Villa Herberts, Heritage villa in Hesselnberg district, Wuppertal, Germany.
Villa Herberts, also called Haus Waldfrieden, stands at Hirschstraße 12 in Wuppertal's Hesselnberg quarter, within a park of about 15 hectares. Franz Krause designed the house, built 1946–1949 on the foundations of a predecessor destroyed in World War II. Its pronounced organic forms show the influence of Hans Scharoun and Hugo Häring.
Franz Krause, a painter and architect, designed the villa for lacquer manufacturer Kurt Herberts; it was built from 1946 to 1949 on the foundations of a predecessor destroyed in World War II. Herberts lived there until his death in 1989. In 2006 the vacant building was rented for the Red Bull-sponsored Outsides project, which ended in October with a street-art action by 22 international artists.
Since 2006 the villa and its park have belonged to sculptor Tony Cragg and form part of the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park. After renovation it houses offices and event rooms of the Cragg Foundation. The former 1910s excursion café on the grounds now operates as Café Podest.
The villa itself holds the Cragg Foundation's offices and is not open to individual visitors; the surrounding sculpture park is the part you walk through. The former 1910s excursion café on the grounds now operates as Café Podest, a stopping point during a park visit. Check the sculpture park's opening days before setting out, since access runs through its entrance.
The design incorporates anthroposophical principles, reflecting the original owner's spiritual beliefs in every curve and spatial relationship within the building. This philosophical approach creates an unusual architectural language that shaped how the residence interacts with its landscape and remains visible to visitors today.
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