This article discusses visual experiences of new immigrants as recorded in literary works by Polish writers. Arrival in a new country was often connected with life in a city built according to unfamiliar plans and principles. This, in turn, resulted in confusion, loss, and longing for the home country.
The Jesuit Order, introduced to the Czech Lands in 1556, became one of the most important and also most successful participants in the Catholic Counter-reformation. Although the Jesuits were also active in rural areas, they took up their main positions chiefly in the towns and cities, which the founder of the Order, St Ignatius of Loyola, considered to be the ideal missionary field in which the Society could influence all social strata, generations and also ethnic groups. In Prague the Jesuits founded the first Prague Jesuit College, the Clementinum in the Old Town, at the foot of Charles Bridge, an important communication channel of the Towns of Prague. The Lesser Town professional house with the Church of St Nicholas was established on the central square of the Lesser Town and the monumental cupola and bell tower became a striking feature of the Prague panorama. The third Prague building of the Society of Jesus with the Church of St Ignatius was built in the New Town and became the dominant feature of what is today called Charles Square. The Jesuits took advantage of the positions of the Prague buildings of the Order and especially the facades of the churches for the presentation of the Order. The programmes of their sculptural decoration emphasised the important position of Christ the Redeemer in the religiousness of the Order. This idea is recalled repeatedly by the motif of the Cross, the initials IHS and also the figure of Christ. They also emphasised the teachings and missionary role of the Order, represented by the two ‘pillars’ — St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francis Xavier — who developed the heritage of the Apostles and are confirmed in their actions by the presence of the authority of the Church Fathers. It is remarkable that, in contrast to the Jesuit churches in Munich and Vienna, there is far less implementation of the representation of their royal or aristocratic founders and supporters in the decoration of the facades of the Jesuit churches in Prague. The facades of the Prague churches of the Society of Jesus testify therefore, among other things, to the extraordinary self-confidence of the Order and perhaps it might be said, with some exaggeration, that in their unexpressed, but for the the initiated viewer easily legible, message they declared not only Ad maiorem Dei Gloriam, but also the daring Ad maiorem Dei [et Societatis Jesu] Gloriam.
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Jezuitský řád uvedený do českých zemí v roce 1556 se stal jedním z nejvýznamnějších a také nejúspěšnějších aktérů katolické protireformace. I když byli jezuité aktivní i na venkově, hlavní pozice zaujímali zejména ve městech, která zakladatel řádu sv. Ignác z Loyoly pokládal za ideální misijní prostor, v němž může Tovaryšstvo ovlivňovat všechny společenské vrstvy, generace i národnostní skupiny. S tím souvisela snaha řádu budovat jezuitské koleje s chrámy a školami na exponovaných místech měst. V Praze jezuité založili první pražskou jezuitskou kolej, staroměstské Klementinum, na úpatí Karlova mostu, důležitého komunikačního spojení pražského souměstí. Malostranský profesní dům s kostelem sv. Mikuláše byl založen na centrálním náměstí Malé Strany a monumen- tální kopulí a zvonicí se stal výrazným prvkem pražského panoramatu. Třetí pražský dům Tovaryšstva Ježíšova s kostelem sv. Ignáce vznikl na Novém Městě a stal se dominantou dnešního Karlova náměstí. Jezuité využili polohy svých pražských řádových domů, a zejména průčelí kostelů k řádové reprezentaci. Programy jejich sochařské výzdoby zdůrazňovaly významné místo Krista Spasitele v religiozitě řádu. Opakovaně je tato myšlenka připomenuta motivem kříže, iniciálou IHS i postavou Krista. Také poukazovaly na učitelskou a misionářskou roli řádu, zastoupeného dvěma „sloupy“ — sv. Ignácem z Loyoly a sv. Františkem Xaverským — kteří rozvíjejí odkaz apoštolů a ve svém počínání jsou potvrzeni přítomností autority církevních otců. Pozoruhodné je, že na rozdíl od jezuitských kostelů v Mnichově a ve Vídni se ve výzdobě průčelí pražských jezuitských kostelů mnohem méně uplatňuje reprezentační zastoupení jejich panovnických nebo aristokratických zakladatelů a podporovatelů. Průčelí pražských kostelů Tovaryšstva Ježíšova svědčí tedy mimo jiné o mimořádném sebevědomí řádu a snad se dá s nadsázkou říct, že v nevysloveném, ale pro zasvěceného diváka dobře čitelném poselství hlásala nejen Ad maiorem Dei Gloriam, ale opovážlivé Ad maiorem Dei [et Societatis Jesu] Gloriam.
