Vila Tugendhat - a photo on Flickriver

Vila Tugendhat

            There is an interesting story behind this Vila that is located in Berno, Czech republic and is considered to be one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was designed by the prominent American German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and soon became an icon of modern architecture. It was built between the years 1928-1930, just before WWII for a Jewish family, Greta & Fritz Tugendhat,(Thus the name of the villa)  that later had to flee from their home from the  Nazis. They fled to South America and never returned. When the communist Russians where situated in Berno this beautiful living room you see in the photo was used as a stable for the horses of the Russian army. Our tourist guide told us of what appears to be bunch of official lies. She told us the family donated the house, and I have to admit that it seemed to me odd. Would you donate something so precious, not money wise but emotionally? They invested so much thought, time, money and emotions in this house and lived there for only 8 years. Apparently nobody donated the house – 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. I took some photos of the destruction the house is going through – I will show it to you.
The house is amazing; it was very revolutionary in its time. What you see in this photo is the way the living room opens up to the magnificent garden of the house. The front is actually a big window that opens up totally so the living room becomes a huge balcony – the wonderful view becomes an integral part of the interior.
Van der Rohe, who along with Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of Modern architecture, also designed all furniture in the house. (Two types of armchair designed for the building, the Tugendhat chair and the Brno chair, are still in production- you can see one of the armchairs' type in the photo). Van der Rohe strived towards architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought a rational approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design, and is known for his use of the aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details". In the villa there were no paintings or decorative items but the interior was enriched and live due to the use of naturally patterned materials such as the captivating onyx wall and rare tropical woods. 
It is such a shame that this beautiful masterpiece is so badly neglected.

   

Taken on: September 9, 2009

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Camera: Canon PowerShot A640, f/4.0, 1/320 sec, 7.3mm (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot A640
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	7.3mm
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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