Villa Savoye

Poissy, France

Villa Savoye is a modernist villa in Poissy, in the outskirts of Paris. It was designed by Swiss architects Le Corbusier and his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, and built between 1928 and 1931 using reinforced concrete.

A manifesto of Le Corbusier's 'five points' of new architecture, the villa is representative of the bases of modern architecture, and is one of the most easily recognizable and renowned examples of the International style.

The house was originally built as a country retreat on behest of the Savoye family. After being purchased by the neighbouring school it passed on to be property of the French state in 1958, and after surviving several plans of demolition, it was designated as an official French historical monument in 1965 (a rare occurrence, as Le Corbusier was still living at the time). It was thoroughly renovated from 1985 to 1997 and is now open to visitors year-round.

In July 2016, the house and several other works by Le Corbusier were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Address

Rue de Villiers 82, Poissy, France
See all sites in Poissy

Details

Founded: 1928-1931
Category:

More Information

www.villa-savoye.fr
en.wikipedia.org
www.dezeen.com

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (5,8 km)


Notre Dame de Paris (24,8 km)
Eiffel Tower (20,8 km)
Louvre (23,7 km)
Sacré-Coeur (23,4 km)
Arc de Triomphe (20,3 km)
Château de Versailles (14,9 km)
Grand Palais (21,8 km)
Musée d'Orsay (23 km)
Place de la Concorde (22,4 km)

User Reviews

Eduardo Haddad (3 months ago)
Very nice construction with impressive architecture.
Madame Thermomix (4 months ago)
Superb architecture by Le Corbusier in a once-pastoral, now urban setting. Wonderfully practical house with a lovely view over the Seine valley. Don't be surprised, the address takes you to a Lycée (high school); there's a metal grilled gate to the far right of the property! One of my favourite visits in a while.
Kenneth Peeters (6 months ago)
This is a must do for every aspiring architect. This house is a beautiful example of early modernism. Thoug many parts of the house feel outdated nowadays, you still feel its relevance and influence on modern day architecture. The only thing I was missing was contemporary furniture from the appropriate Era it was build in. Even though the entrance fee is a little expensive for a bunch of empty rooms, a visit still has value for its influence.
Emily F (10 months ago)
Must see for architects visiting the area. Knowing the plans and drawings is one thing but experiencing the architectural promenade is something else. Fantastic tour given in English, the guide was really knowledgeable but also managed to communicate the main design principles to everyone clearly
Thomas Miller (11 months ago)
This little gem is well worth the trip from Paris if you are interested in modern architecture. It's in a quiet spot surrounded by gardens and is not usually busy. A perfect spot to spend an hour or so in contemplation.
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Moszna Castle

The Moszna Castle is one of the best known monuments in the western part of Upper Silesia. The history of this building begins in the 17th century, although much older cellars were found in the gardens during excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the investigators, including H. Barthel, claimed that those cellars could have been remnants of a presumed Templar castle, but their theory has never been proved. After World War II, further excavations discovered a medieval palisade.

The central part of the castle is an old baroque palace which was partially destroyed by fire on the night of April 2, 1896 and was reconstructed in the same year in its original form by Franz Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. The reconstruction works involved an extension of the residence. The eastern Neogothic-styled wing of the building was built by 1900, along with an adjacent orangery. In 1912-1914, the western wing was built in the Neo-Renaissance style. The architectural form of the castle contains a wide variety of styles, thus it can be generally defined as eclectic.

The height of the building, as well as its numerous turrets and spires, give the impression of verticalism. The whole castle has exactly ninety-nine turrets. Inside, it contains 365 rooms. The castle was twice visited by the German Emperor Wilhelm II. His participation in hunting during his stay at the castle was documented in a hand-written chronicle in 1911 as well as in the following year. The castle in Moszna was the residence of a Silesian family Tiele-Winckler who were industrial magnates, from 1866 until the spring of 1945 when they were forced to move to Germany and the castle was occupied by the Red Army. The period of the Soviet control caused significant damage to the castle's internal fittings in comparison to the minor damage caused by WWII.

After World War II the castle did not have a permanent owner and was the home of various institutions until 1972 when it became a convalescent home. Later it became a Public Health Care Centre for Therapies of Neuroses. Nowadays it can be visited by tourists since the health institution has moved to another building in the neighbourhood. The castle also has a chapel which is used as a concert hall. Since 1998 the castle housed a gallery in which works of various artists are presented at regular exhibitions.

Apart from the castle itself, the entire complex includes a park which has no precise boundaries and includes nearby fields, meadows and a forest. Only the main axis of the park can be characterised as geometrical. Starting from the gate, it leads along the oak and then horse-chestnut avenues, towards the castle. Further on, the park passes into an avenue of lime trees with symmetrical canals running along both sides of the path, lined with a few varieties of rhododendrons. The axis of the park terminates at the base of a former monument of Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. On the eastern side of the avenue there is a pond with an islet referred to by the owners as Easter Island. The islet is planted with needle-leaved shrubs and can be reached by a Chinese-styled bridge. The garden, as part of the whole park complex was restored slightly earlier than the castle itself. Preserved documents of 1868 state that the improvement in the garden's aesthetic quality was undertaken by Hubert von Tiele-Winckler.

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