces near and

along the channel defined by the track of this grid, which

creates a landscape system integrated also with the

disposition of the buildings and the functions that we

designed to place in the area.

7.3 Scheme: Spontaneous routes near the channel

128

7.3

129

7.3 Creation of a grid defining the public space

From the observation of how the landscape is structured

thanks to the soft movements of the channel (which in our

strategy has a strategic role, in order to give value to the

natural landscape of the area) we opted for a grid which

could be as a support for the creation of public indoor and

outdoor spaces. Thanks to the visual axes and the lines

generated by spontaneous pedestrian routes, we created a

landscape system which takes into considerations the lines

of the watercourse, which in this way comes to be

emphasized in the area. The landscape lines that we

created, in order to create piazzas, walkways and paths,

turn in to be an ideal transposition of the curves and the

watercourse, especially in the central part of the channel,

where it turns and the lines create like an offset of the

lines of the watercourse, and together with the lines of the

visual axes and the new paths (which synthesize and

repurpose the original inhabitants’ habit to walk freely in

the area next to the river), a system of accessible system of

public spaces from all the different parts of the area, which

different array of the buildings in relationship to the lines

of the watercourse. The kind of intervention takes into

consideration also the theme of Identity, and consequently

the inhabitants today’s difficulties to identify and

distinguish the different areas of Petržalka and their

houses, or to orientate themselves into the area. Our

strategy has also therefore the goal of placing different

arrays of squares and public buildings along the channel ,

creating some new focal and reference points for the

inhabitants, differentiating the several parts of the district.

7.4 Scheme: Grid defining the new public space

130

7.4

131

7.4 Definition of the different types and uses of green

Being aware of how careful needs to be the design of the

green areas as it shapes the form and the appearance of

the city like the architecture of the buildings, we used in

our design strategy different types of green : the green

related to the mobility, which comprehends the green

spaces included into the flows of the urban environment

(like the green of the parking spaces, near the traffic areas,

the green used as street furniture); the green related to

the urban space, which comprehends a lot of green

differentiated on the basis of their structure and spatial

dimension and the green spaces related to the goal of

improving the quality of the urban spaces, also in a

landscaping way (with green courtyards, gardens, park,

wood, paths with trees, lawns); the green related to the

territorial green, including the wood which characterizes

the north, north-east, and the east part of Petržalka, and

devoted both to the ecological and ornamental function.

The general plan of our concept is therefore to use the tree

rows as axes articulating the public space in multiple use

destinations, like squares, lawns, and park. In addition, in

the southern part, with a stronger naturalistic

characterization, and with naturalistic pedestrian routes

getting to the Danube, we planned a possible agricultural

land use of some fields, from which the Petržalka

inhabitants can benefit.

7.5 Scheme: New Urban green

132

7.5

133

7.5 Placement of the buildings

in the strategic points of the intervention

For the placement of the new functions in the area we

chose six focal points along the channel which could be

considered as new strategic and functional reference

points for the area. The main goal of our strategy is the

willing to integrate as much as possible the buildings in the

surrounding landscape, in order to create an harmonious

whole of opens spaces and public buildings: this

intervention is possible proposing buildings which, for their

shape and structure seem like coming out of the ground,

thanks to green coverings with mild, walkable slopes that

stand silently into the surrounding landscape. This idea

reflects the willing to contrast the rigid formalism which

characterizes the area and to requalificate the landscape of

the area without adding new massive and standing

buildings. For what concerns the functions to add, we plan

a hierarchy of roles between the buildings near the

channel: in fact, the general plan is to give a city scale

relevance, in order to create interest in the area of

Petržalka (the ones near the bridge are thought like a door

to the area, while the ones at the end of the channel like

attraction point which could create a strategic point where

will be the last stop of the tram. In the northern part,

where is the commercial area hosting the shops Billa and

Lidl, and beyond the highway near the area of the park and

the stadium, we planned the construction of a commercial

pole: this will be also in relation to the new station,

planned for the regional train terminal supposed to be

built also in that area in the future. Going along the

channel, where is the big twist of the watercourse, today

stands a small cultural centre which represents also one of

the few reference points of the area: exactly in this area

we planned to keep this destination use creating three new

buildings (instead of the existing small one) a square, and a

park around them. Going south, where are the streets

Romanova and Kutlikova, other groups of buildings and

squares are in plan, with functions for the district; in our

strategy is also planned to build a group of buildings and

squares in the area near the last stop of the tram, in a

similar way to the ones planned in the northest part of the

district, so that also that part of Petržalka could become an

attraction pole for the whole city.

