Second Goetheanum, front (West) view

The Goetheanum, located in Dornach (near Basel), Switzerland, is the world center for the anthroposophical movement. Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925 which postulates the existence of an objective intellectually Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright The General Anthroposophical Society is an organization dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the form of Spirituality known as Anthroposophy Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education is a Pedagogy based upon the Educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder Biodynamic agriculture, a method of Organic farming that has its basis in a spiritual world-view ( Anthroposophy, first propounded by Rudolf Steiner) treats Anthroposophical medicine is a Complementary medicine founded in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Dr Ita Wegman. The Camphill Movement is an international nexus of therapeutic intentional communities serving those with singular needs or disabilities Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Marie von Sivers in the early 20th century The Philosophy of Freedom, the fundamental philosophical work of the Philosopher and Esotericist Rudolf Steiner, focuses on the concept of Social Threefolding is a social movement which aims to reform society by increasing the independence of society's three realms ( Economy, Polity and Culture Dornach is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925 which postulates the existence of an objective intellectually Named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the center includes a 1,000 seat performance hall and administrative spaces for the Anthroposophical Society's Board; neighboring buildings house the Society's research and educational facilities. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer The General Anthroposophical Society is an organization dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the form of Spirituality known as Anthroposophy Conferences focusing on themes of general interest occur several times a year. Specialist conferences for teachers, farmers, doctors, therapists, and many other professions are held regularly, as well.

The Goetheanum is open for visitors seven days a week and offers tours several times daily.

First Goetheanum

First Goetheanum

The First Goetheanum, a wooden structure designed by Rudolf Steiner,^[1][2], was one of seventeen buildings Steiner designed and supervised between 1908 and 1925. Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[3] It was intended as a Gesamtkunstwerk (the synthesis of diverse artistic media and sensory effects), infused with spiritual significance. ^[4] Built initially between 1913 and 1919 to house the annual summer theater events of the Anthroposophical Society,^[5] it became the center of a small colony of spiritual seekers located in Dornach and based around Rudolf Steiner. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The General Anthroposophical Society is an organization dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the form of Spirituality known as Anthroposophy Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright The creation of the building involved numerous visual artists: stained glass windows added color into the space, painters decorated the ceiling with motifs depicting the whole of human evolution, sculptors carved huge column bases, capitals, and architraves with images of metamorphoses,^[6] and architects created the unusual double-dome wooden structure over a curving concrete base. ^[3] Already during the construction, musicians, actors and movement artists began performing a wide variety of pieces in a neighboring workshop. When the Goetheanum hall was completed, these performances moved onto the stage located under the Goetheanum's smaller cupola. The auditorium was located under the larger cupola.

This building was destroyed by arson on New Year's Eve, 1922. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[6]

Second Goetheanum

Second Goetheanum, front and side

Second Goetheanum, side view

Performance hall showing carved columns and painted ceiling

In the course of 1923, Steiner designed a building to replace the original. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This building, now known as the Second Goetheanum, was wholly built of cast concrete. Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag Begun in 1924, the building was not completed until 1928, ^[5] after the architect's death. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It represents a pioneering use of visible concrete in architecture^[7] and has been granted protected status as a Swiss national monument. ^[8] Art critic Michael Brennan has called the building a "true masterpiece of 20th-century expressionist architecture". ^[9]

The present Goetheanum houses a 1000-seat auditorium, now the center of an active artistic community incorporating performances of its in-house theater and eurythmy troupes as well as visiting performers from around the world. Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Marie von Sivers in the early 20th century Full remodelings of the central auditorium took place in the mid-1950s and again in the first years of the twenty-first century. The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The stained glass windows in the present building stem from Steiner's time; the painted ceiling and sculptural columns are contemporary replications or reinterpretations of those in the First Goetheanum.

Architectural principles

Steiner's architecture is characterized by a liberation from traditional architectural constraints, especially through the departure from the right-angle as a basis for the building plan. For the first Goetheanum he achieved this in wood by employing boat builders to construct its rounded forms; for the second Goetheanum, in concrete, achieving sculptural shapes on an architectural scale. ^[10] The use of concrete to achieve organically expressive forms was an innovation for the times; in both buildings, Steiner sought to create forms that were spiritually expressive. ^[11]

Steiner designed approximately 12-13 other built structures, principally residences in and around Dornach. ^[11]

Modern architects who have visited and praised the Goetheanum's architecture include Henry van de Velde, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hans Scharoun and Frank Gehry. Henry Van de Velde ( 3 April 1863 &ndash 25 October 1957) was a Belgian painter architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8 1867 &ndash April 9 1959 was an American (of Welsh descent Architect, Interior designer, Writer, and educator who Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun ( September 20 1893 &ndash November 25 1972) was a German Architect best known for designing Frank Owen Gehry CC (born Ephraim Owen Goldberg, February 28, 1929) is a Pritzker Prize -winning Architect ^[12]

References

1. ^ Patrice Goulet, "Les Temps Modernes?", L'Architecture D'Aujourd'hui, Dec. 1982, pp. 8-17.
2. ^ Goetheanum I in The Great Buildings Collection, compiled by ArchitectureWeek. Great buildings online listing
3. ^ ^{a b} David Adams, "Rudolf Steiner's First Goetheanum as an Illustration of Organic Functionalism", The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 51(2), 182-204, June 1992. Abstract
4. ^ Eugene Santomasso, Origins and Aims of German Expressionist Architecture: An essay into the expressionist frame of mind in Germany, especially as typified in the work of Rudolf Steiner, Ph. D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1973, AAT 7616368. Dissertation extract
5. ^ ^{a b} Beate Steinberg, Sculptural Architecture: Rudolf Steiner's Goetheanum at Dornach, from wood to concrete, Master's thesis, California State University, 1976, AAT 1308149.
6. ^ ^{a b} Bernadette (Becky) Schwarz, A Study of Rudolf Steiner's First Goetheanum, M. A. thesis, Michigan State University, 1983.
7. ^ "Dornach", Historical Lexicon of Switzerland
8. ^ Hans Hasler, "A sculptural expression of harmony", Architects' Journal , S9(3), March 4, 1999.
9. ^ Michael Brennan, "Rudolf Steiner", review in artnet Magazine, 3/18/98. Artnet review
10. ^ Richard Reid, The book of buildings: Ancient, medieval, Renaissance & modern architecture of North America & Europe, ISBN 0442278055. Chapter title "Modern Architecture", subsection "Switzerland".
11. ^ ^{a b} Werner Blaser, Nature in Buildings: Rudolf Steiner in Dornach 1913-1925, ISBN 3764365412
12. ^ Reinhold Johann Fäth, Rudolf Steiner Design – Spiritueller Funktionalismus Kunst, Diss. University of Konstanz (2004) (as PDF)

External links

• Official website
• Goetheanum 3D VRML Models by Horst Kiechle
• The First Goetheanum at the Great buildings online website
• My Switzerland: Goetheanum