The publication Restoring Art Nouveau: Architectural Decoration in the Danube Region aims to contribute important information to the growing body of knowledge of Art Nouveau architecture in the Danube region. This 120-page volume is a culmination of a year-long international collaboration of Slovenian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Austrian and Hungarian colleagues on the Art Nouveau architecture throughout the Danube region.

In the words of the editor, Gábor Nagy Papp, the authors of the nine essays recognized “parallel histories and shared lessons to be learned from the restoration of these buildings with common artistic roots through case studies brought from their own countries.” He also explains the major characteristics of the Art Nouveau in the region: “Amongst [Art Nouveau] buildings, two stylistic trends can be distinguished. One uses geometrical shapes and draws on Viennese models; while the other is richer in floral ornamentations and motifs from local folk art. The first indicates the influence of Otto Wagner and his circle, the latter that of Ödön Lechner and his followers. The studies in this book represent both trends: Lechnerian Art Nouveau was most widespread in Subotica (in Hungarian Szabadka) and Oradea (in Hungarian Nagyvárad), and Wagnerian secessionism was more common in Maribor, Zagreb and Botosani.”

We invite interested readers and admirers of Art Nouveau to open this interesting and beautifully illustrated volume and join us in the journey the world of breath-takingly decorated and restored Art Nouveau jewels from the Danube Region.