7.6 Scheme: New public buildings

134

7.6

135

8.1

136

8

THE MASTER PLAN

137

8.1 Concept strategy

8.2 General Masterplan

8.3 Zoom 1:

The new bridge

and the new commercial pole

8.4 Zoom 2: The new cultural centre

8.5 Zoom 3:

The new sport area

8.6 Zoom 4:

The area near Kutlikova street

8.7 Zoom 5:

The new tram terminal

and the surrounding area

8.2

138

8

8.3

139

8.4

140

8.5

141

8.6

142

8.7

143

144

9

NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR PETRŽALKA

WITH THE NEW INTERVENTION

145

9.1 The re-appropriation of the public space

With this intervention of requalification we would like to

re-establish the human scale in Petržalka, bringing back its

origins, when it was a small town and its park was a place

of interest and attraction for all the city, where took place

fairies and events of European resonance. In addition, the

agricultural theme in the area of Petržalka brings many

perspectives, both in the recovery of the identity of the

district, with the creation of urban vegetable gardens and

in the functional aspect interacting with the near

agricultural areas and the creation of a farmer market

which could bring back again the attention on the local

products. The idea of giving new value to the public space

proposing different thematic poles along the channel

(commercial, cultural, sport, agricultural), comes from the

willingness to differentiate the several parts of the area

and the public space above all, which nowadays has a big

lack of characterization and attractions. The area of

Petržalka, like all the other urban contemporary and

precedent experiments, proved how the concept of public

space spread in those years failed miserably, showing how

it was inadequate and not adapt to the inhabitants’ needs,

changing so fastly and needing flexibility. In the original

project the idea of public space was referred only to the

buildings courtyards, and therefore only playgrounds and

little sport fields were designed in order to answer to the

basic inhabitants’ needs; no any other public space

common to all Petržalka has ever been thought and

designed. In the course of the time has become evident

how the inhabitants need to live their district beyond the

basic functions that it can offer, and how the free time is a

valuable resource to be preserved in the design of

adequate public spaces, outdoor and indoor. Our strategy

propose to re-establish an equity between the inhabitants

and their public space, and to allow them to use a precious

resource which today they are not able to enjoy.

146

9.2 Chronological program of the intervention

According to our strategy, we propose to realize the

intervention following different phases. First of all, the first

and most important step for the area is the infrastructural

connection with the Old City, therefore the construction of

the fast tram line, according to the already existing project.

In addition to that, the same importance have the

pedestrian and bicycle connections, with the

empowerment of the bicycle line route and the pedestrian

routes along the river. Once the connections have been

improved, the next step is to realize the park, the trees

lines and the paths, so that the inhabitants can enjoy at

once the green and its facilities. When then the new

buildings and the new function are placed in the site, the

outdoor spaces like squares and related areas can be built

as well and fully integrated in the park around. In an extra

amount of time also the tree line connected with the

existing courtyards can be realized, in order to complete

the graft of the new intervention into the surrounding

environment.

147

9.3 Conclusion

What will be the future of Petržalka? Our proposal has

tried to give an answer to this issue, a new point of view.

Opposite to the plans of developers, we believe that

Petržalka’s historical identity and future lies in its green

heritage, in its park, in its wood, so beloved by its

inhabitants and so full of potential for the whole city of

Bratislava.

In relation to that, our willingness to add functions to the

area aims at proposing a silent but relevant intervention,

by creating a hierarchy of scale between the district and

the city, at the same time channeling flows into the area

and marking Petržalka’s watercourse through a sequence

of small and big polarities. Our research work for the urban

requalification of Petržalka focuses on the human scale,

based on the value of the existing landscape and on the

recovery of the district identity.

Our approach to the problem has borne from the direct

experience we had of the area, walking through it, talking

with the inhabitants, visiting the interior of a panelàk,

using the existing outdoor spaces used by the inhabitants

after seeing with our eyes what is the Petržalka’s reality.

