Empír

Empír is a term used in several Central European languages, most notably Hungarian and Czech, to denote the Empire and the Empire style that spread through art, architecture and fashion in the early 19th century. The word is a loan from the French empire and ultimately from Latin imperium, reflecting the association with Napoleonic political power.

In art and architecture, empír refers to the Empire style, a neoclassical design language associated with the Napoleonic era. It favors restrained classical forms, symmetrical layouts, and motifs such as laurel wreaths, imperial eagles, and sphinx figures, applied to buildings, interior decoration, and furniture.

In fashion, the Empire style is linked to an empire waist—the high waistline just below the bust, with lightweight fabrics and flowing skirts—common from the late 1790s to the 1820s.

Today, empír remains a historical term in Hungarian and Czech discourse. In English, the corresponding terms are typically Empire style or Empire period.