Ladislav Hudec pochádzal z rodiny staviteľa Juraja Hudeca. Diplom architekta obdržal v roku 1914 na budapeštianskej Technickej univerzite. V rokoch 1914 – 1918 bojoval v Poľsku, bol zajatý a väznený v sibírskych zajateckých táboroch. V roku 1918 sa po úteku dostal do Šanghaja, kde rýchlo uplatnil svojou cieľavedomosť a dobré vedomosti. V roku 1924 založil vlastnú projektovú kanceláriu a vytvoril desiatky prvotriednych verejných stavieb: chrámy, hotely, obchodné domy, kultúrne inštitúcie, polyfunkčné budovy či rezidencie. Najznámejšie sú Park Hotel a vedľa neho, v súčasnosti obnovený, Grand Theatre z rokov 1931 – 1933. V roku 1947 musel zo Šanghaja odísť. Usadil sa v Kalifornii, zomrel v Berkeley ako 65-ročný. Pochovaný je v rodinnej hrobke v Banskej Bystrici. Nikdy nezabudol na svoje rodné mesto. V Šanghaji sa jeho meno teší veľkej úcte. Na Columbia Road sa rekonštruuje jeho rodinný dom a buduje kultúrne centrum s názvom Hudec Village. V roku 2019 na Skuteckého ul. 22 bolo otvorené Centrum architekta L. E. Hudeca.


Ladislav Hudec designed his greatest architectural projects between 1920 and 1947 in Shanghai. His father, Juraj Hudec, was a builder and Ladislav studied architecture at the Technical University in Budapest, graduating in 1914. He fought in Poland during World War I and was taken prisoner and held in prison camps in Siberia. In 1918, he escaped and reached Shanghai, where he soon found work thanks to his hardworking nature and skills as an architect and builder. In 1924, he opened his own studio and designed dozens of outstanding public buildings, including shrines, hotels, shopping centres, cultural institutions, multifunctional facilities and private homes. The Park Hotel and the recently refurbished nearby Grand Theatre designed in 1931–1933 are his best known projects. In 1947, he had to leave Shanghai. He moved to California and died in Berkeley at the age of 65. He is buried in his family crypt in Banská Bystrica. He never forgot his native town. He is still greatly respected in Shanghai. Hudec’s family house on Columbia Road is under reconstruction and will be turned into Hudec Village, a cultural centre. In Banská Bystrica, the “Architect L. E. Hudec Centre” opened on Skuteckého 22 in 2019.


Autor textu: PhDr. Klára Kubičková, PhD.