Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU (Oct 2020)
From sport to commercialism: History of planning and construction of buildings for sport in Bratislava
Abstract
The development of modern sports in the former Hungary began in the middle of the 19th century. In 1839, Bratislava residents founded the Horse Racing Association, and gradually various other sports and physical education associations began to emerge. A more significant development of sport began after the end of the First World War. From 1923 until the beginning of the Second World War, several important sports facilities and grounds in the waterfront zone were realised, such as football fields and tennis courts, the Lido natural swimming pool or two rowing club buildings. After the annexation of the right bank of the Danube and the Devin forests by the Nazi Germany, Bratislava lost most of its recreational areas and almost all sports fields and the city council designated the location of Tehelné pole for their re-construction. After the change of political regime in 1948, sport became an important public interest and the object of the planned economy, which allowed urban planners to design large sports and recreational areas. After 1989, the re-transformation of the economy had again a fundamental effect on the architecture of sports facilities. Despite the valid zoning plans, which defined the size and location of sports areas, many buildings disappeared, or adapted their operation for commercial use. However, the lack of sports facilities is at least to some extent compensated by smaller investments by the city district council or sports associations. It shows us a potential direction of the development of sports grounds in the city, in which sport buildings can retain their original content and, at the same time, still fulfil both their urban and public functions.
