**2. Children's playgrounds in urban design concepts of Slovak mass housing estates**

In the design concepts of the large-scale mass housing estates in Slovak cities from the socialist period of the second half of the twentieth century, the modernist urban visions of dwelling in multistorey buildings, standing in the middle of extensive green areas, and modernist approaches toward creation of public space, were reflected [9, 10]. The urban concepts of large residential complexes and prefabricated panel housing estates aimed to solve the demand for "housing for all," in the era of rapid industrial and urban development of towns, and mirrored the "collective dream" of the socialist era [11]. Public spaces in the mass prefabricated housing estates were well equipped with roads, parking places, pedestrian walkways, waste collection sites, and they were adorned by artworks, sculptures, statues, and fountains. The landscape architecture design of public spaces represented the architectural qualities of modernism of the second half of the twentieth century [12].

Because the early inhabitants of the Slovak mass housing estates were predominantly young families with children, the children's playgrounds belonged to their important amenities.

## **2.1. Children's playgrounds of Terasa housing estate in Košice (1962–1971)**

the way of life of individuals and the community [1]. Access to important urban amenities and facilities, including healthcare, education, shopping, working, transport services, culture, recreation, leisure, and the quality of public and open green spaces, increase the livability of

Places for play and sport for different age groups, and especially children's playgrounds also belong to the amenities and facilities having the potential to increase the wellbeing of dwell-

Playground experiences are having developmental significance in children's lives, playgrounds offer children opportunities to create, organize, and control their own play experiences, they allow them to learn and practice important social skills, exercise decision-making

The earliest playgrounds, reflecting the interest in the quality of urban children lives, emerged in Europe in the late nineteenth century and spread to the United States. These new spaces were intended to address social concerns about the development and health of urban children

The importance of playgrounds for residential neighborhoods has been widely recognized by urban planning of the twentieth century. It was understood that children's recreation and playgrounds must be planned on a comprehensive scale: facilities need to be considered on the basis of a town as a whole to ensure that all areas are adequately served, and that the playgrounds need to be planned to provide as many as possible activities. It was suggested to prepare master plans for playgrounds and play spaces in parks, housing estates, and playing fields [7]. It was recommended to site the playgrounds in the centers of neighborhoods, adjacent to a primary school sites, to serve the interests and needs of children and at the same time to afford recreational opportunities for all people of a residential neighborhood, but also situate the toddlers` play areas and play areas for children of 5–15 years of age directly in

The importance of playgrounds as an urban amenity which can increase the standard of living was reflected in the urban design concepts of the mass-housing estates of the second half of the twentieth century in Slovakia as is described and illustrated by the following

**2. Children's playgrounds in urban design concepts of Slovak mass** 

In the design concepts of the large-scale mass housing estates in Slovak cities from the socialist period of the second half of the twentieth century, the modernist urban visions of dwelling in multistorey buildings, standing in the middle of extensive green areas, and modernist approaches toward creation of public space, were reflected [9, 10]. The urban concepts of large residential complexes and prefabricated panel housing estates aimed to solve the demand for "housing for all," in the era of rapid industrial and urban development of towns, and mirrored the "collective dream" of the socialist era [11]. Public spaces in the mass prefabricated

and other practical skills that will be used across the life span [2, 3].

and in urban environment provided a safe place to play [4–6].

residential areas, within convenient distances from their homes [8].

residential neighborhoods.

ers and users.

40 Housing

examples.

**housing estates**

In the urban design concept of the Terasa (Terrace) housing estate, then called New Town, in Košice, architect Berthold Hornung (1925–1997) used his knowledge of the last trends in the residential development in the countries where already gave a lot of emphasis on the coexistence of man with nature and created a concept of "living in the Park."

Inspired by the ideas of the Stockholm School and its park program [13], he followed the mottoes that the park breaks up the unrelenting flow of urban construction, and that taken as a group, parks can form a network in the urban fabric that provides citizens with necessary air and light, offer spaces for recreation, for promenades and rest, for sport and play, and that parks can create borders between different parts of the city and provide each district with an individual character and identity. According to these ideas, he formed residential districts called Luniks, each as a separate section with central amenities, which were located in the green zones [14].

As shown in the conceptual proposal for the first three Luniks from 1957 (**Figure 1**), each residential district was equipped with adequate civil facilities, school facilities, preschool

**Figure 1.** The first urban design concept for the three districts of the Terasa mass housing estate in Košice, the central part of every district—Lunik is created by a park with children playgrounds—(1) Suzanne's Park, (2) Kate's Park, and (3) Anne's Park. Source: Author's personal archive.

facilities, a shopping center, and also with playgrounds in the vast green space areas, which were given popular girl names—Zuzkin Park, Katkin Park and Aničkin Park, Suzanne's Park, Kate's park, and Anne's Park (**Figure 2**).

children, mini bathing pool, mini golf, simple typified swing sets, seesaws, monkey bars, slides, and also rest areas with various surfaces and grass. The complex served not only to the inhabitants of the neighborhood, but also to visitors from wider surroundings. The typified play elements have been complemented by specific art-design elements, designed by sculptor Rastislav Miklánek, as for example the popular sculpture of camel (**Figure 4**), or the maxi

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The high-rise blocks of flats in the hosing estate Medzijarky in Bratislava, designed by architects Štefan Svetko and Štefan Ďurkovič in the 1970s of the twentieth century, have been arranged in the forms of big octagonal courtyards. This solution allowed to exclude the cars from the inner space of the courtyards and to create there green spaces as adventurous play-

**Figure 4.** The concrete sculpture of camel in the sand play area was the most beloved play element of the playground.

**Figure 5.** The wooden chess figures in the part of the playground designated for chess game. Source: Archive of Centre

**2.3. The playground of housing estate Medzijarky in Bratislava (1973–1979)**

grounds with various playground elements (**Figure 6**).