The main objective of the study is to evaluate the development strategy of the local government unit in the field of culture. Therefore, in the empirical part of the study, the literature on the subject was ana-lyzed, as well as the recognition of the date and stages of the city's development strategy. However, in the research part, an analysis of the city's development strategy in the area of the cultural sector was carried out on the example of the city of Opole. The end result is the presentation of key cultural activities of the local government unit in relation to the local community.
Attention is drawn to the fact that nowadays urbanization is one of the most important trends of modern society development and its consequences should not be underestimated. It is emphasized that the research and forecast of the urbanization processes requires new approaches, which are, in particular, offered by the modern interdisciplinary area of political studies – political urban studies. The need for conceptualizing this new area of political science is substantiated. According to the author, the subjects of political urban studies are: a modern city in the globalized world; a person in the modern metropolis; features of the urban culture formation in the modern society; quality of the urban environment and the political ways of improving it; conflict and risk factors of the modern city’s development; urban political regimes; municipal electoral processes and the forms of urban population’s political activity; socio-political technologies in the city; modern city marketing; analysis of the urban communities as primary subjects of local government; city as the space of socio-political communication etc. Author focuses on the following issues of political urban studies: what is the modern city like (and what it should be like)? Who determines the development of cities nowadays and how to make this process for efficient and transparent? What are the factors that determine the daily life of a city with its historical heritage, which includes layers of different eras nowadays? Where the hidden potential of the city can be found and how to make the city valuable for its residents, as well as recognizable to the international community (branding)? How to organize communication and cooperation between different socio-political actors who are active in the city? Attention is drawn to the issue of cities, urbanonyms and toponyms renaming in the context of implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On the condemnation of communist and national-socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols”. The heuristic potential of political urban studies is illustrated on the example of grouping the administrative structure into government clusters. Functional differences of elements of urban landscape in different historical periods are determined. It is emphasized that modern representative architecture should be directed to the widest social inclusion, provision of new opportunities for interaction of population as well as interaction between «government - society». It is underlined that there is a tendency of uniting within a single building (block) of the highest possible number of state or local governmental authorities for optimization of the management process in view on the inclusion of architecture (so-called governmental clusters). The foreign experience of the cluster approach usage is analysed. The main formats of its application are: 1) separation of governmental cluster in structure of «old» capital, usually by having government buildings outside the historic centre or on the outskirts; 2) transposing the capital to the newly built administrative-territorial units. European experience of governmental clusters organization on the example of successful West-European projects ‒ the government blocks in Oslo and Berlin, as well as the complex of governmental buildings Lombardy in Milan is researched. Practices of Asian cities, including Sejong in South Korea, Putrajaya in Malaysia, Chandigarh in India is studied. Attention is also paid to several projects in the former Soviet Union, including: Astana in Kazakhstan and plans to construct a new Parliamentary Centre in North West Administrative District (Mnevnikovskay plain) in Moscow. It is emphasized that intention of architectural planning is not only compact grouping of administrative buildings, but also the idea of power decentralization (Georgia). The problem of the governmental block transfer from the historical part of Kyiv is also analysed. The cluster approach is defined as the best way of organizing big cities space, especially capitals.
The article is an attempt to answer a question how modernity is manifested in Belgrade Stories (Beogradske priče) by Simo Matavulj, where city is metonimia of the modernity. On the one hand, a problem will be absorbing us how the entity is getting to know the strange space and expanding its awareness, on the other, problem of artistic announcements of the city’s modernization. Therefore the article constitutes reflection over the way of creating modern image of the city by Matavulj. Recommended attempts of aestetizating space of Belgrade (symbolization of the space, attempts to abandon descriptions where axiological categories are written down) enable to state that such mode of reading of Matavulj short stories which allows to interpretate them is available as „Belgrade text” registering experience of the temporariness. The Matavulj prose is demonstrating prose is demonstrating the process of diverging from the record documenting the city for his aestetical recording, of the writer from the city introduced on the two-dimensional plan to symbolization, to the city considered as space, from the conception as the researcher-observer of the city to the convention of the writer as the author of the myth of the city. This the birth of modern Belgrade as the literary theme.
The subject of the city is discussed by researchers in various fields. The following article considers the influence of literature on urban space. The author attempts to catalogue multiple aspects of the presence of literature in a city. This is illustrated by the examples from Warsaw and also other Polish cities. The final part contains the results of a survey which could contribute to further studies of cultural elements in urban space.
