Locations #1

The fact that rural regions also have a rich and modern building culture full of a willingness to experiment is particularly evident in the Euroregion Neisse. From 2012 to 2014, our German-Czech team visited the sites of the Topography of the modern movement and documented itsstories. The new demands on spaces and functionality gave rise to a variety of building types at the beginning of the 20th century. The glass, coal and textile industry companies that shaped the landscape between the Elbe and Neisse rivers in the first half of the 20th century caused enormous population growth in formerly little towns. Cities such as Zittau, Görlitz, Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou grew into industrial centres. There was a great need for architects who were prepared to break new ground. The entrepreneurs and mayors often found their master builders at the innovative schools of architecture in Dessau, Berlin, Prague and Wroclaw.