Attila Harangi‒Viktor Löki: In the Footsteps of the Civic Houses of Debrecen and their Inhabitants

Text: Miklós Sulyok

Attila Harangi, an architect, and Viktor Löki, a photographer, have developed the character of this book by blending the methods of urban, local and architectural history as well as architectural sociological reportage. They are working on their own initiative and have been continuing their work in order to save architectural heritage for six years now. The book is a fine example of local history, or, more recently, of cultural heritage studies: it focuses on lived-through history rather than on the history of domination and the struggle between dominant entities.
From the 1960s and 70s onwards, the time- and history-obsessed approach of the modern age gave way to an architectural and especially urbanistic search for historical continuity, and slowly the existing old, non-listed buildings began to be valorised. As of today, in addition to the conservation of monuments, the reconstruction of old buildings does not seem impossible any more. Identity is the common point of identity and history. It is encouraging that the continuity of historical architecture and urban planning, as well as the preservation of old buildings, is being promoted by young authors who are interested in the space and time of real life events, rather than in the quest for technological utopias.