The notion of economic-geographic position seems to be a good instrument of regional qualitative analysis. The two principal peculiarities of this method are “playing scales” and historical, evolutionary approach. These ideas are analysed on the example of a particular case, the problems and prospects of Irkutsk. The following relationships are studied: Irkutsk in Europe, Irkutsk in the ethnic area of the Buryat people, Irkutsk in Russia, Irkutsk in Eastern Asia, Irkutsk in the ex-Soviet Union, Irkutsk in Siberia, Irkutsk in its administrative region (Oblast), Irkutsk and Baikal, Irkutsk in its agglomeration, and Irkutsk and Poland.
The European concept of nationalism became a useful instrument in creating new identities of peoples of South Asia. In Bengal, traditional identities were given political dimensions, and a number of emotion building symbols, narrations, invented traditions and characteristics of the land, were employed to attract the people to the idea of a particular nationalism. The role of cities in creating the nationalisms of Bengal is discussed in the present paper. The examples of Dhaka, Kolkata and Murshidabad are considered on the one hand, whereas on the other there is an attempt of a comparison between the role of these three cities and the influence of the countryside and the rural landscape of Bengal in appealing to the sentiments of Bengalis in their nationalistic discourse. Conclusions are submitted for further considerations.
The main aim of the following article „Wieczny, wieczny Rzym!..”. Uwagi na marginesach Veneri et Romae Jerzego Żuławskiego is to describe Rome, the facts and imaginative world seen through author’s eyes. Żuławski’s “Heartily Rome” is shown as a place where reality and mind creation infiltrate. Described places have the power to encourage author’s imagination and influence his memories to create a unique vision of his own world. Rome as a “dead” city (because of the souvenirs of the past) appeares as a place with its own life, in full bloom, not from Bedeker’s points of view, but from the subjective, very personal position. This paper is divided into three parts: Dead city, Old and contemporary Rome, Alone wanderer. Every single part is related to the distinctive feature which in the end will be helpful to create an interpretation of Jerzy Żuławski’s essay Veneri et Romae which was chosen as the fundamental base. To be able to create accurate analysis and interpretation the author of this paper reached for many information contained in dictionaries, additional literary and methodology output and different sources which are connected with: Rome, journey, city.
The paper presents an economic insight into the role of the universities and the interaction between the universities and the cities from the Middle Ages until nowadays. We analyse the traditional role of the universities and its transformation throughout time viewed through the prism of current criteria that are imposed on modern universities. The paper also focuses on the transformation and the role of the universities in the former socialist countries and specifically Russian Federation.
The article summarizes the major findings of the „City DNA Code: Urban Cultural Policies” research program. By conducting the interviews with representatives of municipal offices, cultural institutions and NGOs; examining the 2007-2012 budget plans; analyzing development strategies and data acquired on the basis of the Act on Access to Public Information, the researchers present the generally goals of the cultural public policy of the sixty-six largest Polish cities. Despite the generaly critical attitude of the Polish public toward culture, in Polish cities, the research reveals that the majority of the respondents are satisfied with the current cultural policies.
The aim of this paper is to understand the meaning of the Star Ferry and Queen’s Pier locations for the process of shaping Hong Kong identity and why unlike in previous similar cases, the latest removal of the Star Ferry and Queen’s Pier met with resistance from Hong Kong citizens. Looking at Piers of the saga from the historical perspective, it is found that spatial practice of the pre‑Second World War (WWII) piers was a mirror of a colonial and racially segregated city. The public space in the commercial heart of Hong Kong that housed the previous generations of piers was not accessible to the Chinese community, thus denying them rights to the city. It was only after WWII when the Government carried out further reclamation to meet the needs of an industrialising economy that inclusive public spaces were conceived in the commercial heart, enabling the general public to enjoy the city. Therefore when the Government decided to remove this very first public space in the political and economic heart of the city to conceive further reclamation for restructuring the economy, the citizens were determined to defend it. Piers were a physical and mental border of the two worlds, the edge of the city. With the social changes after WWII they were transformed into symbolic centres with a crucial meaning for shaping of the Hong Kong identity.
This article is a brief study on urban space in the prose of the author of The Motion Demon. The author considers the imagery and symbolic presentation of urban area by Grabiński. Particular attention is paid to the labyrinthine character of the city and the related problem of roaming the streets and captivity. The article presents the question of diverse and multi-level perception of urban space by the author of Baphomet’s Shadow.
