Abstract:
The article examines the modernisation of the three provincial capitals through changes in the physical fabric of the cities around the turn of the past century. The focus is on their central districts based on the assumption that the appearance of that part shows most clearly the ideas and ambitions of the society that builds the city. In the text is suggested the term quasi-capitals since in each of the three cases are visible certain aspirations to become the centre of a community beyond the legal status the cities have in the framework of Austria-Hungary. The article is divided into two parts, of which the first examines the process of planning the cities. A second part deals with the architecture of public buildings and the organisation of the public spaces in the central parts of the cities.
