#Multifunctional building #Rostock #Germany #1928
Seestraße 18
18119
Rostock,
Germany
Public transport: Kurhaustraße
Access: Accessible
Today's use: Even location, restaurant
Description
The Kurhaus Warnemünde is a multi-purpose building located on the beach promenade of the Baltic Sea resort town of Warnemünde (part of the Hanseatic city of Rostock). It was designed by Gustav Wilhelm Berringer. It reflects characteristics of the "Neues Bauen" movement with Art Deco elements. The ground-plan is H-shaped, with the long sides facing north toward the Baltic Sea and south toward the garden. The structure was built with solid construction, reinforced concrete ceilings, and Terranova plaster. The façade is characterised by a broad, horizontal emphasis: flat roof, expansive middle block, horizontal banding of clinker-bricks at the base, terraces to the north and south, corner accents, and ribbon-windows and doors forming continuous horizontal bands. Berringer described this as an architectural reflection of the strongly horizontal character of the surrounding coastal landscape. The Kurhaus houses a large event hall (Kursaal) with gallery, a smaller hall for club and family functions, and the Kurhaus garden, and later additions including a bar, café-restaurant, underground parking garage, and a salt-spa. The interior design originally included features by interior architect Walter Butzek and art by Bauhaus-trained designer Dörte Helm, of which wall-paintings were later destroyed.
Description
The Kurhaus Warnemünde is a multi-purpose building located on the beach promenade of the Baltic Sea resort town of Warnemünde (part of the Hanseatic city of Rostock). It was designed by Gustav Wilhelm Berringer. It reflects characteristics of the "Neues Bauen" movement with Art Deco elements. The ground-plan is H-shaped, with the long sides facing north toward the Baltic Sea and south toward the garden. The structure was built with solid construction, reinforced concrete ceilings, and Terranova plaster. The façade is characterised by a broad, horizontal emphasis: flat roof, expansive middle block, horizontal banding of clinker-bricks at the base, terraces to the north and south, corner accents, and ribbon-windows and doors forming continuous horizontal bands. Berringer described this as an architectural reflection of the strongly horizontal character of the surrounding coastal landscape. The Kurhaus houses a large event hall (Kursaal) with gallery, a smaller hall for club and family functions, and the Kurhaus garden, and later additions including a bar, café-restaurant, underground parking garage, and a salt-spa. The interior design originally included features by interior architect Walter Butzek and art by Bauhaus-trained designer Dörte Helm, of which wall-paintings were later destroyed.
History
Planning for the Kurhaus began already at the end of the 19th century. Owing to the strong growth of seaside tourism in the Baltic region and in Warnemünde, a commission in the 1890s called for a central Kurhaus for theatre, concerts and balls. In 1906 the city development plan identified the site and in 1909 a national design competition was held. The budget was set at 550,000 Marks and the architecture brief demanded "noble simplicity and avoidance of unnecessary luxury". Construction began in April 1914, but was halted by the outbreak of the First World War after only the foundations and the ground floor had been completed. In 1920 work resumed, and after the redesign by Gustav Wilhelm Berringer that reflected the "Neues Bauen" movement and the Dutch architectural group De Stijl, the Kurhaus was completed and opened on 24 May 1928. During the Second World War the Kurhaus ceased its regular function, was used by the navy and from 1941 by the Ernst Heinkel aircraft works. Bomb damage destroyed the interior furnishings. After the war it was used for cultural events, but the structural condition deteriorated and forced closure of the main hall in 1960, a major renovation ran from 1983 to 1986. Following the German reunion, the city of Rostock acquired the building and sold it in 1996 to a private company, prompting another extensive renovation between 1996 and 2002, including restoration of the garden and construction of a two‐storey underground garage beneath it. Architect Achim Mansfeld won with a wave-shaped roof design that deliberately contrasted Berringer’s strict horizontality. While praised by the jury, the substantial alterations, including a larger stair tower, were widely criticized.
History
Planning for the Kurhaus began already at the end of the 19th century. Owing to the strong growth of seaside tourism in the Baltic region and in Warnemünde, a commission in the 1890s called for a central Kurhaus for theatre, concerts and balls. In 1906 the city development plan identified the site and in 1909 a national design competition was held. The budget was set at 550,000 Marks and the architecture brief demanded "noble simplicity and avoidance of unnecessary luxury". Construction began in April 1914, but was halted by the outbreak of the First World War after only the foundations and the ground floor had been completed. In 1920 work resumed, and after the redesign by Gustav Wilhelm Berringer that reflected the "Neues Bauen" movement and the Dutch architectural group De Stijl, the Kurhaus was completed and opened on 24 May 1928. During the Second World War the Kurhaus ceased its regular function, was used by the navy and from 1941 by the Ernst Heinkel aircraft works. Bomb damage destroyed the interior furnishings. After the war it was used for cultural events, but the structural condition deteriorated and forced closure of the main hall in 1960, a major renovation ran from 1983 to 1986. Following the German reunion, the city of Rostock acquired the building and sold it in 1996 to a private company, prompting another extensive renovation between 1996 and 2002, including restoration of the garden and construction of a two‐storey underground garage beneath it. Architect Achim Mansfeld won with a wave-shaped roof design that deliberately contrasted Berringer’s strict horizontality. While praised by the jury, the substantial alterations, including a larger stair tower, were widely criticized.
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