After 40 years of urban changes, transformations and

despite the new millennium advent, Petržalka suffers today

for the same urban mistakes as many other contemporary

European areas do. Our goal is therefore to create the

missing public and aggregation spaces for the whole area,

following one another in a fluid and dynamic way into the

green. In this way, this area, which represents a such

important heritage for all the city, can become again a

reference point for the city like it was in the past, when all

Bratislava citizens came in Petržalka to relax and enjoy in

their free time the beauty of its green heritage and his

relationship with the natural environment. Today

Petržalka’s face is completely different, but we hope that

in the future this area would become able to offer again a

nice and quality free time to all Bratislava citizens, like it

did.

148

149

10. Abstract in italiano

Il quartiere di Petrzalka rappresenta per Bratislava ai giorni nostri una problematica urbana ancora aperta. La sua

nascita, negli anni ’70, per volere del regime, che ha cancellato completamente una parte di storia della città e del

suo passato, imponendo un carattere urbano completamente differente, rappresenta una fase amara ed irrisolta per

Bratislava e per i suoi abitanti.

Dopo 40 anni di cambiamenti urbani, trasformazioni delle città e l’avvento del nuovo millennio, risulta ancora più

evidente quanto l’utopico esperimento urbanistico di quegli anni sia fallito miseramente a Petržalka come in

moltissimi altri analoghi quartieri europei. Ad oggi l’area si presenta obsoleta, collegata al resto della città solo dal

punto di vista automobilistico, piena di edifici imponenti e massicci, spaesante e fuori scala, priva di punti di

riferimento e di spazi pubblici che offrano agli abitanti un abitare di qualità.

Oltre ai seri problemi tecnologici e alle carenze di cui soffrono gli edifici, l’area manca completamente di servizi alla

persona e spazi di aggregazione; il progetto del verde esistente riguarda soltanto le corti degli edifici e non è pensato

a scala di quartiere; mancano delle funzioni di riferimento che possano configurarsi come punti strategici sull’area. Al

giorno d’oggi la pianificazione che riguarda Petrzalka ha sempre coinvolto idee progettuali che tendono a “riempire”

il vuoto di risulta della pianificazione degli anni ’70, con l’idea di aggiungere nuovi edifici e funzioni mancanti.

Il nostro lavoro di ricerca per la riqualificazione parte invece dalla scala umana, dalla valorizzazione del paesaggio e

dal recupero dell’identità di quartiere; al contrario dei developers, noi crediamo che l’identità storica ed il futuro di

Petrzalka siano nel suo patrimonio verde, nel suo parco, nel suo bosco, così amati dai suoi abitanti e così pieni di

potenziale per tutta la città di Bratislava.

In relazione a questo, il nostro intento di apportare le funzioni mancanti nell’area si vuole delineare come un

intervento silenzioso ma presente, che apporti il nuovo in una gerarchia di scala tra il quartiere e la città,

convogliando i flussi all’interno dell’area e scandendo il corso del canale di Petrzalka in una nuova successione

diversificata di piccole e grandi polarità.

Il nostro lavoro di ricerca, più che offrire una soluzione assoluta e compiuta offre un nuovo punto di vista, un nuovo

approccio ad una problematica sull’area sempre aperta e combattuta, con l’idea

che la qualità nasce attorno alla persona e da una riduzione di scala che possa creare una nuova identità urbana.

150

11. Estratto della tesi in italiano

7. IL PROGETTO DI RIQUALIFICAZIONE

7.1 Identificazione di assi visuali nell’area

Per identificare la nostra matrice di progetto che ci consenta di raggiungere i nostri obiettivi prefissati siamo partiti

dall’osservazione dell’area esistente, costituita da parti così introverse e disposte in maniera scattered in tutta

l’area, come nuclei isolati. Al fine di rompere l’isolamento reciproco enfatizzato dal grande vuoto centrale oggi in

stato di abbandono abbiamo iniziato con il tracciare degli assi visuali /ideali che scandagliassero e attraversassero

trasversalmente in molteplici punti il corso del canale congiungendo le varie aree.

