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The world famous Weissenhof Estate on Stuttgart`s Killesberg


One of the estate`s most prominent architects was Le Corbusier

 

GPS Coordinates

1 -- Weissenhof Estate, Stuttgart, Germany
Decimal Lat: 48.799609 / Lon: 9.17774
Degree

 

The Weissenhof Estate and the Weissenhof Museum

A Gem for Architecture Fans

The world famous Weissenhof Estate on Stuttgart`s Killesberg is one of the architectural highlights of Baden-Württemberg`s state capital.
One of the estate`s most prominent architects was Le Corbusier, whose semidetached house, built in 1927, is described by architecture historians as an icon of modern architecture, uniquely aesthetic, its modern ground plan and minimalistic interior typical of the architectural style of the Weissenhof Estate. Following extensive renovation work on the inside, the façades and the garden, the Le Corbusier House opened its doors to the public on 26th October 2006.

Architecture enthusiasts now have the opportunity of viewing the interior of an original Weissenhof Estate building. The Weissenhof Museum gives stirring and fascinating insights into the history of the Weissenhof Estate and of Le Corbusiers (1887-1965) architecture.

The circular tour of the museum takes visitors through both halves of the house, which fulfil different functions in the museum concept by reason of their different structural conditions following conversion in 1932 and renovation in the 1980s. The left half, Rathenaustrasse 1, houses an exhibition documenting the origins, aims and development of the Weissenhof Estate and information on the famous architects of the "Neues Bauen" movement. Two of the most interesting original documents in this exhibition are the catalogue of the Werkbund Exhibition and the stamp advertising it, which was designed by the Stuttgart artist Willi Baumeister. The right half of the house, Rathenaustrasse 3, is dedicated to 1927, the year that the Werkbund Exhibition opened at the Weissenhof. It has been reconstructed as an authentic replica in accordance with Le Corbusier`s original plans and colour scheme. Visitors can even admire some of the furniture of the day in the tradition of the "Bauhaus" (International) style. Particularly impressive is the panoramic view of Stuttgart from the building`s roof terrace, an integral part of Le Corbusier`s original architectural concept.

The housing estate at the Weissenhof was designed in 1927 for the Werkbund`s exhibition "Die Wohnung" by 17 architects of the "Neues Bauen" movement from five European countries, including Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Hans Scharoun. At the time the Deutsche Werkbund succeeded in getting the city of Stuttgart to commission the project: an innovative exhibition of architecture whose fully functional show houses would serve as permanent dwellings after the exhibition closed.

The object of the exhibition was to present concepts for "Neues Wohnen" (New Living) from the point of view of economy, functionality, construction, technical fittings and furnishings. After the extremely successful exhibition, which in only three months was visited by some half a million people from Germany and abroad, the city of Stuttgart found tenants for the houses. At the end of the 1930s Stuttgart sold the dwellings to the German Reich, so today the estate is still owned by the German Reich`s legal successor, the Federal Republic. Of the 21 buildings erected in 1927 eleven are still in existence and occupied. The whole estate has been classified as a historical monument since 1958. Between 1981 and 1987 the houses underwent extensive renovation. Nowadays the quarter is regarded as one of the world`s most important architectural monuments of Classical Modernism.

The structural repairs to the Le Corbusier House were funded by the Wüstenrot Foundation`s historical monument programme. The original owner of the Weissenhof Estate, the state capital of Stuttgart, which has now acquired the building, was responsible for the lay-out of the museum, while the "Verein der Freunde der Weissenhofsiedlung e.V." (Friends of the Weissenhof Estate) is in charge of running it.

Location

Weissenhofmuseum im Haus Le Corbusier
Rathenaustrasse 1- 3
70191 Stuttgart

Hours

Tues - Fri 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Sun 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Staatstheater Stuttgart: Opera, Ballet and Theatre