0884, 2847 CZECH REPUBLIC (South Moravia) - Tugendhat Villa in Brno (UNESCO WHS)

0884 Tugendhat Villa in Brno (1)

Posted on 02.12.2013, 31.10.2016
Built between 1928 and 1930 in the wealthy neighbourhood of Černá Pole in Brno for the Jewish factory-owner Fritz Tugendhat by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), subsequently the last director of Berlin's Bauhaus (1930-1933), Villa Tugendhat is a masterpiece of the Modern Movement in architecture. Its design principle of "less is more" and emphasis on functional amenities created a fine example of early functionalism architecture. Mies used the revolutionary iron framework which enabled him to dispense with supporting walls and arrange the interior in order to achieve a feeling of space and light.

2847 Tugendhat Villa in Brno (2)

There are no decorative items in the villa, but the interior isn't austere due to the naturally patterned materials such as the onyx wall and rare tropical woods. The villa suffered considerable damage at the end of WWII and later, when it shortly served as quarters and stables for the Soviet military. Greta Tugendhat returned to the villa in 1967 with a senior architect from Mies's Chicago studio and filled him in on the original design. Restored after 1980, it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, and again restored between 2010 and 2012.

About the stamps 
On the postcard 0884

The first stamp, issued on March 23, 2005, depict even Tugendhat Villa.

The second stamp, issued on December 15, 1993, reproduces a painting entitled Strahovská madona (1350) by Bohemian Master, engraved by Bedřich Housa (1926- ). It is part of a large series named Works of Art on Postage Stamps, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 2847
This is a maxicard, and the stamp on the front is the same stamp depicting Tugendhat Villa.

The first stamps on the back was issued on August 27, 1997 to mark the European Aquatics Championships, which were held in Seville, Spain from Tuesday 19 August to Sunday 24 August 1997, in the 50 m pool of the Centro Deportivo San Pablo.

The last stamp depicts the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia, a version by Hugo Gerard Ströhl with crown of Saint Wenceslas.

References
Villa Tugendhat - Wikipedia
Tugendhat Villa in Brno - UNESCO official website

Sender 0884: Ondrej Surový (direct swap)
Sent from Prague (Prague / Czech Republic), on 25.11.2013
Sender 2847: Guliver / Jaroslav (postcrossing) CZ-1040431
Sent from Havlíčkův Brod (Vysočina / Czech Republic), on 24.10.2016