Goetheanum

Rudolf Steiner built a first Goetheanum in wood, opened in 1920 and destroyed by arson on New Year's Eve 1922. He designed the replacement in reinforced concrete before his death in 1925, and it was completed in 1928 - a massive sculptural building in which almost nothing is orthogonal: walls fold, windows are cut as irregular shapes with engraved coloured glass, and stairways curve without straight flights. It is regarded as an early landmark in expressive concrete architecture and was studied by later architects for exactly that. The building remains the centre of the anthroposophical movement, with a large auditorium used for performances of Goethe's Faust and for eurythmy. Outbuildings on the hill follow the same idiom.

What you actually see

• Concrete with almost no right angles - folding walls and irregular openings.
• Engraved coloured glass - the windows cut with figurative motifs.
• A rebuilt after arson - the wooden first building burned in 1922.
• A working movement centre - performances and eurythmy in the auditorium.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

Honest expectations

This is the headquarters of a spiritual movement, not a neutral museum, and the presentation reflects that. Public access is to certain areas only; the auditorium needs a tour or a ticket. Tours run mainly in German. Photography is restricted inside.

Nearby

Arlesheim and the Ermitage garden are next door; Basel is a tram ride north.