The City Fortress Tower
The tower (torre civica) as it stands today is a remnant
of the medieval fortress wall of Lovran. It is situated on the western
side to the historical core. A massive tower, having a square ground
plan, is made of chiseled stone blocks and it has a loggia which has
been reclaimed for another use. The upper part of the tower was
annexed in the 17th century. Housed in a modern one-story structure at
the foot of the fortress tower is the
Charles Billich art gallery. Next
to the tower is Franul Palace, better known as the "Palazzetto
Comunale", in renaissance style, and on the transem of the entry door is
a 1722 century base relief of St. George on horseback in the act of
killing the dragon with his sword.
According to one account, the city
fortress was built in the 13th century as
part of the city's feudal fortifications. Another account dates it to one
century earlier and links it to the first Crusaders, but there is no
corroborative evidence of this in readily available documented sources. Either way, the
castle undoubtedly kept the Turks, the Venetians, the Uskoks and other marauders at
bay while a thriving shipbuilding industry was being established in
Lovran. Protected by the high Učka mountain (1396 m), surrounded by
pine, oak, bay and chestnut forests, the landscape around Lovran has
always been blessed by a plentiful and useful variety of timber suitable
for shipbuilding so that ships continued to be built there for
centuries. Over the centuries, the city and fortifications were
destroyed twice in the wars between the Venetians and the Uskoks, then
rebuilt, altered and adapted to a host of different uses.
Modern Times
In 1999, a new reconstruction transformed
the city fortress into an atelier for
Istrian-born
Carlo (Charles)
Billich, a renowned Australian painter. The City Council of
Lovran gave Billich permission to use the tower on a rental basis and on
the condition that it would also be
open to the public. The architects that were selected for the project
are two
natives from nearby Rijeka (Fiume): Sasa Randic and Idis Turado who
had formed a partnership in their native city in 1992.
On their website, the
architects describe their reconstruction project thusly:
"Desired gradations of
privacy led to an internal organization whereby a public gallery
occupies the ground floor and the atelier is on the upper floor. The
interior space of the fortress is relatively small (6x6 meters). During
the previous reconstruction, the fortress was returned to its original
shape and all floor constructions were demolished. Due to the fortress'
spectacular interior and the demand that it remain public, the implanted
construction sought to be as transparent and neutral as possible. New
construction and staircases are made of steel beams, columns and roof
plates. New floors are not divided but are organised as a row of gallery
spaces vertically connected by a single flight of stairs. Facilities
such as a kitchen and toilettes are contained within the existing niches
of the thick stone walls."
Above: view of the
tower and Communal Palace.Right:
view of the belltower of the Church of St. George, built in the
12th, and the city center.
(Photo by F. Pavecevac) |
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Sources:
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http://www.randic-turato.hr/projects/projects.htm
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http://www.billich.info/fortezza_gallery.html
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http://kulturna-dobra-pgz.posluh.hr/lovran/egradjevine.htm
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Photo - Franko Pavicevac
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http://www.templarhistory.com/who.html
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S.J. Skunca, Istarska Enciklopedija,
Leksikografski
Zavod 'Miroslav Krlež' (Zagreb, 2005) -
http://www.lzmk.hr/Index.aspx
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