EUR / ROME / ITALY
Benito Mussolini wanted to showcase the beauty of fascist ideology by creating a city with strong links to Roman building traditions and aesthetic ideals, using the symbols of the past to underpin the strength of his own political movement.
EUR was never completed, and today it instead represents the fast demise of fascism.
MAAT / LISBON / PORTUGAL
In Lisbon, the cultural centre MAAT – where art, architecture and technology intersect – has become a new destination. The curved shape of the main building allows the roof to function as a terraced viewpoint of the river Tagus, while the minimalist interiors offer spacious exhibition rooms.
PALAZZO ALTEMPS / ROME / ITALY
Located in Campo Marzio, only a few steps from Piazza Navona, Palazzo Altemps was built by Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. Currently an art museum, its layout creates a harmonious composition, borrowing from and reintroducing solutions used in the design of antiquarian collections.
TEMPLE OF POSEIDON / CAPE SOUNION / GREECE
Poseidon was lord of the sea, worshipped by the navy, merchants and sailors alike. The remnants of his temple are still found at the cliffs of Cape Sounion, south of Athens, having been erected here more than two thousand years ago.
VILLA KERYLOS / BEAULIEU-SUR-MER / FRANCE
Throughout his life, Théodore Reinach had been fascinated with antiquity. Villa Kerylos was his attempt at reviving the beauty of an ancient civilization, and can be viewed as his tribute to a past in which the foundation of modern society was built.
MOSEIRO DES SÃO VICENTE DE FORA / LISBON / PORTUGAL
Considered one of the first Mannerist buildings in Portugal, it is not only known for its exteriors but also its Baroque decorations, such as glazed tile panels of its two cloisters. From the terraces, you have the best 360-degree panoramic view of Lisbon.
MAXXI / ROME / ITALY
Designed by Zaha Hadid, the museum offers an almost unique experience to its visitors. The best word to describe a visit to MAXXI is “surprise”, as one can never be sure of what new angle, perspective or play with space awaits around the corner.
MUSEO GUGGENHEIM / BILBAO / SPAIN
As part of an initiative from the Basque government, the art museum was built to revitalize the town of Bilbao, attract tourists with an interest in culture while also redefining the formerly industrial city as something else, more vibrant.
Today, Guggenheim Bilbao is equally known for its exhibitions as for its architecture.
M/S MARITIME MUSEUM / ELSINORE / DENMARK
The museum structure is aligned with Alexander Dorner’s vision of ‘atmosphere rooms’, which provide immersive experiences for the visitor, while also engaging the history of the site and utilizing the architecture itself to tell a story of the maritime world and its conditions.
KRONBORG CASTLE / ELSINORE / DENMARK
The massive Danish castle, built in the style of Northern baroque, is a witness to the turbulent history of the region, but it is also the scene for one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Hamlet, about an unhappy and haunted Danish prince.
CASE STUDY E-1027 / ROQUEBRUNE-CAP-MARTIN / FRANCE
This modernist masterpiece is not only of great architectural importance, it is also a manifestation of the love between architects Jean Badovici and Eileen Gray: “E” stands for “Eileen”, “10” and “2” for his initials while “7” correlates with the alphabetical position of the letter “G”. It was a house that presented bold new design ideals, but also for the couple to share a life in.
MILLESGÅRDEN / STOCKHOLM / SWEDEN
Carl Milles is famous for his many sculptures, commissioned by institutions around the world, often created with inspiration from the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome.
For fifty years, he worked at developing Millesgården today widely considered the most important artwork of his life.
SANKT PETRI CHURCH / KLIPPAN / SWEDEN
One of most original features of the church is the design of the christening font.
The font itself consists of a giant mussel, transported to Klippan from the Indian Ocean.
From a tap placed above the mussel, and dripping into the crack in the floor, there is a continuous drip of water, representing the never ceasing grace of God.
OLYMPIA / PELOPONNESE / GREECE
In Ancient Greece, Olympia was home to the gods, as well as the site of the first Olympic Games, held in honour of Zeus, king of all gods. Today, the ruins of this holy sanctuary are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
THE OLD TOWN / DRESDEN / GERMANY
The bombing of Dresden has divided historians, in the same way that the subsequent restructure of the destroyed buildings has caused debate among design theorists.
Is the “new” Old town of Dresden to be an expression of ahistorical kitsch, or a triumph of the will?
SWEDISH GRACE / STOCKHOLM / SWEDEN
In the 1920s, an intense debate on form and design took place in Sweden. The traditionalists found inspiration in antique Greece and Rome, as well as in the Swedish Gustavian style of the 18th century.
Their aim was to create objects of the highest quality and most beauty.
SKOGSKYRKOGÅRDEN / STOCKHOLM / SWEDEN
In this forest cemetery, inaugurated in 1940, most of the graves are placed among trees in a deep forest, in this way interlacing human existence with the organic shapes of nature. Skogskyrkogården is an emotional landscape, where the visitors’ sombre mood is softened by diligent and careful architectural planning.
The sorrow after losing someone is met with a softness and serenity in both the layout of the landscape and in the beauty of the buildings.
TJOLÖHOLM CASTLE / HALLAND / SWEDEN
”It’s funny! All my love of British taste, I have put in Tjolöholm. Whatever else I do there is – Swedish.”
– Lars Israel Wahlman