“Architecture is an expression of how one protects himself against the outside world, and how one manages to conquer it. It always represents the expression of spiritual decision in space” Ludwig Mies von der Rohe, 1928
Villa Tugendhat is the functionalist masterpiece of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe built under commission of the Jewish industrialist Fritz Tugenhat. der Rohe was a master of modernity and during his career led the functionalist movement along side the likes of Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe developed prominence as architectural director of the Werkbund, organizing the influential Weissenhof prototype modernist housing exhibition. He was also one of the founders of the architectural association Der Ring. He joined the avant-garde Bauhaus design school as their director of architecture, adopting and developing their functionalist application of simple geometric forms in the design of useful objects.
The Villa is situated in a residential area of Brno (Czech Republic) along side a peculiar mix of houses, villas and mansions. The plot has magnificent views of the Brno skyline which flows uninterrupted into its rolling terrain and garden. The design of the Villa is unquie and it is down to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s engineering genius. The Villa has no supporting internal walls and is held afloat by a series of horizontal steel beams which form the supporting frame of the structure and allow a great open living space of some 220m2.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was the last director of architecture at Bauhaus before it was abrutly closed by the Nazi regime. One can only speculate where this movement would have taken us if it hadn’t have been so rudely interrupted. However the irony of Villa Tugendhat is that the Nazi’s saved the villa from total destruction. The Tugendhat family fled Brno and Czechoslovakia in 1938 as the Third Reich ebbed ever closer. The abandoned Villa and all its belongings were left in the care of the Tugendhat driver. The chauffeur however had other plans and started to sell off some of the materials and features of the villa including wood panelling from Indonesia, furniture and a incredible circular dinning table. The table seated four people but when fully retracted could seat up to 14 people.
The advancing Nazi’s put a stop to this garage sale and swiftly turned the Villa into a stable for their horses. We don’t really know why they did this. Maybe out of spite of the Jewish ownership and grander of the Villa. Or perhaps more practical due to the Villas innovative and ground breaking design. It had no supporting walls so was one large open space with access directly into the gardens. During the dark years of Communisn the Villa was used as a rehabilitation centre for the nearby children’s hospital and then later taken back for the use of party members and officials.
The Villa was opened to the public in 2007 after a long period of closure only being used by diplomats and politicians. The table above is where Vaclav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar signed the decree to split Czechoslovakia into two separate states in 1992. Today the Villa sits in a perpetual state of decay reflecting the majority of historical buildings within the city of Brno. The Tugendhat hiers had been cosnidering reconstitution of the building due to the city of Brno’s lack of care of this now UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 2007 the heirs of Fritz and Greta have formally applied for the restitution of the villa, citing a law covering works of art confiscated during the Holocaust. The reason for this application appears to be frustration over the failure of the municipality of Brno to carry out vital restoration work. Whether the claim will be successful (can a building, for legal purposes, be considered a work of art?) remains to be seen.
However plans have now been put into the place and the Villa is closing in 2010 for an estimated four year reconstruction project. We all hope that the Czech Republics reputation for corruption and mismanagement of such projects does not harm or jeopardise the importance and historical relevance of this Villa. The esitamted cost of reconstruction has been put at around 7 million Euros. I look forward to returning to the Villa in 2014. For more info visit:
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