Brno is proud of several architectural gems. The most famous is the functionalist Villa Tugendhat, which has entered into the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

History of the Villa Tugendhat

Fritz Tugendhat was a wealthy German factory owner with a Jewish origin who married the daughter of another factory owner from Brno, Mr Alfred Löw-Beer. He gave them a blank check and a plot with spectacular views to build a villa in the garden that connected the Löw-Beer land.

Tugendhat invited the German architect Mies van der Rohe, who when he arrived in Brno and saw a place where the villa should stand, decided to accept the contract and get to work. Moreover, he had a free hand for creation from the Tugendhat, so he didn't have to limit himself in any way!

The overall result is that Villa Tugendhat has become one of the greatest jewels of the functionalist architecture of the interwar period.

Garden next to the villa

The price of the building was 8 million Czech crowns at the time. At the same time, family houses were built between 50 and 150 thousand Czech crowns. Instead of this villa, the Tugendhat could build 80 average houses.

It is interesting that the whole construction phase lasted only 14 months! Paradoxically, it is hard to understand today that its construction began in March, but it gets the building permit in October, after about half a year, when the construction itself took place.

View from one of the bedrooms

The Tugendhat family moved out of the villa in 1938 when they fled from the imminent Nazi expansion to South America. They never signed up for restitution.
The villa passed under the hands of the Nazis and the Communists to reconstruct twice. The last and more successful reconstruction was completed in 2012.

Constructional solutions

The architect van der Rohe used a vertical supporting structure that also passes through the main living room. However, it is hidden by the design surface of the column, so it is not noticeable at all.

The most interesting and expensive part of the whole building is the onyx wall. It comes from one large stone from Morocco and separates the living room from the library.

Onyx wall in Villa Tugendhat

When the sun shines on the wall for a long time, then it literally shines through the room. This may look like this.

Other structural elements that are unconventional in its essence are two windows, which can be electronically opened, respectively, inserted downwards into the lower floor. This will open the villa towards the garden and you feel that you are outside in nature. Given the size of these windows, it's really unique. And again, consider what it must have been like for that time period!

Dining room

Technology

For the 1930s, this building is a technological gem. At that time, family houses could only dream of central heating and cooling, air filtration or the automatic opening of whole huge window frames and electronically controlled. Technology got the entire ground floor, which was unprecedented at the time.

The heating and cooling vents peeked into the living quarters with a rib so that they did not disturb the interior itself. So, you won't find a single unsightly radiator in the living area!

Villa Tugendhat is thanks to its view of the historical centre of Brno, wonderful connection with the garden including the garden itself, used materials and technologies in construction and last but not least its beautiful clean functionalist look.

If you want to visit Villa Tugendhat, you must book a place in advance of a few months! Feel free to visit this important architectural monument of the 20th century.

This post is used for Qurator's Photo Friday | Photography Competition #80 hosted by @qurator. The photo was taken during my visit of this villa.