The Czechoslovak participation in the international architectural competitions in Bulgaria in 1960s to 1980s - the competitions as a tool for integration to the events in West Europe

The student grant thematically links to the existing research of the proposers in the field of Czech - Bulgarian relations and the history of Czechoslovak architecture in 1960s - 1980s. The topic about Czech - Bulgarian relations in architecture and urbanism has been generally and insufficiently worked and therefore it offers a wide range of stimulus in connection with the study of historic architecture and with the development of Czechoslovak architecture in the postwar period. The previous research concerned the first cultural contacts between the Czechs and Bulgarians in the late 19th century, when over 150 experts travelled to the freed Bulgaria bringing modern architectural and structural trends (Nikolay Brankov has been devoting to this issue in his PhD Thesis at FCE CTU in Prague). Another aspect is the creation of 3-4 generations of Bulgarian Architects (e.g. Petko Momchilov, Yordan Milanov, Lazar Parashkevanov etc.) trained in technical schools in Prague and Brno, who brought to Bulgaria their Czech teachers' ideas and practice (e.g. Josef Schulz, Antonín Balšánek, Josef Fanta etc.). Another aspect, which this research wants to deal with, is the question of Czech-Bulgarian cooperation in the field of architecture in the socialist era - particularly the participation of Czechoslovak architects in international architectural competitions held in Bulgaria in 1960s to 1980s. The issue of participation of Czech architects in international competitions in Bulgaria was partially worked in earlier Czech research projects, e.g. at FA CTU in Prague the research project VZ-MSM no. 214500027 (1999-2004, main researcher prof. P. Urlich in cooperation of L. Popelová and others), who examined the evolution and the theory of Czechoslovak architecture in 1960s and 1970s in general. Its outcome was the publication 1960s in the architecture through the eyes of witnesses (2006). A part of this research were also interviews with Czech architects participated in the urban desi