How have the working conditions of female architects in the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia) and Germany developed from the Second World War to the present day? What works and legacies have female architects left behind?
These questions are at the heart of the second evening of the newly launched archint at BHROX series, taking place as part of the Women in Architecture (WIA) Festival 2025.
The discussion event "Women in Architecture after 1945 in Czechoslovakia and Germany" will shed light on the professional conditions and architectural work of female architects in the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia) and Germany – from the post-war period to the present day.
Two keynote speeches will offer insights into the past:
- Elke Krasny, Professor of Art and Education at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, feminist cultural theorist, urban researcher, curator, and author. Her internationally acclaimed work focuses on social and ecological justice, care practices in architecture, and the impact of urbanism in the global present. Krasny co-curated the exhibition and publication Critical Care: Architecture for a Broken Planet (w. Angelika Fitz; MIT Press, 2019).
- Helena Huber-Doudová, curator of the architecture collection at the National Gallery in Prague, will present the professional working conditions of Czech women architects after 1945. Her presentation is based on research conducted as part of the project Women in Architecture 1945–2000, developed in cooperation with the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM). The project documents and interprets the work of Czech women architects in its social and political context and includes an online database of women architects (
https://zenyvarchitekture.cz/homepage-en/).
In the subsequent panel discussion, representatives of the Czech and German architectural scenes will come together to discuss historical insights, current challenges, and the strengthening of cross-border networks.
Panellists:
- Elke Krasny, Professor, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, feminist cultural theorist, urban researcher, and curator
- Helena Huber-Doudová, Curator of the Architecture Collection, National Gallery Prague
- Markéta Zdebská, First Vice President of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) and Head of the Working Group for Gender Equality
- Katharina Deppisch, Curator at the Berlinische Galerie – Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur, with a short presentation on the current exhibition Women Architects of the GDR
- N. N., Representative of the Board of the Berlin Chamber of Architects (AkB), responsible for organizing the Women in Architecture (WIA) Festival 2025
The event offers an opportunity to build a bridge between research and practice and to discuss the professional and social roles of female architects in both countries.
Moderation:
Simona Binko and Robert K. Huber
Please register via Eventbrite.
Event language: English
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About the archint at BHROX series
The archint at BHROX series brings together experts and interested parties from Germany and the Czech Republic to discuss current topics related to architecture, urban development and building culture. Under the annual theme ‘In Between’, the 2025 events will focus on sustainable building, public space, women in architecture and dealing with late modernist building fabric.
The series was initiated by the Czech Centre Berlin and BHROX bauhaus reuse and is being implemented in cooperation with the Berlin Chamber of Architects, the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA), the National Gallery Prague and, for this event, the Berlinische Galerie – Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur.
The event series is also part of the European network ETOM NEB Lab within the framework of the New European Bauhaus, which promotes exchange on sustainable architecture and building culture and is supported by around 40 institutions from 15 countries.
The project is supported by the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfond.
Also check out other Arts events in Berlin, Festivals in Berlin, Exhibitions in Berlin.