Questi assi, che si configurano come viali alberati e percorsi pedonali, si innestano nelle coorti degli edifici esistenti,

che oggi sono costituite da prati non curati, aiuole e piccoli campi di gioco per bambini; da questi esistenti si

prevede di innestare dei filari alberati e dei viali che congiungono ciascun court yard con l’area di progetto nello

spazio centrale , dove si prevede una specifica organizzazione dello spazio pubblico con piazze, parco attrezzato e

percorsi naturalistici. In aggiunta gli assi che collegano da un lato all’altro le varie parti di Petrzalka abbiamo previsto

una disposizione di assi che dall’area e dal canale creano un flusso di linee che progettualmente confluisce verso

nord attraversando la highway, e creando un ponte che a vari livelli (infrastrutturale, con il tram, pedonale,

automobilistico) riesca a superare la barriera stessa costituita dalla highway, e che sia di migliore invito per i flussi di

persone provenienti dal centro storico, ad entrare nell’area di Petrzalka, attraverso un tracciato differenziato che

porti sia i pedoni che le auto che la pubblica viabilità all’interno dell’area. Dunque, il sistema congiunto di assi che

attraversano la zona di progetto congiungendo gli estremi delle varie aree con una rete di viali e filari alberati

insieme al sistema di assi visuali che convertono nel ponte come dei flussi che convergono verso il centro città,

danno vita ad una matrice base che definisce ad un primo livello la base dell’articolazione dello spazio pubblico.

151

7.2 Identificazione di percorsi spontanei lungo il canale

Nell’identificazione di una maglia di riferimento per articolare lo spazio pubblico, abbiamo osservato come nel corso

del tempo si siano generati, nell’area in esame, al di fuori degli spazi progettati rigidamente che caratterizzano

l’area, una serie di percorsi pedonali spontanei che attraversano l’area del canale da parte a parte, in maniera

casuale. Questi percorsi,tracciati nel verde abbandonato esistente, molti dei quali sono senza terminazione,

tracciano un disegno disomogeneo nel terreno che costeggia tutta l’area di progetto.

Per l’articolazione dello spazio pubblico, basandoci come premessa sugli assi visuali che abbiamo tenuto in

considerazione come strumento per legare le varie parti dell’area,siamo partiti proprio dalla consapevole

considerazione di questi percorsi, nel nostro intento di creare una fruizione più libera dello spazio pubblico, frutto

dell’osservazione di come spontaneamente gli abitanti di Petrzalka amano passeggiare lungo o vicino al canale per

raggiungere le loro destinazioni.

Con l’intento di ricreare questa consuetudine, abbiamo considerato una gerarchia di linee secondarie che si

appoggiassero sulla griglia di assi visuali di cui abbiamo parlato in precedenza: in questo modo abbiamo cercato di

garantire una percorribilità dello spazio che offra una molteplicità di alternative e di percorsi differenti, sia a livello

naturalistico con viali vicino ed in prossimità del canale, sia con viali spazi aperti e piazze delineati dal tracciato di

questa griglia, che crea un sistema paesaggistico integrato anche con la posizione degli edifici e delle funzioni che

abbiamo progettato di disporre nell’area.

7.3 Creazione di una griglia che definisce lo spazio pubblico

Per creare una griglia che possa fare da supporto alla creazione di spazi pubblici, sia aperti che chiusi, quindi piazza

ed edifici, siamo partiti dall’osservazione di come il paesaggio è articolato grazie ai movimenti sinuosi del canale,

che nella nostra strategia di progetto ha un ruolo centrale e strutturante nell’intento di valorizzare l’area a livello

paesistico. Grazie all’utilizzo degli assi visuali e delle linee generate dai percorsi pedonali spontanei abbiamo creato

un sistema paesaggistico che considera anche le linee dell’andamento del fiume, il quale viene così enfatizzato e

posto in un ruolo centrale.

Le linee di paesaggio che abbiamo voluto creare, per organizzare piazze, passeggiate e verde attrezzato, risultano

quindi una geometrizzazione ideale sia delle curve che dell’andamento del canale( soprattutto nella parte centrale

in corrispondenza dell’ansa del fiume, dove le linee hanno un andamento tale da creare una sorta di offset del corso

d’acqua) , ed insieme alla griglia di assi visuali ed ai nuovi viali (che sintetizzano e ripropongono l’originaria

consuetudine degli abitanti a percorrere in maniera spontanea l’area vicino al fiume)viene creato un sistema di

152

spazi pubblici fruibile ed accessibile da tutte le diverse zone dell’area, con configurazioni diverse degli edifici a

seconda dell’andamento del canale.

