The Fundamental Interconnectedness of All Things: Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
The interior of a building provides hints about what the building itself might be like. The form, construction period, and architectural style determine the image it projects. This lecture aims to uncover connections between the design principles of three Nationality and Heritage Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning: the Yugoslav, the Hungarian, and the Austrian Rooms. Despite being three distinct rooms representing different nations, their connection becomes more apparent when considering that, from the 19th century until the early 20th century, some areas of the three countries were not part of a nation state, but of a multinational empire, Habsburg Central Europe. On the other hand, it’s also interesting to note that the design in two of the rooms (the Hungarian and the Yugoslav Rooms) reflects the imprint of the nation-states that emerged after the First World War (Serbia, Hungary, Austria). This presentation explores the distinction between nationality and ethnicity and how these two concepts are represented, or rather underrepresented, in the Yugoslav Heritage Room. Additionally, it delves into the connections between folk and neo-baroque in Hungarian art, particularly in architectural design and music, as well as highlighting the unique characteristics of the Austrian room.
The research was conducted within the framework of the Fulbright Scholarship, and the initial presentation of the research took place in Pittsburgh, U.S., at the University of Pittsburgh in the Cathedral of Learning's Hungarian Heritage Room.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Éva Lovra, Ph.D. is a civil engineer and urban engineer with an M.Sc., specializing in conservation engineering, holds a Ph.D. in architectural engineering with a focus on urban morphology. She conducted her postdoctoral research at the UCL Bartlett, the University of Novi Sad, and the Slovak Academy of Sciences. She serves as a senior lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Debrecen and is a supervisor at the Doctoral School of Earth Sciences. She is a member of the Urban Sciences Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian National Committee of ICOMOS.