Bauforschung Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

THE BUILDING RESEARCH OF ZAGREB'S UPPER TOWN PALACES
The article provides an overview of the conservation research conducted on eight public buildings in Zagreb's Upper Town from 2019 to 2022, both before and after the 2020 earthquakes. This research marked the initial extensive step towards their forthcoming restoration due to damages of varying degrees. All the considered structures were originally private palaces and houses dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. However, over time, they were repurposed into public buildings. The Vojković Palace (Matoševa 9), Zagreb's most significant secular Baroque building, now houses the Croatian History Museum. It suffered the most damage and underwent a comprehensive conservation analysis. Similar research was undertaken on the Banski dvori block (1-2, St. Mark’s Square), which comprises two Baroque palaces, Rauch and Kulmer. These were combined into one ensemble to serve as the seat of the Croatian Government. The Bužan Palace (Opatička 8), currently the Government Office for General Affairs, is an 18th-century structure. Its present “neo-Baroque” appearance stems from renovations carried out between 1941 and 1943. The Pongratz Palace (Visoka 22), now the State Residence for foreign official visits, is a structure with a rich history, incorporating a medieval city tower. Its appearance is owed to 19th-century renovations by the Pongratz industrial family and later alterations for the Karađorđević family in the 1920s. The Amadeo Palace (Demetrova 1), which houses the Croatian Museum of Natural History, was initially built in the late 18th century as a private residence that later accommodated Zagreb's first theater. Its current appearance was shaped during 19th-century renovations for government offices. The State Hydrometeorological Institute (Grič 3), located in the former palace of Ludovik Jelačić, which was expanded for a high school (Gymnasium) in the 1860s, also suffered significant damage. Probing its walls revealed medieval stone structures and an exceptional 19th-century stucco design in a first-floor room. The Lovrenčić House (Demetrova 18), a notable mid-19th-century residential building, has been unused since the early 2000s and sustained considerable damage in the 2020 earthquake. Lastly, the palace that once housed the Department of Religious Affairs and Education (Opatička 10), now the Croatian Institute of History, is an extraordinary late 19th-century “Gesamtkunstwerk,” seamlessly combining architecture, wall paintings, stucco, and wrought iron. The detailed conservation reports for the buildings encompassed a historical study, an analysis of their current state and damages, restoration evaluations of both the interior and exterior, interpretations of the overall research findings, and proposals with conservation guidelines. Some reports also incorporated specialized research on wall paintings, stucco, stone, woodwork, or metal. In several instances, laboratory tests on materials were conducted. These buildings are exemplary representations of 18th- and 19th-century architecture. Given the limited research on Zagreb's historical architecture and the urgent need for repairs due to earthquake damages, the conservation research served as the academic foundation for restoration projects. It offered deeper insights into the buildings’ historical context, typological and spatial characteristics, and design elements, enabling the redefinition or, in certain cases, the revelation of their original values. revealing their original values.