Questo tipo di intervento tiene dunque anche in considerazione il tema dell’identità, ovvero la difficoltà attuale

degli abitanti di identificare con facilità le diverse zone di Petrzalka e la propria abitazione, o ad orientarsi all’interno

dell’area. Nella nostra strategia quindi, prevediamo di inserire differenti conformazioni di piazze ed edifici pubblici

lungo tutto il corso del canale, realizzando l’obiettivo di creare dei fulcri nodali lungo di esso che possano anche

diventare dei punti di riferimento per gli abitanti differenziando le varie parti del quartiere.

7.4 Definizione delle diverse tipologie di verde

Sapendo come il verde necessiti di una progettazione consapevole e come quella dello spazio verde contribuisce

insieme all’architettura dell’edificio a definire forma e disegno della città, così abbiamo utilizzato per il nostro

intervento di riqualificazione differenti tipologie di verde52: il verde legato alla mobilità, in cui rientrano gli spazi

verdi dislocati all’interno dei flussi di utilizzo degli ambienti urbani ( come il verde dei parcheggi, verde nel traffico,

verde d’arredo); il verde legato allo spazio urbano, dove rientra un’ampia gamma di tipi di spazi a verde distinguibili

sulla base della loro struttura e della dimensione spaziale esigibile per essere impiantati, gli spazi legati comunque

all’obiettivo primario di migliorare la qualità dello spazio urbani, anche in chiave paesaggistica ( verde parietale,

verde pensile, cortili verdi, giardino o giardinetto pubblico, parco, bosco, alberature, alberi isolati, argini, banchine,

prato alberato, prato, siepi); ed il Verde legato al territorio urbano, dove rientra la grande categoria del verde

territoriale, riconoscendo come tale “Boscaglie o fasce boscate o siepi naturalistiche, e spazio incolto, ubicate nella

zona nord, nord-est ed est di Petrzalka, e destinate sia all’uso ecologico ambientale che ornamentale” (orto-campo

coltivato, boscaglie o fasce boscate o siepi naturalistiche, spazio incolto).

Nella destinazione d’uso degli spazi aperti nel nostro progetto il nostro concept prevede di utilizzare i filare alberati

come assi che articolano lo spazio pubblico in più destinazioni d’uso differenti, differenziando tra le piazze, le zone

di verde libero ed il parco attrezzato. Inoltre, nella parte sud, con una caratterizzazione più forte dell’aspetto

naturale, ed i percorsi naturalistici che arrivano fino al Danubio, abbiamo anche previsto una possibile destinazione

d’uso agricola di alcuni terreni di cui possano fruire gli abitanti del quartiere.

52 Source of the definition: Un atlante del verde Urbano per differenziare l’offerta di spazi Verdi / S. Mengoli, Linea Verde-Epe Edizioni, Milano, 2006; pg. 50-58

153

7.5 Disposizione degli edifici nei punti strategici di intervento

Per la disposizione delle nuove funzioni nell’area di intervento abbiamo scelto sei punti focali lungo il canale che si

possano configurare anche come nuovi punti di riferimento strategico e funzionale nell’area.

Aspetto fondamentale della nostra strategia è ll’idea di integrare il più possibile gli edifici nel paesaggio circostante

così da creare un insieme armonioso di spazio aperto ed edifici pubblici: questo nel nostro intervento è possibile

proponendo degli edifici che, per la loro conformazione, sembrano quasi “uscire” dal terreno circostante, grazie a

delle coperture verdi di discreta lunghezza e dolce pendenza, calpestabili, che creano come delle “colline verdi” che

presediano silenziosamente il paesaggio circostante.

Questa idea riflette il nostro intento di opporci al rigido formalismo che caratterizza l’area e di intervenire con una

riqualificazione che apporti un arricchimento paesistico dell’area senza aggiungere delle nuove emergenze che si

staglino nell’area di progetto. Per quanto riguarda la sfera di influenza delle funzioni da inserire, prevediamo una

gerarchia di ruoli tra gli edifici lungo l’asse del canale: infatti, la nostra strategia prevede che i nuovi edifici da

inserire all’inizio e alla fine dell’area abbiano una rilevanza sovra locale, così da attirare e creare interesse nell’area

di Petrzalka (quelli in prossimità del ponte da configurarsi come “una porta” sull’area , quelli alla fine come una

attrazione che crei interesse nella parte terminale dell’area residenziale, in corrispondenza anche del capolinea del

tram).

