Here we see a 400-ton block of marble on its maiden flight. But don’t worry, this was an expertly prepared operation by quarry manager Hans Hauser and his mountain colleagues from Lasa Marmo: the white giant with a footprint of eleven by five meters was deliberately loosened with three-meter-deep cuts. Finally destabilized with a diamond wire saw, gravity transported it […]

Here we see a 400-ton block of marble on its maiden flight. But don’t worry, this was an expertly prepared operation by quarry manager Hans Hauser and his colleagues from Lasa Marmo: the white giant, measuring eleven by five meters in size, was deliberately loosened with three-meter-deep cuts. Finally destabilized with a diamond wire saw, gravity removed it from the 80-metre thick marble band of the Jenn Massif.

(Source: Lasa Marmo/Hans Hauser)

STEIN has visited the quarrying site of the world-famous Lasa Marble and has many amazing things to report. An extensive picture gallery is available here – you can read the full story in STEIN 09/17 from August 22, 2017.

To coincide with Marmomac 2017, we are presenting the important Italian natural stone regions of South Tyrol, Verona and Carrara. Further information on the three-part STEIN series “Italy’s classics” here

Special guided tour with Antje Horn – project manager of the Grand Tour of Modernism, a Germany-wide project of the Bauhaus Kooperation Berlin Dessau Weimar. Baumeister: How does the concept of the Grand Tour of Modernism work? ANTJE HORN: The heart of the tour is our website (grandtourdermoderne.de). There we show more than 100 places in Germany that represent the history of architecture between 1900 and […]

Special guided tour with Antje Horn – project manager of the Grand Tour of Modernism, a Germany-wide project of the Bauhaus Kooperation Berlin Dessau Weimar.

Baumeister: How does the concept of the Grand Tour der Moderne work?

ANTJE HORN: The heart of the tour is our website (grandtourdermoderne.de). There we show more than 100 places in Germany that represent the history of architecture between 1900 and 2000. The Bauhaus and modernist buildings and objects are displayed both in a list and on a map of Germany. We visualize each location digitally and add the respective construction period, the architect, a short text and a link to the website of the location or the address – provided it is a publicly accessible location.

BM: You present various tours on your website. So it’s not a linear journey with a start and end point?

AH: We only give tips on which places can be combined thematically or in terms of distance. But we don’t offer routes for booking. Our places are curated and selected in advance by a jury. Considering the sheer volume of modern architecture in Germany, this was no easy task. We have tried to include something in every federal state.

BM: Do you recommend a certain approach as to where and how one should start a tour?

AH: I would encourage everyone to check out our website first to find out which modern buildings are in their immediate vicinity. You can discover fascinating buildings in your city, in your region, in your state. Everyone can decide for themselves whether a day trip, a weekend excursion or an educational trip lasting several days is an option. Some places are a little more complicated to get to, but in principle you can always get there by bus, train or bike.

BM: To what extent does the Grand Tour of Modernism support the many other events celebrating the Bauhaus anniversary?

AH: The tour complements the other events in that it represents the big picture and presents, among other things, architecture that was built before the school was founded. We are interested in the development of architecture, the Grand Tour offers a holistic approach. We also have places in our portfolio that are located both in the city and on the outskirts. So you can get out of the cities and discover places that are not on the usual event map.

BM: How did the idea of combining the locations as tour elements come about?

AH: Several federal states have joined together to form the Bauhaus Association in order to work together on the “100 Years of Bauhaus” project. With Weimar, Dessau and Berlin, there are three Bauhaus locations. It therefore made sense to link these locations, as each federal state and each location naturally has an interest in attracting visitors. The Grand Tour was created with other locations from other federal states. And the name implies travel – Grand Tour as an educational tour – which is why we have also worked out different route tips.

BM: The tour includes key buildings, controversial objects and also “unknowns”. Can you give an example of the latter?

AH: I would mention the Haus Rabe in Zwenkau or the Haus Schminke in Löbau, in Hamburg the Tempel Synagogue in Oberstraße – which today houses the Rolf Liebermann Studio of the NDR. Most people, unless they are local enthusiasts, do not have these buildings in mind. Another example are the department store buildings from the 1930s. The Schocken company, two brothers, built the first department stores in Germany – one is still standing in Chemnitz. It’s a great building that now houses a museum. People have seen it once, but the history behind it is mostly unknown to them.

BM: Do you have a favorite route?

AH: Of the buildings in our portfolio, I particularly like the Teepott in Warnemünde, the Masters’ Houses or the Kornhaus in Dessau, the Mies van der Rohe buildings in Krefeld. As a housing project, I find the Rundling in Leipzig very impressive, a property that I was also made aware of as a project manager.

BM: Isn’t this a project that extends beyond the Bauhaus anniversary?

AH: We are making every effort to continue the project through the Bauhaus cooperation. It would be a shame not to. The website will therefore continue to exist and it would be nice to expand the list. I’m sure that many people are even deliberately waiting until after the anniversary year, because for some, as in Dessau, there is still too much hustle and bustle.

You can read the interview in the July 2019 issue.