Source: Archive of Centre for Landscape Architecture.

for Landscape Architecture.

chess figures (**Figure 5**).

Parents could feel free to send their children to school, or to playgrounds, because the paths to schools, kinder gardens and playgrounds did not cross the roads designated for car traffic (**Figure 3**). The building of the Terasa housing estate started in April 1962, and the construction site was visited also by deputation from Sweden.

## **2.2. The play area joy, Štrkovec housing estate in Bratislava (1970–1976)**

The concept of the playground complex Joy, in the Štrkovec housing estate in Bratislava, was set by landscape architect Alfonz Torma and the team of the municipal gardening company in the early 1970s of the twentieth century [15]. The complex included many attractions for

**Figure 2.** One part of the children's playground in the Kate's Park, in the Terasa housing estate, equipped with austere and simple elements—square window ladder climbers, slides, swings, and sand pits. Source: Archive of Source: Archive of Centre for Landscape Architecture.

**Figure 3.** Green open space of the Terasa housing estate in winter, serving as winter playground. Source: Archive of Centre for Landscape Architecture.

children, mini bathing pool, mini golf, simple typified swing sets, seesaws, monkey bars, slides, and also rest areas with various surfaces and grass. The complex served not only to the inhabitants of the neighborhood, but also to visitors from wider surroundings. The typified play elements have been complemented by specific art-design elements, designed by sculptor Rastislav Miklánek, as for example the popular sculpture of camel (**Figure 4**), or the maxi chess figures (**Figure 5**).

## **2.3. The playground of housing estate Medzijarky in Bratislava (1973–1979)**

facilities, a shopping center, and also with playgrounds in the vast green space areas, which were given popular girl names—Zuzkin Park, Katkin Park and Aničkin Park, Suzanne's Park,

Parents could feel free to send their children to school, or to playgrounds, because the paths to schools, kinder gardens and playgrounds did not cross the roads designated for car traffic (**Figure 3**). The building of the Terasa housing estate started in April 1962, and the construc-

The concept of the playground complex Joy, in the Štrkovec housing estate in Bratislava, was set by landscape architect Alfonz Torma and the team of the municipal gardening company in the early 1970s of the twentieth century [15]. The complex included many attractions for

**Figure 2.** One part of the children's playground in the Kate's Park, in the Terasa housing estate, equipped with austere and simple elements—square window ladder climbers, slides, swings, and sand pits. Source: Archive of Source: Archive

**Figure 3.** Green open space of the Terasa housing estate in winter, serving as winter playground. Source: Archive of

Kate's park, and Anne's Park (**Figure 2**).

42 Housing

Centre for Landscape Architecture.

of Centre for Landscape Architecture.

tion site was visited also by deputation from Sweden.

**2.2. The play area joy, Štrkovec housing estate in Bratislava (1970–1976)**

The high-rise blocks of flats in the hosing estate Medzijarky in Bratislava, designed by architects Štefan Svetko and Štefan Ďurkovič in the 1970s of the twentieth century, have been arranged in the forms of big octagonal courtyards. This solution allowed to exclude the cars from the inner space of the courtyards and to create there green spaces as adventurous playgrounds with various playground elements (**Figure 6**).

**Figure 4.** The concrete sculpture of camel in the sand play area was the most beloved play element of the playground. Source: Archive of Centre for Landscape Architecture.

**Figure 5.** The wooden chess figures in the part of the playground designated for chess game. Source: Archive of Centre for Landscape Architecture.

**Figure 6.** Sand area and play elements made of concrete in the playground of the housing estate Medzijarky in Bratislava. Source: Author's personal archive.

**Figure 7.** "UFO" as an art-design play element of the playground area, situated on the top of artificial hill, in the housing estate Medzijarky in Bratislava. Source: Author's personal archive.

The landscape design of the courtyards included artificial hills, used in the winter for sledge riding and also a unique play element "flying saucer"—unidentified flying object or "UFO," made by sculptor Juraj Hovorka in 1979 (**Figure 7**).

> of the Aldo van Eyck's playground elements—the rectangular and round steel frames for climbing, or the latter like an igloo. Van Eyck's play equipment invited the child to actively explore the numerous action possibilities it provided. He paid special attention, for example, to estimating the proper distances between the bars in his climbing frames. Van Eyck intentionally created abstract play elements that do not have a single meaning and function, but rather they can be used in different ways and stimulate children's imagination [16–18].

> **Figure 9.** The popular playground element from the 1970s, called "Globe," was used as a climber and as a merry-go-

**Figure 8.** The typified merry-go-rounds from the 1970s are still found in the playgrounds—example from the housing

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estate Juh in Rožňava. Source: Author's personal archive.

round—example from Trnava. Source: Author's personal archive.

The popularity of sand and the use of plain concrete, in elementary abstract forms, as rims of sand pits or jumping blocks, used in the Slovak playgrounds from the 1960s and the 1970s as well as witnesses Van Eyck's strong influence on the playground design of the second half of

In the 1980s of the twentieth century new materials came to use in the playgrounds of Slovak housing estates—wood, in the form of logs and beams, and also ropes, as for example in

the twentieth century.