Nella parte nord, in corrispondenza dell’area che si estende in prossimità dei negozi Billa e Lidl giungendo sino

all’attraversamento stradale della superstrada costeggiando il parco e lo stadio, si prevede la disposizione strategica

di un polo commerciale, in relazione con il nuovo edificio della stazione ubicato proprio in quella zona e previsto in

seguito alla creazione di un nuovo snodo ferroviario regionale.

Procedendo lungo il corso del canale si giunge alla grande ansa, oggi caratterizzata dalla presenza di un piccolo

centro culturale che costituisce uno dei pochi punti di riferimento per il quartiere; in corrispondenza di quest’ultimo

si prevede la valorizzazione di questa destinazione d’uso con la creazione di tre edifici (che vanno a sostituire il

piccolo edificio esistente) lungo il canale relazionati reciprocamente per mezzo di piazze ed un parco attrezzato che

li circonda.

Più a sud, in corrispondenza delle strade Romanova e Kutlikova sono previsti altri due nuclei di edifici, con funzioni

previste alla scala di quartiere; nell’area adiacente al capolinea del tram, infine, è previsto un ulteriore nucleo di

edifici e piazze adiacenti, che si configura in maniera analoga all’altro ideato in accesso all’area, ovvero come un

polo attrattore a scala cittadina.

154

155

IMAGES INDEX

1.1 Historical view of Bratislava 10

Source: www.travelspectator.sk

1.2 Satellite view of Bratislava 12

Source: www.google.it/maps

1.3 View of Bratislava, 2010 14

Source: www.google.it

1.4 View of Bratislava, 1905 14

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

1.5 The bridge Nòvy Most 14

Source: www.google.it

1.6 The Slavin Monument 15

Source: www.google.it

1.7 View of Petržalka, 1990 15

Source: www.travelspectator.sk

1.8 Petržalka under construction, 1970 16

Source: http://www.petrzalkacity.sk

1.9 View of Petrzalka 18

Source: http://www.petrzalkacity.sk

1.10 View of Bratislava

Source: www.travelspectator.sk

1.11 The shopping centre Eurovea

Source: http://img.cas.sk

2.1 View to the castle from Petržalka, 1890 19

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.2 The town of Petržalka, 1890 22

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.3 The park, historical view to the castle

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.4 View of the mein street of the old Petržalka, 1905

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.5 Postcard with view to the old city, 1910 22

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.6 Historical map of Petržalka 23-24

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.7 Bathing in the river Danube, 1940 25

Source: http://www.petrzalka.sk

2.8 Fairy in Petržalka, 1939 25

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.9 View of the panelàks, Petržalka, 1995 25

Source: http://www.petrzalkacity.sk

2.10 The cafès in the old park, 1900 26

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.11 Old farms in Petržalka

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.12 Historical view of the park 27

Source: book Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/Jan ComaJ,

Bratislava, 2008

2.13 Some panelàks in Petržalka

Source: www.google.it

2.14 Aereal view of the panelàk, Petrzalka 29

Source: www.google.it

2.15 Aereal view of Petrzalka

Source: www.google.it

2.16 View of the Eurovea shopping centre and the fairy

from Nòvy Most bridge

Source: Nicola Petaccia

156

2.17 Satellite view of Petržalka 30

Source: www.google.it/maps

2.18 Data of Petržalka and previsions

for the next ten years 32

Source: http://www.norc.sk

2.19 View from Petržalka to the Old City 34

Source: Nicola Petaccia

2.20 View from the Old City to Petržalka

Source: Nicola Petaccia

2.21 Panelàks in northern part of Petržalka, view 1 35

Source: Nicola Petaccia

2.22 Panelàks in the northern part of Petržalka, view 2

Source: Nicola Petaccia

2.23 One school, the panelàks and the channel 36

Source: Nicola Petaccia

2.24 Green and the panelàks in Petržalka, view 1 37

Source: Nicola Petaccia

2.25 Green and the panelàks in Petržalka, view 2 38

Source: Nicola Petaccia

3.1 Tower buildings in Petržalka 41

Source: www.google.it

3.2 The district of Gheorghiu Dei, Romania 42

Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e

struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of

Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977

3.3 The district of Eisenhuttenstadt, Romania 42

Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e

struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of

Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977

3.4 View of Pulawy 44

Source:Ibid.

