Overlooked Heritage: Interiors in Slovakia

Abstract The creation of interior spaces is the main cognitive characteristic of architectural creation. Architecture creates a basic spatial framework for the interior. Interior design is a complex type of architectural activity that forms both the space (basically the interior) and the individual elements of the interior space. The professional interior design of architects or designers intentionally creates an environment specifically intended for human life. It is where people are in the most personal contact with the environment surrounding them. Just as an artificially created environment has a strong influence on a person’s life and feelings, it has also been proven that it works the other way round as well, i.e. that human needs and demands are a decisive factor in creating space for a person. The case studies demonstrate the development of the interior design in the second half of the 20th century, its current state and level of care given to these works. Architecture from this period has often lost its struggle for survival. As regards the style, these are works in international style, late modern and postmodern, and the local element makes them a unique and attractive testimony to the era. Despite the natural properties of interiors which seldom survive as long as the architecture itself, some contemporary statements about the interior design of the period under review have been preserved. The research focused on the public interiors of both well-known and less-known buildings by Slovak architects from various parts of Slovakia. The research calls attention to the fact that architects worked here even then and their works were of certain quality.