Goetheanum: Concrete Dream or Nightmare


The Goetheanum is one of the earliest concrete only buildings in Europe. It is the seat and center for the Anthroposophical Society and acts as a university at the same time. Looking at its architecture, you’ll have to agree on one thing: It definitely looks different from any other building you might find anywhere in the world. Situated in Dornach near Basel in Switzerland, it is worth a visit anytime you're near.


The Goetheanum is one of the earliest concrete only buildings in Europe. It is the seat and centre for the Anthroposophical Society and acts as a university at the same time. Looking at its architecture, you’ll have to agree on one thing: It definitely looks different from any other building you might find anywhere in the world.

The Goetheanum is named after German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and is situated in the village of Dornach near Basel in Switzerland. It can be reached by train, bus, or tram within 20 minutes from the city center of Basel. It is also an easy 15 minutes walk away from the cathedral in Arlesheim. The rural landscape into which the building was set makes it even more imposing in its concrete starkness than what it could be in any urban setting.

The Goetheanum was built in 1928 and still serves as the world center of the Anthroposophical Society. Founder Rudolf Steiner was the architect as well but died in 1925 while the building was barely started. He defined Anthroposophy as follows: ‘I understand Anthroposophy as the scientific research of the spiritual world, research that exposes the one-sidedness of purely natural science as well as common mystical teachings.’ (Rudolf Steiner’s statement freely translated from the homepage of the Anthroposophical Society.)

The Goetheanum as we see it today is actually the second building by that name on that site. Like its successor, the first was based on plans drawn by Rudolf Steiner but was mainly built in wood on a cement foundation. Started in 1913, it was destroyed in an arson attack on New Year’s Eve 1922 before its completion. Its architecture might remind you of buildings by Gaudi and the contemporary Art Nouveau.

It was as a consequence of this fire that Steiner had the second Goetheanum built in fireproof cement. You’ll have to divorce yourself from the idea that he drew up plans for it, instead he built a model. The building is such an extraordinary mixture of the mathematical with the organic; you have to see it to understand it. Inside and outside, I promise you a journey of discovery.

Around the Goetheanum, there are several outbuildings designed by Steiner, too. They are scattered around the grounds, some dating from the first building period of 1913 to 1922, the others from the second period from 1925 to 1928. They show the same characteristics as the main building on a much smaller scale and make it easier to grasp the unique building style of the whole complex.

When you go for a visit, don’t forget to take some small change with you. The banister on the main staircase is ideally suited to roll down money inside it. And it reaches the bottom as well, and that before you managed to get down the stairs as well.

The creepy part for me was when I was driving up the hill on the road connecting the Cathedral in Arlesheim with the Castle Dorneck above Dornach. From there you have the perfect view on the Goetheanum from the back; it looked like a human skull to me.

Interestingly for a 20th century building, it has produced its own brand of modern legends. It is claimed that the hill where the Goetheanum stands is where the true Grail may be found. The building is also referred to as the centre of the world, where all cosmic energy originates and spreads out in a spiral covering the world.

You may find Anthroposophical institutions all over the world, the best known may be the Montessori schools or clinics run on Anthroposophical medicine. You might also be able to find information centers and book stores near you, like the Rudolf Steiner House in Park Road in London.

Further reading

Basle
Zurich
Bern

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