In his book, Dr Łukasz Galusek demonstrates how the aspirations for statehood, distinctiveness and self-determination were reflected in architecture and the urban fabric. The publication focuses on cities as forms of national existence in the absence of a state of their own—the ‘imagined capitals’ referred to in the title.  The author paints a picture of nineteenth-century Central Europe, in which stateless nations created their own symbolic centres. Budapest, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Prague and Zagreb were not yet capital cities, but even then they were becoming spaces in which a modern national identity was taking shape.

This new publication by the International Cultural Centre is a story of ambitions, aspirations and symbols – of how architecture, urban planning, culture and historical memory helped to build a sense of community. Within the multi-ethnic Habsburg Empire, cities became the “hearts” of nations even before they could become official capitals.

“Wyobrażone stolice. Miasta monarchii habsburskiej jako centra narodów 1815–1918” is a book for anyone who wants to understand how nations are formed – and just how significant cities are in this process.

The book is available to buy at the ICC bookshop

The book “Wyobrażone stolice. Miasta monarchii habsburskiej jako centra narodów 1815–1918” is the twenty-fourth volume in the Library of Central Europe series, edited by Prof. Jacek Purchla.