Another iconic building brought back to life in Bratislava

After Michael’s Tower and Pharmacy Salvator, Bratislava has managed to save another historical monument – the Georgievits Palace. The restoration of this unique building, however, also involves more than just an investment in the preservation of a national cultural monument. It is also about investing in the national cultural future, because this Neo-Baroque palace on Panenská Street is not only a lovely building, but after extensive reconstruction, it is once again the seat of Miloš Ruppeldt Primary Art School, the oldest primary art school in the city, and a completely new cultural space, the House of Music, was also established in it.

“I’m glad that our children, along with anyone interested in art, can once again grow culturally in this historic, high-quality space. This is another project that improves the quality of life in our city, and I’m convinced that such projects are worth investing in. Primary art schools, as well as our leisure-time centres, are irreplaceable. They are places where interests, talents, new friendships and communities arise and develop. Nevertheless, for many years they were neglected, resulting in leaky roofs, mouldy walls, disturbed statics and equipment older than me. Inconceivable. This is why I’m very happy that we came up with a systemic solution – the Primary Art School (ZUŠ) and Leisure-Time Centre (CVČ) Renewal Programme, within which we launched reconstruction on up to 20 of our buildings that really needed it”, explains Matúš Vallo, mayor of the capital city.

Reconstruction of Georgievits Palace could be carried out specifically within the mentioned Municipal Primary Art School and Leisure-Time Centre Renewal Programme, but also due to financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, which in the previous period contributed to the restoration of the Miloš Ruppeldt Primary Art School with a grant. The successful implementation would also not have been possible without the creative and professional approach of the author of the architectural proposal and the main designer of the reconstruction, Ing. arch. Matúš Ivanič, and his team.

Georgievits Palace, which houses the Miloš Ruppeldt Primary Art School, literally deteriorated before our eyes. Many of the spaces in it – practically half of the building – were in such poor condition that they were all but unusable and thus closed for many years. To prevent this iconic building from deteriorating further, it was necessary to act. Thanks to the Primary Art School and Leisure-Time Centre Renewal Programme, the complex reconstruction of these spaces began from March 2022. Dampness was removed from the building through grouting of the ground floor and basement; in addition, the roof sheathing was completely replaced, and new sewerage lines, water supply and heating were installed. The building underwent restoration work in the interior. The beautiful and original stone paving was repaired; wheelchair accessible modifications were made; balconies were repaired, and both the facades in the courtyard and the one that passers-by can see from Panenská Street were restored. The individual classrooms also underwent modernisation and were completed with acoustic panels or new interior equipment. Thanks to the reconstruction, the number of classrooms at the ZUŠ increased to 38, and there are also exam rooms, special classrooms, e.g., for the choir and orchestra as well as for drums; overall, thanks to these modifications, music education can be professionalised here. The design of the concert halls, in which historical and modern elements are combined, is also impressive. One of the biggest innovations is the construction of a concert hall with a beautiful glass roof.

“The dream has come true and the difficult reconstruction stage is behind us. I’m convinced that the renovated seat of the Miloš Ruppeldt Primary Art School creates an inspiring framework for quality art education for both students and teachers. I have two big wishes in this regard. I wish that its current beautiful appearance will be preserved for future generations of children and visitors, and that it will also evoke the feeling of a second home in each of us. We will celebrate our return throughout the school year. Celebrations under the name ‘History in new clothes’ will take place here under the auspices of the Mayor of the Slovak capital Bratislava Ing. arch. Matúš Vallo”, says Alexandra Pažická, director of the Miloš Ruppeldt Primary Art School.

Bratislava’s Old Town also joined in the reconstruction, which was a continuation of the city’s construction works._ “Panenská Street is a beautiful place of communities, art, education and regular neighbourhood events. Good cooperation and communication between the city and the city district prompted us to reconstruct part of the pavement passing along the front of the House of Music. From the technical and material side, we followed the standards of the capital, so here you’ll find well-known and high-quality paving stones, which we would like to continue with in the Panenská zone,”_ adds Matej Vagač, mayor of the Old Town district. The city district also recently reconstructed the nearby Lycejná Street and completed the reconstruction of Konventná Street.

Part of the newly reconstructed building of the Georgievits Palace is leased to the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS). These premises will be made available to cultural actors as part of the BKIS support programme. New and exceptionally impressive spaces with the necessary inventory will be added to the existing premises, namely the Klarisky Concert Hall, Biela 6 and the Cultural Stage in the Sad Janka Kráľa. The new House of Music in the Georgievits Palace, operated by the BKIS, will bring to Bratislava greatly sought-after spaces suitable for cultural events, focused mainly on classical music.

After the official takeover of the spaces of the House of Music, the artistic community will be able to apply to lease them. The largest of them, with a capacity of 100 people, is the concert hall on the top floor of the building. In the summer months, the courtyard will also be transformed into an arts stage. Through a call next year, music groups will be able to apply for the lease of two rehearsal rooms, as well as other spaces under BKIS administration. The anticipated date for the official start of use of some premises by the BKIS is the second half of 2024. The BKIS will actively start using all the premises in 2025.

“The Open call system that we have been working intensively with at the BKIS for the second year shows us quite what kinds of collaboration artists are most interested in. The renting of spaces and material-technological support are the most requested of them. Architecture and art have always been close to one another, and we are very happy to open up new opportunities for artists to present their work in the exceptional historical space of the Georgievits Palace,” concludes Katarína Hulíková, director of the BKIS.

The building of the Georgievits Palace and the M. Ruppeldt Primary Art School

The building of the Georgievits Palace was built at the end of the 19th century in a street row building. It has undergone several unprofessional construction modifications and for a long time was used as a school building. Since 1990 it has housed the Miloš Ruppeldt Primary Art School, the oldest music school in Bratislava.

The M. Ruppeldt Primary Art School was founded on 6 November 1919 as the Music School for Slovakia. The founder and creator of the idea of establishing a music school in Slovakia was Miloš Ruppeldt, who ranked among the leading organisers of musical life in Slovakia in the first half of the 20th century. Many important Slovak performers and teachers obtained their first basics of music at this school. The school at present offers interesting events, thematic concerts and workshops, and organises a festival and competition under the name Miloš Ruppeldt Days. It offers studies in almost all areas of music, a wide range of artistic activities and particularly the opportunity of implementation from the youngest students to adults.

The Comprehensive Primary Art School and Leisure-Time Centre Renewal Programme in Bratislava

The capital city has 12 primary art schools and one centralised Leisure-time Centre with nine external workplaces. In total, there are 25 buildings located in different parts of the city and in various states of repair. Most of them date from the 1970s or 1980s and no major financial resources have been invested in them for years. In many of them, it was first of all necessary to deal with their catastrophic condition. In addition to reconstruction, however, Bratislava also launched a programme for their comprehensive renewal. The aim is to create a better and more attractive environment for students and teachers and reduce the modernisation debt.

As part of the Primary Art School and Leisure-Time Centre Renewal Programme, the capital selected up to 20 of the 25 buildings that really needed reconstruction. Ten renovations have already been completed, and work is currently underway at four other locations, while project documentation is being prepared or updated or a renovation contractor is being procured for an additional four. In addition, there is a programme called Prevention through Maintenance, so that in the future none of the school buildings fall into poor technical condition due to lack of interest and irresponsibility.

More information on the Programme for the Comprehensive Renewal of the ZUŠ and CVČ in Bratislava is available at web Bratislava ↗︎.