A politically engaged architect – Július Wirth and his works in the territory eastern Slovakia

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Autor/ Author: Adriana Priatková      Veronika Szeghy-Gayer

In: Kultúrne dejiny

ISSN: 1338-2209 (Print)

ISSN: 2989–3313 (Online)

Ročník/ Volume: 17

Číslo/ Issue: 1

Strany/ Page Range: 37-56

Rok vydania/ Publication Year: 2026

Jazyk/ Language: Slovak

Vydavateľ/ Publisher: VERBUM – vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku

Abstrakt/ Abstract: The study examines the career trajectory of Gyula Wirth (1881–1945), a Hungarian architect from Košice who worked in his hometown from the period of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy until the end of World War II. Wirth was not only an influential and talented modern architect, but also played a key role in local politics as a representative of political Catholicism in interwar Czechoslovakia, as well as in the context of wartime Hungary. Based on archival sources and the contemporary press, the main aim of the study is to highlight the main characteristics of his career trajectory, which so far has received little attention in modern historiography. The article is divided into three main parts. First, we intend to discuss the family background and education of Gyula Wirth, as well as the beginnings of his career as an architect. The second part of the paper is dedicated to his activity in the interwar period. Finally, we also present his political engagement in the years between 1938 and 1945. It is argued that his life and work were simultaneously shaped by two modern cultural and social phenomena of that time, political Catholicism and modern arts.

Kľúčové slová/ Keywords: Architecture, Political Catholicism, Biography, Hungarian Minority, Košice.

Citácia/ How to cite:

PRIATKOVÁ, Adriana a  SZEGHY-GAYER, Veronika, 2026. Politicky angažovaný architekt Július Wirth a jeho dielo na území východného Slovenska. Kultúrne dejiny. Online. Roč. 17, č. 1, s. 37-56. ISSN 1338-2209 (Print). ISSN 2989–3313 (Online). Dostupné na:

Toto dielo je publikované pod/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.