This paper investigates the threat of cyber attacks in urban conurbations. The first section attempts to define cyberspace and to identify potential objects of attack in the city. The second section analyses the history of past cyber attacks, and the final section gives an overview of activities performed by states and organisations with a view to countering and eliminating cyber threats.
On the basis of works devoted to the topic of sound studies and video games, the author presents ways of processing and using sounds in order to create virtual phonic spaces. He examines the means by which contemporary game developers influence immersivity, i.e., the process of immersing the gamer in virtual environments, as well as indicating the mutual influences of audial and visual spheres. Analysig the video game Grand Theft Auto IV from the perspective of the sound which accompanies the action, he compares in this respect three areas of the game’s Liberty City with their equivalents in New York on which the virtual city is modelled. The similarities and differences between the digital and virtual spaces are identified, and the reasons for them explained. This makes it possible to show how the use of the tools (explained earlier) employed by the developers of the game enable them to create a credible sounding virtual metropolis.
The aim of this paper is to characterize the relation between the urban landscape (the image of the city) and the subject. The landscape is understood here in two ways: as something alien, excluding, and hostile, but also as something that gains new features when in contact with the Other. For it can be said, paraphrasing Siegfried Lenz’s famous statement on the relation between man and landscape, that the city is being created through us. The relationship between the residents and the urban landscape has a reciprocal character, in which “I” places itself in relation to a certain “you.”
Objectives: The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the fact that cultural atmosphere or ambience – although underestimated – is one of the key aspects of the quality of life in cities. Research Design & Methods: The article is theoretical, as it reviews the literature on the quality of life and the characteristics of cities, trying to identify their main determinants as well as, against this background, to show the importance of cities’ cultural atmosphere. Findings: The author attempts to prove that the cultural atmosphere is difficult to define, yet it is important feature regarding, for example, motives for attachment to the city or to local patriotism. The paper also explores how the cultural ambience is considered as a significant factor when taking into consideration location-related decisions. Implications / Recommendations: The subject of the article belongs to the sphere equally important to that of economic features. The culture and its character, elusive yet spectacular, manifests as a vibrant presence of people leading their existence and living side by side in the common environment. Immigrants, clerks, artists, street vendors, and police officers – alongside thousands of homeless people – create spectacular mélange and the character of the city. These features have to be considered. Contribution / Value Added: This paper tries to ease the relative shortage of scientific analysis on the said topic. Article classification: conceptual paper JEL classification: A12
Objectives: The study aims to measure the quality of life in cities with poviat rights and analyse whether differences depend on the number of city residents. Research Design & Methods: It was hypothesised that the greater the number of inhabitants, the higher the quality of life in a given city. This hypothesis was verified with calculations based on the Statistics Poland data in the form of synthetic and auxiliary indicators. Findings: The results confirmed the hypothesis. The highest scores characterise the largest Polish cities regarding health, ecology, and economic and social spheres. Simultaneously, it was the smallest cities with poviat rights that had the highest security and education levels. Implications / Recommendations: All cities with poviat status need to improve ecological awareness, as it is an area with the lowest scores regardless of the size of the city. Contribution / Value Added: The presented model uses commonly accessible data and is easy to replicate, although it might give less precise results than a custom-made analysis. Article classification: research article JEL classification: I31
The city, one of the most polysemous spaces is perpetually penetrated by various practises, creative actions, multidimensional activity, artistic creations including also design practises. The city is a peculiar heterotopia, where also through design practices all that is practical penetrate with what is aesthetical, science with art, information with interpretation. Design practices serve integration of the things' world with the man's life. These are somehow a synonym of the human environment, which is generated by people and for people - artefactual environment. Design has an ability to tangle and involve people with the surrounding reality in a manner that they do not only contemplate or consume ambient things, but live with what is material and immaterial in close symbiosis.
Seeing sets our place in the surrounding world about which the ubiquitous screens convince a modern inhabitant: LED displays, monitors of the video games, cash machines, MP4 players etc. Located in the iconosphere of a town, the screens constitute a new space causing "loss of a place and projection". A screen image is an alternative text to the first reality and it is simulated, received more tangibly than visually which causes a new sense of space, based not on the territory but on the community in the picture transmission. A screen ceases to engage a passer-by and becomes an indication of a non-place which Marc Augé characterises through: the exchange of the place for anthropological space, uncertainty of the materialisation of space and the primacy of vision over the experience of space. Non-places do not create identity or relations, but only similarity and loneliness. The plane of the "meeting" is the consumerism attitude, and an identity based on a continuous consumption might be called transparent.
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