The Litomyšl Architectural Manual (LAM), supported by the Town Gallery in Litomyšl, is a Czech-English database for professionals and the public containing information concerning 143 significant architectural and artistic structures, artefacts, building complexes and modified public spaces undertaken in Litomyšl from 1900 to the present.
At the present time, the selected sites are linked together along the routes of seven trails and sixteen trips which, with the help of an interactive map, guide enthusiasts through the historic centre, adjoining quarters and nearby villages. These trails can be also undertaken, themed according to typology, period or designer.
The core of the database is made up of texts not merely describing the significance and architectonic or artistic concept of the selected sites, but also offering information concerning their history and the circumstances of their creation. Consequently, the texts tell the stories behind the lives and the work of the architects, design studios and artists, and ultimately show how, throughout an almost hundred-and-twenty-year period, the approach to integrating modern architecture into the fabric of the historical town as well as the restoration of significant local buildings has changed. Audio recordings, archive photographs and building plans accompany the individual explanatory texts and signposting for the public will be added in the future.
n concept, this project is directly linked to the Brno Architecture Manual (BAM, http://www.bam.brno.cz) and the Plzeň Architecture Manual (PAM, http://pam.plzne.cz) – both successful projects for the presentation and popularizing of architecture of the first half of the 20th century. However, contrary to its forerunners, LAM includes contemporary architecture within its trails, as its high quality has been long emphasized. Information about the individual buildings can also be acquired through guided walks within the framework of the cycle Procházky (s) městem (Walks through (with) the town), and by means of a printed guide-map. In the public space, LAM objects are highlighted by round metal signs.
The project was realized in 2017 – 2021 by the Litomyšl Municipal Gallery thanks to the kind financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the town of Litomyšl.
