a visit to daniel libeskind's military history museum in dresden, germany

On the way from Berlin to Prague, we stopped in to gawk at Libeskind's addition to the Military Museum in Dresden, Germany. A short jaunt from the highway, we parked and walked to check out the building. We didn't have time to check out the museum's contents, but we were able to walk the grounds and get a few peeks inside (bathrooms! cafe!).

Libeskind is the king of borgitecture, and you can see why: his radical interventions are shocking but also somehow work. As we strolled the steps, I could hear the critics arguing about Dan screwing up an historical building physically as well as aesthetically; however, I was surprised (relieved?) to see that the front, jutting volume is simply attached to the original building like a remora attached to an old grizzled shark, retaining the original inside. Nice touch.

 

 

a visit to mies van der rohe's Riehl House and Villa Urbig in Potsdam, Germany

Early Mies wasn't about Modernism. His first commission was in 1905-06 for a cabin for the philosopher Alois Riehl. The style is of a cottage the time (and is quite lovely).

 

 

Mies designed and built Villa Urbig for Franz Urbig, co-owner of Deutsche Bank (so the dood has some scratch) in 1915-1917. Urbig liked the style of Karl Friederich Schinkel, as did Mies at the time, so the house is neoclassical. The house hosted Churchill during negotiations for the Potsdam Agreement (the agreement between the United Kingdon, the United States, and the Soviet Union on military occupation and reconstruction). Apparently an internet billionaire lives there now, perhaps explaining the grumpiness of the dudes hanging out in front of the house when I took a quick photograph.