Architect Zdenko Strižić — Project for the theatre in Harkov (1930)

Zdenko Strižić učenik i suradnik Hansa Poelziga s kojim je supotpisao nekoliko značajnih projekata. Na međunarodnom natječaju za zgradu opernog kazališta 1930. u Harkovu između 144 natjecatelja, među kojima su bili Poelzig, Le Courbusier, Perret i dr., Strižićevom radu je dodijeljena prva nagrada, koju dijeli s A. Kerstnerom i grupom "Kolektiv" afirmirajući po prvi put hrvatsku modernu arhitekturu u svjetskim razmjerima. Originalnim oblikovnim, prostornim i funkcionalnim rješenjima, Strižićev projekt postaje nezaobilazno mjesto za razumjevanje moderne europske kazališne arhitekture. Uz brojne do sada nepoznate detalje iz Strižićeva životopisa, napose one vezane uz natječaj u Harkovu, autor prvi put objavljuje i nekoliko nacrta iz Strižićeve ostavštine, koju je pronašao u planoteci Uprave za zaštitu kulturne i prirodne baštine u Zagrebu i dva autor objavljuje po prvi put tlocrta kazališta uHarkovu Poelzigov tlocrt berlinskog kinematografa - kazališta Capitol, te jednu skicu Strižićevog kasnijeg natječajnog projekta za zgradu beogradske Opere.Zdenko Strižić (Bjelovar 1902 Braunschwig 1990) is one of the most prominent representatives of the second wave of Croatian architects. He was educated in Dresden, Paris and Berlin where his teacher was the famous German architect Hans Poelzig. After finishing his studies, Strižić continues working for Poelzig\u27s "Meisteratelier" as an assistant and signs, together with his mentor, a succession of projects for apartment houses and for the Berlin movie theatres Capitoi and Babi/on which are often mentioned in literature. The Ukrainian city of Kharkov has in 1930 opened an international contest for the construction of an opera theatre building. There were 114 contestants with Poelzig, Le Courbusier, Gropius, brothers Vesnin, Taut and Perret among them. Strižić\u27s project was awarded the first prize, ex aequo with the projects of architect Alfred Karsten and of a group of Russian architects called Kolektiv, acquiring for the first time renown for modem Croatian architecture on an international level. His project has, with its original forms and solutions of problems of space and function, based on the experiences of Perret, Van der Velde, Poelzig, Mayerhold and Gropius obviously crystallized the modem ideas in the field of theatrical architecture and has become a cornerstone for understanding history and theory of modem architecture. In this paper the author gives a host of up to now unknown details connected with the Strižić\u27s project and he completes it with two, up to now unpublished ground plans of the Kharkov theatre. These plans were found by the author among Strižić\u27s legacy in the Department for Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritageby the Ministery of culture in Zagreb. Along with the 16 plans of the Kharkov theatre, author faund among the Strižić\u27s legacy an original Poelzig\u27s ground-plan of the Berlin movie theatre Capitol and publish it for the first time in the paper. In addition to the mentioned plans a Strižić\u27s sketch for the later project for the Belgrade opera is also published