The author of the biggest building in Sliac spa resort is the Prague architect Rudolf Stockar. Since 1915, he was the head of ARTEL which won the competition launched in 1924 by the Ministry of Public Health. Later on, Stockar also designed a spa centre and spa master plan (1929). The project of Palace's first phase had to be redesigned in 1929. A request came up to expand the original restaurant and common area in a hotel. That is how today's 240 m (260 yards) long building came about. Between these parts is a typical lateral staircase open toward the fronts, from which one can access covered colonnades on both sides of the building. The height difference of grading is seven metres (23 ft.) - hence the colonnade on the western side is double floor while the one on the east is just ground-level. In the first section with a prominent tower and a sign saying 'Sliac', there is a restaurant, a cafe with a gallery, a winery, a theatre and a movie screen as well as office spaces. The second section consists of a 249-unit hotel with a three-aisle layout composed of four wings which enclose an inner courtyard. The tower over the entrance to the hotel has not been built to the intended height. Overall, the building is perceived as a strong horizontal line enclosing the spa complex at its highest point. Low-pitched roofs are not visible from lower angles and although a bit cold, the structure is a good example of modern and elegant architecture. Rudolf Stockar designed also the fitouts and utility items such as cutlery for the restaurant.
Bibliography:
STOCKAR, Rudolf: Sliač. Slovenský staviteľ 2, 1932, s. 183 – 193 (obrázky až po s. 197).
KUSÝ, Martin: Architektúra na Slovensku 1918 – 1945. Bratislava, Pallas 1971. 186 s.
FOLTYN, Ladislav: Slovakische Architektur und die tschechische Avantgarde 1918 – 1939. Dresden, Verlag des Kunst 1991. 236 s.
KUBIČKOVÁ, Klára: Kúpeľný dom Palace. Architektúra & urbanizmus 29, 1995, 1 – 2, s. 18 – 23.
KUBIČKOVÁ, Klára: Architekt Stockar a kúpele Sliač. Projekt 38, 1996, 2, s. 30 – 33.
DULLA, Matúš – MORAVČÍKOVÁ, Henrieta: Architektúra Slovenska v 20. storočí. Bratislava, Slovart 2002. 512 s.