3.5 General plan of Pulawy

Source: Ibid.

3.6 The “Young People district” in Gdànsk-Gdynia 45

Source: Ibid.

3.7 The industrial buildings in Khar’kov

Source: Ibid.

3.8 Fragment of the district PKWN in Lublin 45

Source: Ibid.

3.6 The “Young People district” in Gdànsk-Gdynia

Source:Ibid.

3.7 The industrial buildings in Khar’kov

Source:Ibid.

3.8 Fragment of the district PKWN in Lublin

Source:Ibid.

3.9 Scheme of the spatial structure of four industrial

districts: Khar’kov, Volgrad, Gor’kij, Min’sk 46

Source:Ibid.

3.10 General scheme of Lublin

Source:Ibid.

3.11Economical/spatial scheme of the region Gdansk for

the year 1980

Source:Ibid.

3.12General scheme of Georghiu Dej (Onesti, Romania)

Source:Ibid.

3.13 Interior of a panelàk 48

Source: www.google.it

3.14 Old people in Petržalka

Source: www.google.it

3.15 Panelàk

Source: www.google.it

3.16 The kinder garden and the housing in the district

Michelska in Prague, 1970 50

Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e

struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of

Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977

3.17 Nowa Huta, aerial view 51

Source: www.google.it/maps

3.18 Nowa Huta, bird view

Source: www.google.it/maps

157

3.19 Model of the district of Nowa Huta 52

Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e

struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the

contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano,

1977

3.20 Project for the district Wzgorza Krzeslawickie in

Nowa Huta

Source: Ibid.

3.21 Urban scheme of Nowa Uta according to J.Guzika

Source: Ibid.

3.22 View of the housing in Bielany 53

Source: www.google.it

3.23 Functions in the area of Bielany

Source: L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e

struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the

contribution of Paolo Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano,

1977

3.24 Plan of Bielany

Source: Ibid.

3.25 View of the housing in Kimki-Khovrino 55

Source: Ibid.

3.26 Experimental complex of Novi Ceremuski 56

Source: Ibid.

3.27 Plan of Kimki-Khovrino in Moscow

Source: Ibid.

4.1 Project n° 46, View of the model 60

Source: International urban Competition

Bratislava Petržalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO

SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH, Bratislava, 1969

4.2 Project n° 53, View of the model 76

Source: Ibid.

4.3 Project n° 7, View of the model

4.4 Project n° 42, View of the model 77

4.5, 4.6, 4.7 Project n° 7, views of the model 78

4.8, 4.9, Project n° 1, views of the model 79

Source: Ibid.

4.10, 4.11, 4.12 Project n° 53, views of the model 80

Source: Ibid.

4.13, 4.14, 4.15 Project n°42, views of the model 82

Source: Ibid.

4.16, 4.17, 4.18 Project n°43, views of the model 83-84

Source: Ibid.

4.19. 4.20 Project n° 46, views of the model 85-86

Source: Ibid.

4.21, 4.22 Project n°74, views of the model 87-88

Source: Ibid.

4.23, 4.24, 4.25 Project n°23, views of the model 89

Source: Ibid.

4.26, 4.27 Project n°68, views of the model 90

Source: Ibid.

4.28, 4.29 Project n°79, view of the model 92

Source: Ibid.

4.30, 4.31 Project n° 17, views of the model 93

Source: Ibid.

4.32, 4.33 Project n° 18, views of the model 93

Source: Ibid.

4.34, 4.35 Project n° 21, views of the model 94

Source: Ibid.

4.30, 4.31 Project n° 37, views of the model 95

Source: Ibid.

