Haus am Lützowplatz

Haus am Lützowplatz (HaL) is carried by the Kunstverein "Haus am Lützowplatz – Fördererkreis Kulturzentrum Berlin e.V.", founded in 1960 on the initiative of then Berlin mayor Willy Brandt to preserve the 1873-built city villa at Lützowplatz as an art location. Its founding members came from Berlin SPD circles, the Berlin cultural scene and the trade unions. The association's statutory mission of support, mediation and education centres on presenting contemporary visual art as a bridge to political and social reality.

The building at Lützowplatz was erected in 1873 as a city villa for the Zimmermann family by the architect Wilhelm Neumann. After a fundamental conversion in 1891/92 by the architects Rudolph Speer and Heino Schmieden, who added an additional storey and a rear building, it was acquired in 1904 by the merchant Egon Sally Fürstenberg (1860-1942), who had it rebuilt and extended again in 1924 by the architects Hoeniger and Sedelmaier. In 1938 the Fürstenbergs were driven into emigration because of their Jewish descent; to raise the so-called "Reichsfluchtsteuer" the family had to sell large parts of its assets, including the building at Lützowplatz, which was then acquired by the Verein Berliner Künstler (VBK). In 1943 it was heavily damaged and burned out during bombing raids on Berlin's city centre. After the war the house was placed on the demolition list. The Kunstverein "Haus am Lützowplatz – Fördererkreis Kulturzentrum Berlin e.V." was founded in 1960 on the initiative of then Berlin mayor Willy Brandt to preserve the 1873-built city villa at Lützowplatz as an art location; its founding members were all personalities from the Berlin SPD, the Berlin cultural scene and the trade unions. In 1987 the Berlin sculptor Volkmar Haase (1930-2012) received the commission for the "redesign of the entrance situation" from Haus am Lützowplatz and created two corresponding sculptures, realised with support from the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin in the context of larger renovation and conversion works at the building, measures directly related to the Internationale Bauausstellung 1987.

Presentation of contemporary visual art as a bridge to political and social reality.

1. 1Haus am Lützowplatzhal-berlin.de
2. 2Haus am Lützowplatz : Haus am Lützowplatzhal-berlin.de
3. 3Das Haus : Haus am Lützowplatzhal-berlin.de
4. 4Die Kunst : Haus am Lützowplatzhal-berlin.de
5. 5Haus am Lützowplatzwikidata.org