upright=1.3, House Lemke, 2011
The Lemke House (also ''Landhaus Lemke'' or Mies van der Rohe Haus ) on Oberseestraße 60 in the
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
district of
Alt-Hohenschönhausen is the last house designed by
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
before his
emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1938. It was built in
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
style at the beginning of the 1930s under the name Villa Lemke.
History
Interior
In 1932, the manufacturer couple Martha and Karl Lemke bought a two-storey property on the street with access to the '. On the advice of an acquaintance, they contacted the renowned architect who was to carry out the construction. After several plans, mostly for a two-storey building, work began in the summer of 1932. The costs amounted to 16,000
Reichsmark
The (; sign: ℛℳ; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until 20 June 1948 in West Germany, where it was replaced with the , and until 23 June 1948 in East Germany, where it was replaced by the East German mark. The Reich ...
s (purchasing power adjusted in today's currency: around 61,000
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s). In spring 1933 the Lemkes were able to move into their house. The L-shaped building is relatively simple and modest, but it also met the requirements of the childless couple.
The façade consists of red-coloured, charcoal-fired
brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
s which, together with the
flat roof, make the house look peculiar. The furnishings are partly from the studio of Mies van der Rohe or were designed by his partner
Lilly Reich. The Lemke couple lived in their villa for only a few years. In May 1945, after the occupation of Alt-Hohenschönhausen by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
, the family was asked to leave the house as soon as possible. The surrounding area was declared a
restricted area and the Villa Lemke was used as a garage and storage area.
Later on, some employees of the
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990.
The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
moved in and into the surrounding villas. This authority acquired the house in 1962 and made some serious changes to the house and garden. In 1977 the magistrate of Berlin put it on the district monument list.
As the house had visibly decayed by then, the first
renovation
Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...
work began in the 1980s, but without any notable success, as the funds made available were insufficient. Until
Die Wende, the house was used as a laundry and canteen for the employees of the Ministry. The garden was partially concreted and used as a car park. In 1990, the district of
Alt-Hohenschönhausen took over the property and house from the Ministry and officially renamed it Mies van der Rohe Haus.
The necessary renovation work followed in the years 2000 to 2002. Since 1994 a sculpture by the Berlin artist Ruth Baumann has been standing in the garden of the house. The title of the work is ''Aufsicht um die Kante'' (in English: ''Surveillance around the edge''). Today, the house serves as an exhibition pavilion for
modern art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...
and attracts the lovers of Mies van der Rohe's
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
.
Mies-van-der-rohe-haus-berlin-weissensee.jpg, View from the south
Mies-van-der-Rohe-Haus Berlin, 2.jpg, View from southwest
Mies-van-der-Rohe-Haus Berlin, 5.jpg, Interior, view to the south
Further reading
*
External links
Official homepage of the Mies van der Rohe HouseHouse Lemke (''Mies van der Rohe-House'') at the Landesdenkmalamt BerlinMies van der Rohe Houseat the
Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemke House
Art museums and galleries in Germany
Monuments and memorials in Berlin
Monuments and memorials in Germany
Arts in Berlin
