Egon Steinmann's Architectural Engagement in North Macedonia in 1946

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31522/p.33.2(70).4

Keywords:

Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia, post-war renewal, public buildings, Skopje, North Macedonia, socialist period, Steinmann, Egon

Abstract

The paper offers a comprehensive overview of the dynamic and challenging post-war period that architects faced following World War II. It focuses on the specific circumstances, professional changes, and social reactions that influenced their work and career paths. The aim is to provide a comprehensive biography of architect Egon Steinmann within the context of 20th-century Croatian architecture and to promote Croatian architects working in various regions, particularly in Skopje and Ohrid. It examines two significant projects designed in the first post-war phase in North Macedonia. Steinmann was sent to Skopje from September to December 1946 to work on the design of large public buildings as part of a solidarity initiative across former Yugoslavia aimed at aiding post-war reconstruction. He designed the Workers’ Resort Orce Nikolov, situated along the lakeshore of Ohrid. The Resort currently remains abandoned and neglected, facing an uncertain future. In Skopje, he collaborated with Vlado Antolić on the design of the Ministry of Internal Affairs  building, which was later converted into a university building. The building no longer exists; it was destroyed in the 1963 earthquake.

References

1. Ambraseys, N. (1965) ‘Poročilo o potresu v Skopju 26. julija 1963’, Gradbeni vestnik, 1, pp. 1-7.

2. Antolić, V. (1949a) ‘O problemima urbanizma I” arhitekture Makedonije’, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 19-23.

3. Antolić, V. (1949b) ‘Direktivna regulaciona osnova Bitole, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 24-28.

4. Antolić, V. (1949c) ‘Direktivna regulaciona osnova Prilepa, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 29-33.

5. Antolić, V. (1949d) ‘Direktivna regulatorna osnova Ohrida’, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 45-53.

6. Antolić, V.; Apptulah, H. (1949) ‘Regionalni plan Ohridskog jezera’, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 39-44.

7. Babic, M. (2018) Curating the Yugoslav Identity: The Reconstruction of Skopje. The Museum of Modern Art in New York [online]. Available at: https://post.moma.org/curating-the-yugoslav-identity-the-reconstruction-of-skopje/ [Accessed: 16 September 2025].

8. Bjažić Klarin, T. (2020) ‘Constructing the world of equal opportunities: The case of architect Vladimir Antolić’. Journal of Modern European History, 18(4), 474-493. https://doi.org/10.1177/1611894420944840

9. B.P. (1958) ‘Skopje - Rekonstrukcija centralnog dijela’, Čovjek i prostor, 74, pp. 3, 8

10. Cvitković, S. and Kline, M. (2017) ‘Skopje: Rebranding the Capital City through Architecture and Monuments to Remake the Nation Brand’. Sociologija i prostor, 55 (1/207/), pp. 33-53. https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.55.1.2

11. Čipan, B. (1974) ‘The Architecture of Nowadays’. In: Tomovski, K.; Volinjec, R.; Popovski, Ž. (eds.) Macedonian Architecture, Modern Arts Museum, Skopje 1974. Skopje: Association of architects of Macedonia, pp. 19-30.

12. Dimitrov, N.V. (2017) ‘Short Historical Presence of Tourism in The Republic of Macedonia’. In: First international scientific conference

Challenges of tourism and business logistics in the 21st century. Gevgelija: Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics, Gevgelija, University Goce Delcev Shtip, Macedonia, pp. 39-57.

13. Elezi, K. and Saliu, N. (2014) ‘Toward a Local Tradition: Modern Architecture in Macedonia’. In: Proceedings of the 2nd ICAUD International Conference in Architecture and Urban Design. Epoka University, Tirana, Albania, paper 307, pp. 1-6

14. Gelevski, N. (ed) (2014) 50 Years Since The Earthquake in Skopje; Skopje 1963-2014; Skopje - Ancient or Modern. Digital Library Macedonian State [online]. Available at: https://www.makedonskadrzava.com/books/50-years-since-the-earthquake-in-skopje-skopje-1963-2014-skopje-ancient-or-modern [Accessed: 19.9.2025.].

15. Gjorgoski, I. (ed.) (2016) 70 godina - Fakultet prirodnih znanosti i matematike - Skopje (1946-2016), Skopje: Bato & Divajn.

16. Grchev, K. (2014) ‘Some Aspects and Problems of Architectural Continuities regarding Style Development in Macedonian Architecture’. Architecture and Science, Scientific Journal for Architecture, Infinity Heritage, 1(1), pp. 43-52.

17. Grchev, K. and Grcheva, O. (2019) ‘Vernacular and Style relations: Architectural Developments of Macedonian Cities from 19th-20th Century’. ISVS e-journal: Special Issue on Ottoman Vernacular, 3 (6), pp. 50-62.

18. Ivanković, V. and Obad-Šćitaroci, M. (2011) ‘Planiranje i izgradnja Zagreba 1945.-1952.’. Prostor, 19 (2/42/), pp. 362-375. https://hrcak.srce.hr/75553

19. Kočevski, D. (2018) ‘Што се наоѓало некогаш на просторот пред „Холидеј ин“?’ (Što se nekada nalazilo u prostoru ispred Holiday Inna?), Nova Makedonija, 8 December.

