This work, reference of the Modern movement, was initiated by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe (1886-1969) to be Germany's national pavilion for the 1929 World Fair in Barcelona. Mies Van der Rohe's pavilion is characterized by its daring space conception and by the fundamental role played by light. Materials are an expressive resource in Mies' architecture. Hence, steel, glass and marble used for the construction of the pavilion produce an effect of lightness and exquisite elegance. The building, surrounded by two ponds, is preceded by eight travertine steps like a classical temple and is made of rectangular plans of glass, marble and onyx. Despite the apparent simplicity of the construction, nothing gives the impression of being in a box and the space is not delimited by any wall nor fence. The pavilion contained some pieces of furniture designed by the architect such as the Barcelona chair created for the Spanish king, Alfonso XIII, and his spouse, Queen Victoria Eugenia. With its iron structure and its leather seats, this model has became a real modern design icon to such a point that it is still produced and commercialized today. A figurative sculpture by Georg Kolbe was placed at the end of the smallest pond, making an intersting contrast between the sculpture and the avant-gardism of Mies' work. Conceived as a temporary building, the pavilion was dismantled in 1930. The Mies Van der Rohe foundation crated in 1983 wanted to build again this paradigmatic work of contemporaneous architecture and achieved its goal in 1986.
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Mies Van Der Rohe's Pavillon Address: Avinguda Marqu, Barcelona, Spain 
Mies Van Der Rohe's Pavillon Phone Number: 34934234016 
http://www.miesbcn.com 
Mies Van Der Rohe's Pavillon Opening time: 10h - 20h
Mies Van Der Rohe's Pavillon Price: 3,50 
