Another day, another architectural marvel. We'd planned a trip to Brno's Villa Tugendhat House even before we bought tickets for Europe this year. We set off walking to the villa after breakfast, hoping to find a coffee on the way. It was a heady -2, but according to Google "felt like" -7. Still, significantly warmer than yesterday, though overcast and grey instead of perfectly clear.
Just before we got to the house, and still with plenty of time to spare, we got to a nice-looking cafe. No luck though, as it appeared to be undergoing renovations. We ended up waiting outside for a few minutes before the guide came out - you can only go in on guided tours. The Mies van der Rohe-designed house is very simple from outside - quite unassuming, though its simplicity must have been quite a sensation in 1929 when it began construction.
The villa was built in 1929-30, but lived in for only a few years before the Jewish Tugendhats had to flee. It was used by the Nazis in the war, then used as a dance school. It was then taken over by the new Socialist Czech Republic and used for physical therapy. Only 12 years ago it was completely restored, all surfaces and all the built-in furniture, at a cost of over 10 million NZD.
The front facade to the street consists of a large glazed wall curving around to a dark timber front door. Again for the era, it was very unusual in that the bedrooms were upstairs, and the living below, with utility areas below that again. The bulk of the house is therefore below the road, facing out and down to Brno Old Town across a fabulous and generous sloped lawn. I imagine it sits on the best site in Brno.
The first room we entered was the entrance hall. The quality of the design was immediately apparent. Surfaces were white, simple and unadorned. Doors were all full height, the floor of simple white linoleum, and fixtures minimal. Van der Rohe's aim was that the house would be barely noticeable - as architects said at the time "a machine for living".
Next was Mr Tugendhat's bedroom - a gorgeous space. Very clean, crisp and a superb view out across the grounds to Brno. Talking about it with Karen after the tour, we agreed that it was our favourite room despite the living area being amazing. It was surprising that in a 900m2 house the bedrooms were very compact, way smaller than one might expect.
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| The parents' bathroom, all mod cons for 1930 |
Going downstairs to the living level it was clear where all the space went - it was super generous. Steel post and beam construction was new for the time, and in this house the floors are supported by chromed cruciform columns and beams, allowing the living space to be very open and flexible. It's hard to describe the plan - the front facing out was all glass in enormous panes. On one side was an exceptional multi-piece circular dining table for up to 11, surrounded by a curved wall clad in Macassar mahogany, the most expensive wood available. On the other side was the living area, and behind that a huge wall consisting of 5 panels of onyx from Morocco. The cost of the onyx alone would have bought any other house and property in the area, leaving a bit left over for its cars and more! Mr Tugendhat's accountant was apparently not happy. Behind the wall were their more private living areas, the library and Mt Tugendhat's desk.
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| The main sitting area, the window in front can be lowered completely. Note the onyx wall. |
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| The view out to the city and Spilberk Castle |
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| From the rear, back to the front, dining behind the curved wall |
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| The more private resting areas behind the onyx wall |
Downstairs were utility rooms, including a very early aircon, heating and ventilating system. The villa used 40 tonnes of coal per year for heating! One fabulous feature was that two of the enormous front windows could be completely lowered into the basement to open the dining and living areas to the outside.
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| From below |
So, a fabulous place to have seen. Well worth the detour on the way back to NZ to see one of the best houses by one of the 20th century's best architects.
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| Karen standing at the foot of the horse |
We wandered back into Brno, taking the time to have my first svarak (hot mulled wine). Most enjoyable on a cold grey day.
We made ourselves a simple lunch, and then headed back out to visit the labyrinth - a series of storage cellars that had been dug under central Brno premises, and eventually became connected to form a network of tunnels. They'd been used originally for storage, some for wine, some as refrigerators by filling them with ice in winter which would last until the next winter. Some became taverns, some labs for alchemists.