20. Kulić, V. (2009) Land of the in-between: Modern Architecture and the State in Socialist Yugoslavia, 1945-65. Ph.D. thesis, Austin: The University of Texas at Austin.

21. Kulić, V.; Mrduljaš, M. and Thaler, W. (2012) Modernism in-Between: The Mediatory Architectures of Socialist Yugoslavia. Jovis Verlag, Berlin.

22. Kulić, V. and Stierli, M. (Eds) (2018) Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia 1948-1980. New York: The Museum of Modern Art.

23. Ladinski, V.B. (2023) ‘Early Engineers and Architects Born on the Territory of Present North Macedonia’. History of Engineering Sciences and Institutions of Higher Education, (7), pp. 98-120. https://doi.org/10.7250/HESIHE.2023.007

24. Lekovska, A. (2023) Revealing the forgotten tourism: The case of hotel and resort architecture in Socialist Macedonia, Thesis research, Milano: Politecnico di Milano, School of Architecture.

25. Lozanovska, M. and Bogdanova, V. (2024) ‘Dušan Grabrijan’s Macedonian House: Fieldwork and its Influence towards a complex Modernism’. Docomomo Journal, (72), pp. 48-55. https://doi.org/10.52200/docomomo.72.06

26. Marina, O. and Pencic, D. (n.d.) Urban transformations of Skopje 1890-1948. Academia Letters, 12.

27. Mickovski, G. and Djokić, V. (2015) ‘Okružni ured za osiguranje radnika u Skopju arhitekta Drage Iblera, 1934.’ Prostor, 23 (1/49/), pp. 0-95. https://hrcak.srce.hr/140954 [Accessed:16.9.2025.]

28. Mikić, V. (2002) Arhitekt Antun Ulrich: klasičnost moderne. Zagreb: Naklada Jurčić.

29. Minić, O. (1957) ‘Novo i staro na Ohridu’, Čovjek i prostor, 79, p. 3

30. Mrduljaš, M. and Bjažić Klarin, T. (2014) ‘Zagreb Revisionists: “Social Standard” Architecture’. In: Stanek, L. (ed.): Team 10 East: Revisionist Architecture in Real Existing Modernism, Warsaw: Museum of Contemporary Art, University of Chicago Press, pp. 165-197.

31. Muraj, I. (2004) Arhitektura moderne u djelu Egona Steinmanna, Master of Science Thesis, Zagreb: University of Zagreb Faculty of Architecture.

32. Muraj, I. (2015) ‘Publicistički rad arhitekta Egona Steinmanna (1922-1951)’. Prostor, 23 (1/49/), pp. 14-27. https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php/140949

33. Petrevska, B. and Collins-Kreiner, N. (2019) ‘From a town to an attraction: the transformation of Ohrid, North Macedonia’. Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles, 83, 2808, pp. 1-30. https://doi.org/10.21138/bage.2808

34. Petrovski, T. (2004) ‘Damaging Effects of July 26, 1963 Skopje Earthquake’. In: International conference Skopje Earthquake 40 years of European Earthquake Engineering, SE-40EEE. Skopje: European Earthquake Engineering (SE-40EEE), pp. 1-16

35. Radović Mahečić, D. (1999) Slavko Löwy - sustvaratelj hrvatske moderne arhitekture tridesetih godina, Zagreb: Institut za povijest umjetnosti, Horetzky.

36. Steinman, V. (1963) ‘Učinak potresa na objektima visokogradnje u Skoplju’, Građevinar, 8, pp. 1-17

37. Šćekić, J. (ed) (1963) This was Skopje, Beograd: Federal Secretariat for Information in Beograd.

38. Tasev, I. and Antolić, V. (1949) ‘Direktivna regulaciona osnova grada Sv. Nikole, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 34-33.

39. Tokarev, M. (2006) 100 godini moderna arhitektura, Kniga treta: Pridonesot na Makedonija i Jugoslavija (1918-1990) [100 years modern architecture, Book three: The contribution of Macedonia and Yugoslavia (1918-1990)] Skopje: Mihail Tokarev.

40. Tomovski, K.; Volinjec, R. and Popovski, Ž. (eds.) (1974) Macedonian Architecture, Modern Arts Museum, Skopje 1974. Skopje: Association of architects of Macedonia.

41. Ulrich, A. (1949) ‘Studentski dom Skopje’, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 45-53.

42. Vasiljević, B. and Antolić, V. (1949c) ‘Direktivna regulaciona osnova Prilepa, Arhitektura, 25/27, pp. 36-38.

43. V.B. (1953) ‘Zagrebački inžinjeri u izgradnji Makedonije’, Vjesnik u srijedu, 23 December.

44. *** (1952) ‘Zagrebački arhitekti pomažu izgradnju u bratskim republikama’, Vjesnik, 25 March.

45. *** (1955) ‘Ohridske varijante’, Čovjek i prostor, 41-42, p. 2

46. *** (1965) Ohrid. In: Enciklopedija Jugoslavije, svezak 6, Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, p. 37

Downloads

Published

2025-12-27

Issue

Section

Preliminary Communication

How to Cite

“Egon Steinmann’s Architectural Engagement in North Macedonia in 1946” (2025) Prostor, 33(2(70), pp. 220–231. doi:10.31522/p.33.2(70).4.