The story of Villa Tugendhat

This villa on a slope is one of the pioneering prototypes of modern architecture in Europe. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich designed it for Fritz and Greta Tugendhat, of a wealthy Jewish family, and it was built between 1928 and 1930. Following his principle of less is more, Mies used an iron framework that freed the interior from supporting walls, creating a flowing space full of light.

The main living area has a wall of huge windows framing a panoramic view of Špilberk Castle, and two of them can be lowered completely into the floor, like a car window. There are no paintings; instead the beauty comes from the materials, above all a partly translucent wall of brown-gold onyx from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, which changes appearance when the evening sun is low.

Mies even designed the furniture, and the Tugendhat and Brno chairs are still made today. In 2001 the villa became a World Heritage Site.