Haus Es­ters and Haus Lange

Mies van der Rohe’s Haus Es­ters and Haus Lange are re­garded as be­ing clas­sic ex­amples of the mod­ern build­ing style of the 1920s.

The two homes, which are located next door to each other, and which were designed by star architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe on behalf of two Krefeld silk manufacturers, Dr. Josef Esters and Hermann Lange, can accurately be described as icons of modern architecture.

The two-storey houses, which were built at the end of the 1920s, are called Haus Esters and Haus Lange after their owners, and with their cuboids that have been inserted one inside the other and their characteristic flat roofs, they are regarded as being outstanding examples of the classical modern style. They were built at about the same time as the Haus Tugendhat in Brno and the world-famous Barcelona Pavilion, which were also designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Walls and steel girders

The structure of the two Bauhaus villas is based on a mixture of solid walls and steel girders, which are covered in dark red brick. The use of the steel girders means that large windows could be installed, which can in part be entirely set back in the walls and which connect the interior with the exterior.

At the request of the client, closed rooms were installed in some areas of the buildings. Even so, the basic principle of the design - the flow of the space in Haus Lange and Haus Ester - can still be felt. On the side facing towards the street, the buildings look very closed and compact, while in the rear area, walls, balconies and terraces create steps down into the gardens. The gardens themselves are designed like parks and are characterized by expansive lawns and mature trees.

Since 1955 and 1981 respectively, Haus Lange and Haus Esters have been used as exhibition spaces for contemporary art. The Kunstmuseen Krefeld (Krefeld art museums) regularly show exhibitions here, although the two villas can also be regarded as exhibits in themselves.

www.baukunst-nrw.de/Haus-Esters | www.baukunst-nrw.de/Haus-Lange | www.kunstmuseenkrefeld.de

Opening hours: 
Only open during exhibitions.