Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born 125 years ago

Berlin - The significant German-American architect and designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born exactly 125 years ago, on March 27, 1886. In the Czech lands, he is particularly known as the creator of the Brno functionalist Villa Tugendhat, a building that reshaped the standards of modern living and is considered one of the foundational works of world architecture of the last century.
    Ludwig Mies van der Rohe came from a family of stonemasons from the ancient Renaissance city of Aachen. He grew up in modest circumstances and initially earned his living as a draftsman of stucco ornaments. However, due to his talent, he soon relocated to Berlin, where he continuously supplemented his education, designed furniture and interiors, and later entire houses. During World War I, he had to enlist, and after its conclusion, he began to create in a completely new spirit. He designed buildings made of glass and steel as well as houses for social housing and quickly became one of the leading figures in German cultural life. In 1930, he took over the management of the famous avant-garde school Bauhaus. However, clouds were gathering over German modernism. In 1934, he was banned from practicing his profession, and four years later, he fled from the Nazis to his homeland. He settled permanently in the United States, where he designed several famous buildings, including in New York and Chicago. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe died in August 1969 at the age of 83.