5.1 Scheme: Housing concept of the area 98

5.2 Scheme: Petržalka and the strategic areas of

Bratislava 100

5.3 Scheme: Streets and public transports

in Bratislava 103

5.4 Scheme: Housing typologies in Petržalka 104

5.5: Housing typologies in Petržalka 106

5.6: Green typologies in Petržalka 108

5.7: Existing functions in Petržalka 109

6.1 Scheme: Existing functional poles in Petržalka 111

6.2 Project for out flowing the river Danube 113

6.3 Scheme: Existing green, streets, water system 114

6.4 Scheme: Project for the new water system

6.5 Scheme: The new green system

158

6.6 Scheme: The new water and landscape system 115

6.7 Scheme: Axes and strategic functional nodes 118

6.8 Scheme: The new tram line 120

6.9 Scheme: Empowerment of the existing cycling line 121

6.10 Scheme: The new pedestrian routes 122

6.11 Scheme: The central environmental/functional axis

connecting the areas of the district 124

7.1 Concept sketch for the masterplan 126

7.2 Scheme: Visual Axes in the area 128

7.3 Scheme: Spontaneous routes near the channel 130

7.4 Scheme: Grid defining the new public

urban space 132

7.5 Scheme: New Urban Green 134

7.6 Scheme: New public buildings 136

8.1 136

8.2 137

8.3 138

8.4 139

8.5 140

8.6 141

8.7 142

8.1 Concept strategy 137

8.2 General Masterplan 139

8.3 Zoom 1: The new bridge

and the new commercial pole 140

8.4 Zoom 2: The new cultural centre 141

8.5 Zoom 3: The new sport area 142

8.6 Zoom 4:

The area near Kutlikova street 143

8.7 Zoom 5: The new tram terminal

and the surrounding area 144

159

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

1. La città socialista. Struttura spaziale e politica urbana/ J.H.Bater ; with the contribution of J. H. Bater, A. D. Burnett, F. W.

Carter, G. Church, P. A. Compton, A. H. Dawson, R. Anthony French, E. Giese, H. Heineberg, J. A. Matthews, T. A. Reiner, D. J.

Shaw, G. Weclawowicz, A. Werwicki, R. H. Wilson; Franco Angeli Edizioni, Milano, 1983

2. L' urbanistica dei paesi socialisti : città, territorio e struttura sociale / Edmund Goldzamt ; with the contribution of Paolo

Santacroce, Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977

3. Città e rivoluzione: architettura ed urbanistica sovietica degli Anni Venti/Anatole Kopp; with the contribution of Emilio

Battisti, Feltrinelli, 1987

4. Cities after socialism/Gregory D. Andrusz,Michael Harloe,Iván Szelényi; Blackwell edition, Oxford 1996

5. The Post-Socialist City: Urban Form and Space Transformations in Central and Eastern Europe after Socialism /Grant

Garstka; Edited by Kiril Stanilov, 1996

6. Urbanization in East Central Europe: Social Processes and Societal Responses in the Socialist State System. /G.Enye.In: Urban

Studies 29, 6, 1992, pp. 869-880.

7. International urban Competition – Bratislava Petržalka /Kamil Gross;VYDAVATELSTVO SLOVENSKO FONDU VITVARNYCH,

Bratislava, 1969

8. La Storia dal 1900 ad oggi /A. Giardina, G. Sabbatucci, V. Vidotto; Editori Laterza, 2001

9. Bratislava -mesto na mieru- Urban landscapes of Bratislava/Illah van Olijen ,K.Print, Bratislava,2002

10. Studi di Urbanistica/ U. Cardarelli, T. Colletta, T.Giura, M. Tarantino,Vol.4, Dedalo libri,Roma 1980

11. Petržalka. Engerau –Ligetfalu/ Jan ComaJ, Bratislava, 2008

12.Le trasformazioni urbane di Varsavia nel Novecento-una guida bibliografica /Alfredo Boscolo; Quaderni del dipartimento di

discipline storiche dell’Università di Bologna, Carocci editore, 2004

13. Un atlante del verde Urbano per differenziare l’offerta di spazi Verdi / S. Mengoli,

Linea Verde-Epe Edizioni, Milano, 2006; pg. 50-58

160

WEB SITES

http://www.petrzalka.sk

http://www.norc.sk

http://www.petrzalkacity.sk

http://www.google.it/maps

http://www.living.spectator.sme.sk/articles/manualne-vlozene-clanky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petzalka

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3052507.stm

http://living.spectator.sme.sk/articles/manualne-vlozene-clanky/socialist-era-housing-estates-face-major-overhaul

http://travel.spectator.sme.sk/articles/1213/sight_unseen_slovak_socialist_architecture

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/64508

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varsavia

http://www.provincia.pistoia.it/RISORSE_TERRITORIO/SIT/Progetti/OsservatorioVerdeUrbano/Evidenza