The Goetheanum, located in

Dornach : ''Dornach is also a quarter of the French city of Mulhouse and the Scots name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands, and Dòrnach is the Gaelic name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands.'' Dornach (Swiss German: ''Dornech'') is a municipality ...

, in the

canton of Solothurn The canton of Solothurn or canton of Soleure (german: Kanton Solothurn rm, Chantun Soloturn french: Canton de Soleure; it, Canton Soletta) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland. The capital is Solothurn. Hi ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, is the world center for the

anthroposophical Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers ...

movement. The building was designed by

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as ...

and named after

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

. It includes two performance halls (1500 seats), gallery and lecture spaces, a library, a bookstore, and administrative spaces for the

Anthroposophical Society The General Anthroposophical Society is an "association of people whose will it is to nurture the life of the soul, both in the individual and in human society, on the basis of a true knowledge of the spiritual world." As an organization, it is d ...

; neighboring buildings house the society's research and educational facilities. Conferences focusing on themes of general interest or directed toward teachers, farmers, doctors, therapists, and other professionals are held at the center throughout the year. The Goetheanum is open for visitors seven days a week and offers tours several times daily.

First Goetheanum

The First Goetheanum, a timber and concrete structure designed by

,Patrice Goulet, "Les Temps Modernes?", ''L'Architecture D'Aujourd'hui'', Dec. 1982, pp. 8-17. was one of seventeen buildings Steiner designed between 1908 and 1925.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
/ref> It was intended as a '' Gesamtkunstwerk'' (the synthesis of diverse artistic media and sensory effects), infused with spiritual significance. Begun in 1913 to house the annual summer theater events of the

,Beate Steinberg, ''Sculptural Architecture: Rudolf Steiner's Goetheanum at Dornach, from wood to concrete'', Master's thesis, California State University, 1976, AAT 1308149. it rapidly became the center of a small colony of spiritual seekers located in Dornach and based around Steiner.Anna Sokolina, ed., co-author, ''Architecture and Anthroposophy'', "Part One: Origins", "Part Two: New Impulses", 1st and 2nd edition, M: KMK, 2001, 2010. 268p. 348 ills. 2001 , 2010 . Numerous visual artists contributed to the building: architects created the unusual double-dome wooden structure over a curving concrete base, stained glass windows added color into the space, painters decorated the ceiling with motifs depicting the whole of human evolution, and sculptors carved huge column bases, capitals, and architraves with images of metamorphoses. 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, in 1919, these performances moved onto the stage located under the Goetheanum's smaller cupola. The auditorium was located under the larger cupola. The building was opened on September 26, 1920.Paull, John (2020)
The First Goetheanum: A Centenary for Organic Architecture
Journal of Fine Arts. 3 (2): 1-11 This building was destroyed by

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1922 – January 1, 1923, and some claim by

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

,Bernadette (Becky) Schwarz, ''A Study of Rudolf Steiner's First Goetheanum'', M.A. thesis, Michigan State University, 1983. but that is not proven.Paull, John (2020)
The First Goetheanum: A Centenary for Organic Architecture
Journal of Fine Arts. 3 (2): 1-11

Second Goetheanum

In the course of 1923, Steiner designed a building to replace the original. This building, now known as the Second Goetheanum, was built wholly of cast

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

. Begun in 1924, the building was not completed until 1928, after the architect's death. It represents a pioneering use of visible concrete in architecture and has been granted protected status as a Swiss national monument. Art critic Michael Brennan has called the building a "true masterpiece of 20th-century expressionist architecture".Michael Brennan
Rudolf Steiner
artnet Magazine 3/18/98 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. Full remodelings of the central auditorium took place in the mid-1950s and again in the late 1990s. The stained glass windows in the present building date from Steiner's time; the painted ceiling and sculptural columns are contemporary replications or reinterpretations of those in the First Goetheanum. In a dedicated gallery, the building also houses a nine-meter-high wooden sculpture, ''The Representative of Humanity'', by Edith Maryon and

.Paull, John (2018
A Portrait of Edith Maryon: Artist and Anthroposophist
Journal of Fine Arts, 1(2):8-15.

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 by using concrete to achieve sculptural shapes on an architectural scale. 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. Steiner suggested that he had derived the sculptural forms of the first Goetheanum from spiritual inspirations. Architects who have visited and praised the Goetheanum's architecture include

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.' ...

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

, Hans Scharoun, and

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

.Reinhold Johann Fäth
''Rudolf Steiner Design – Spiritueller Funktionalismus Kunst''
Diss. University of Konstanz (2004)
as PDF
) Steiner designed approximately 12-13 other built structures, including both institutional structures and residences in and around Dornach.Werner Blaser, ''Nature in Buildings: Rudolf Steiner in Dornach 1913-1925'',

References

External links

*

* ttp://www.rsarchive.org/Architecture/ Architecture Section at the Rudolf Steiner Archive, An Online Librarybr>Architecture and Anthroposophy. (Arkhitektura i Antroposofiia. bilingual ed.)
Anna Sokolina, ed., co-author. 1st and 2nd edition. 268p. M.: KMK Scientific Press. 2001, . 2010, . Official book website. *Ákos Moravánszky
"The Rudolf Steiner Goetheanum: An architecture report from Dornach"
''Domus'', February 2011 {{Authority control Buildings and structures in the canton of Solothurn Monuments and memorials in Switzerland Expressionist architecture Organic architecture Architecture in Switzerland Buildings and structures completed in 1919 Buildings and structures completed in 1928 Rudolf Steiner Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Anthroposophy Tourist attractions in the canton of Solothurn Articles containing video clips Art Nouveau architecture in Switzerland Art Nouveau theatres