High-level gathering on 21 November 2022 from 14:30-18:00 in Brno, Czech Republic. Tugendhat House

Programme:

14:30 Arrival and guided tour through Villa Tugendhat (Daniela Hammer-Tugendhat and Ivo Hammer)

16:00-17:00 High-level panel discussion

Opening remarks by

- Monika Ladmanova, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Czech Republic

- Martin Selmayr, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Austria

Panellists

- Martina Dlabajová, Member of the European Parliament

- Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

- Ivo Hammer, Conservator-Restorer, Art Historian and Professor em. at HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts

- Vlastislav Ouroda, Deputy Minister for Culture of the Czech Republic

Moderated by

- Martin Selmayr, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Austria 

17:00-18:00 Reception

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. It connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences. The initiative calls on all of us to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls.

Architectural purity, interconnection of interior and exterior, timeless technical equipment, noble and exotic materials and, above all, a high level of preservation – these are the main attributes that led Villa Tugendhat to being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001. Designed by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Villa Tugendhat was built in 1929–1930 as a family home for Grete and Fritz Tugendhat. Its further history is at least as fascinating as its cultural significance, since it has become Brno’s icon of modernist housing and occupies a prominent position globally and within the oeuvre of its architect.

Our gathering “The New European Bauhaus: beauty, sustainability and cultural heritage through the prism of Villa Tugendhat” will, against the backdrop of this emblematic property, explore the goals, philosophy and perspectives of the New European Bauhaus initiative, illustrating and reimagining sustainable living in Europe and beyond. (Martin Selmayr, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Austria)