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SERIEN IKONEN BEWOHNEN • LIVING IN ICONS

Grundriss Untergeschoss • Basement floor plan Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan Grundriss Obergeschoss • Upper floor plan
The family only lived in their house for twelve years. In 1945, it was confiscated by the
Red Army. In 1952, it was expropriated by the state of the GDR. Until 1989 it was used as
a house for the Pioneer Organisation and after the German reunification as a leisure cen-
tre. In 1993, the three daughters of Charlotte and Fritz Schminke – the eldest son was kil-
led in the Second World War – generously renounced the restitution of their parental
home on the condition that it would continue to be used for public purposes. In 1999, re-
novation work brought many lost details to light. In old documents, photos from the time
of construction were found (Mrs Kaufmann was an amateur photographer with her own
photo lab!), which reveal the original interior design: for example, the four-metre-long
seating arrangement in the living room, on which the four children could take their mid-
1935: Zwei der Schminke-Töchter auf Thonet-Stühlchen • Two of the Schminke-daughters on little Thonet-chairs. day naps lying in a row. When reconstructing the garden pond, the original living room
lamps and the fireplace were found at the bottom of the pond. It was thanks to Schmin-
ke’s daughters that other original objects could be returned to their initial location, in-
1935: Blick vom Wohnzimmer in die zweigeschossige Halle • View from living room to the entrance hall cluding their mother’s bed, the bedroom sofa, a writing escritoire, a chest and private
books. In addition, a large number of pieces of furniture have been reproduced: today,
one can once again enjoy the wonderful view through the panorama window towards
the garden at a reconstruction of the dining table – according to plans by Hans Scharoun.
Thanks to a large number of private donations and according to Hans Scharoun’s original
plans, the large sofa in the living room and the bookcase have also been reproduced.

Important goal on the occasion of the 100 Bauhaus anniversary
th
Under the project title “TOPOMOMO – Topography of Modernist Buildings”, the foun-
dation has been working on a cross-border network of modernist buildings along the
German-Czech border since 2014. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Bau-
th
haus in 2019, the Schminke House was one of the most important tourist destinations
in Saxony and, under the motto “100 Years – 100 Places”, was one of the central stops
Fotos: 1935: Alice Kerling versary in 2019, the foundation released the publication Der moderne Blick – the mo-
on the “Grand Tour of Modernism”, which took visitors on a special tour of the history
of modernism from 1900 to 2000 throughout Germany. To mark the Bauhaus anni-

dern view. The publication of the Schminke House Foundation tells the stories of al-
together 20 buildings from the 1920s and 1930s in Saxony. It is intended to give both
Wintergarten und Wohnraum mit Liegelandschaft und Originalleuchten • Wintergarden and living room experts and laypeople access to the exciting properties and protagonists from this pe-
riod. The combination with an augmented reality app provides a very special viewing
experience: if you look at individual photos in the book through your smartphone or
tablet, they come to life and transcend the two-dimensional confines of the book.
Today, the Schminke House delights thousands of guests from all over the world every
year. The house is open all year round from Thursday to Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm.
The house can be explored independently at any time with the audio guide or a mul-
timedia tour available in four languages. On Saturdays and Sundays, public guided
tours take place at 1 pm and 3 pm. Individual tours are available on request. An over-
night stay at the Schminke House is a very special experience. Those who want to in-
dulge in the impressive living quality of the house have the opportunity to do so. A
total of up to 12 people can stay here overnight. The foundation offers various educa-
tional programmes for children and young people; and special group programmes are
available for university and college groups. Since 2021, the museum area has been
expanded to include a special exhibition in the basement, which primarily conveys
the history of the house’s use after 1945. Outside regular opening hours, the house
can be rented exclusively for conferences, seminars, workshops, incentives and also
for shootings and product presentations.

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