Václav Girsa's book is a poetic ode to a world long gone, to solidarity and respect for tradition.

Václav Girsa is an architect and an expert in the restoration of monuments not only in the domestic but also in the international context. He works with the heritage of the past and helps to preserve it for the future, for which he has received many awards, including multiple Europa Nostra Awards. He passes on his knowledge to the new generation as a professor and studio head at the Faculty of Architecture of the CTU, from which he graduated in the late 1960s. He continued his studies at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts in the František Cubro School of Architecture.

"Historical heritage is a source of knowledge and strong inspiration. And an affirmation of stability. It offers harmony, a sense of belonging to previous generations. It reminds you to be considerate, to have respect for the work of others and respect for cultural values, for nature, for the resources that the land offers you. To what the generations before you have earned. Not to destroy was a credo and a sign of the prudent attitude of the farmer in times past. Not to destroy should be a self-evident attitude for everyone even today," writes Václav Girsa in the book, for whom working with the heritage of the past is an adventure that requires, in addition to a broad outlook, empathy, intuition, humility, the ability to think technically and artistically, but also persistence and consistency.

It offers readers an insight into the reconstruction of the Müller Villa, the New Town Hall, the Baroque Castle Theatre in Český Krumlov and Bauska Castle in Latvia. In addition, he recalls his childhood spent with his parents in Prague's Střešovice and at their cottage in Vítkovice, his studies at the CTU and the Academy of Performing Arts, two decades of work at the State Institute for the Reconstruction of Monumental Towns and Buildings, and the founding of his own studio after the revolution. The book goes beyond the usual memoir literature, as the author presents himself not only as a sovereign stylist, but also as a perceptive witness of various "big and small" events. The texts are complemented by the author's photographs and sketches.

Petr Volf, art and architecture critic



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Text: Václav Girsa, Petr Volf
Graphic layout: Martin Čtverák
Editor: Eva Hrubá
Publishing House: Karel Kerlický – KANT, Praha, 2023