The key idea of the approach consists in a simple yet essential question: what has physically remained after Jan Palach? The absence of any then artefacts makes the answer even simpler: nothing. Just bare walls recalling the life of an ordinary yet unusual man. It is the walls, the last actual silent witness of Palach’s everyday life, that serve as the starting point of the comprehensive design of the memorial, working with this idea in both the levels mentioned above. In this case, the masonry is the most valuable commodity.
The whole plot is divided into three basic spaces interconnected in the exterior. According to the semantic structure, their use is perhaps superficially given, however, interpenetration has not been ruled out. The original house has been “cleansed” from insubstantial structures and transformed into a memorial, i.e. a symbolic place which at certain moments takes over the contemplation function, mainly owing to the meditatively tuned atmosphere. In contrast, the garden, which allows relaxation and concentration, is composed so that it inherently reminds Palach as a personality, an ordinary and thoughtful man. The educational zone is located in the designed pavilion whose architectural concept is simple, focused primarily on the natural communication with the environment, especially the creek and the garden. Each of these areas may serve as a separate gathering area in different seasons.
The key idea of the approach consists in a simple yet essential question: what has physically remained after Jan Palach? The absence of any then artefacts makes the answer even simpler: nothing. Just bare walls recalling the life of an ordinary yet unusual man. It is the walls, the last actual silent witness of Palach’s everyday life, that serve as the starting point of the comprehensive design of the memorial, working with this idea in both the levels mentioned above. In this case, the masonry is the most valuable commodity.
The whole plot is divided into three basic spaces interconnected in the exterior. According to the semantic structure, their use is perhaps superficially given, however, interpenetration has not been ruled out. The original house has been “cleansed” from insubstantial structures and transformed into a memorial, i.e. a symbolic place which at certain moments takes over the contemplation function, mainly owing to the meditatively tuned atmosphere. In contrast, the garden, which allows relaxation and concentration, is composed so that it inherently reminds Palach as a personality, an ordinary and thoughtful man. The educational zone is located in the designed pavilion whose architectural concept is simple, focused primarily on the natural communication with the environment, especially the creek and the garden. Each of these areas may serve as a separate gathering area in different seasons.