Chur - Graubünden
During a tour in the beautiful Swiss Alpine canton of Graubünden, I came across many (small) places with nice modern architecture. I want to show four places. The first is the Bündner Kunstmuseum in Chur, the second is the not very known exhibition space and small sculpture park of Würth Group, also in Chur. And two modest but quite special objects of religious archittecture are worth a visit: the Steinkirche of Cazis and the Caplutta Sogn Benedetg in Sumvigt.
Bündner Kunstmuseum (extension)
Bündner Kunstmuseum is located in the (new) centre of Chur, the capital of the canton Graubünden. The building pictured below is an extension of the beautiful Villa Planta, that opened in 1875 (see the first picture below). The extension, done by office Barozzi-Veiga (they designed the Szczecin Filharmonia as well, see the Polish North West route on this site) was completed in 2016. Villa Planta and the extension building are connected by its basement levels. On the website of the museum, you find a virtual 3D tour.
Most of the exhibition space in the extension building is underground. The foyer, a space for temporary exhibitions, an atelier and offices are above ground level. The connection between the two buildings is underground, on the street the two buildings look unconnected. At two basement levels, the architecture is not very special. The extension building is "entering into a dialogue with Villa Planta" says the museum brochure. To me, that is abstract 'art language'.
Click to enlarge
Forum Würth Chur
Würth is a big Swiss company (85.000 employees) trading in connecting and assembly technology. Art and culture form an integral part of the company. Also architecture is important for the firm. Forum Würth, the art division of the company, has 'kunstdependancen' (associated galleries) in a number of countries. Forum Würth Chur is one and it consists of an exhibition space on the ground floor of the Würth Chur office building, and a sculpture garden in front and next to the building. The garden is not very big, but very pleasant and quiet. When you are in Graubünden this place is worth a detour. It is just a nice 15 minutes walk from the Bündner Kunstmuseum.
The exhibition space is interesting because it is located in Würth Chur's beautiful office building. The sculpture garden is a big garden / small park and a perfect place to quietly sit and relax.
Links: kunst.wuerth.com, wurth-international.com/de/kunst-kultur/
Steinkirche Cazis
Just two days before I visited the Steinkirche (stone church) of Cazis, and the Caplutta Sogn Benedetg (Saint Benedict Chapel) in Sumtvig, I was in Linz (Austria) and saw the huge Neue Dom (new cathedral) in Linz. I guess it influenced my experience in Cazis and Sumtvig; the differences between the religious objects could not have been bigger. The 19th century Neue Dom is the biggest church in Austria (capacity 20.000 people). It has a tower of 135 m., dark brown colours dominate, big (beautiful) stained glass windows, and it is heavily decorated. The distance between church fathers and ordinary people is big. The Neue Dom attracts many tourists. If this church would be located in a busy tourism city like Amsterdam or Berlin, it would probably need crowd management.
The Canzis Steinkirche, that opened in 2002, and the Caplutta Sogn Benedetg pictured below, are the opposite. The Steinkirche is modern, small, colourful, intimate, with natural light and minimal decoration. The church has three 'stones'. One is the 'sakralraum' (space for worship), the middle one symbolizes learning and education and the space of the third stone is for community services. The transparent windows are symbolic in the reformed tradition. In the space for worship, one only sees the sky (heaven), the second and especiallyy third space are connected to the environment of the villlage. The term 'church' should be taken in a broad sense - it is also a community space for meetings, celebrations and learning. Two groups of sculptures in front of the church represent music and dance.
It is a very pleasant surprise to find this modern community church in a meadow in a countryside mountain village. The design, the light and the colours make Steinkirche Cazis a very peaceful and joyful place. The church community, the architect and the construction engineers did a very fine job indeed. This church is worth the detour - and the roads are in a Swiss mountain landscape.
Links: https://heinzenberg-reformiert.ch/unsere-kirchen/steinkirche-cazis,
https://www.atelierschmidt.ch/
Caplutta Sogn Benedetg (Saint Benedict Chapel), Sumvitg
The catholic Caplutta Sogn Benedetg was opened in 1989, 5 years after an avalanche destroyed a Baroque chapel on the same place (remains of the former baroque chapel have been conserved). Architect Peter Zumthor designed a one room building using the characteristic materials of the region’s traditional architecture. Free-standing structural timbers surround the floor and support the roof that looks like ribs on the inside of a boat. Just below the roof, glass panels give a beautiful and warm natural light. Decorative elements are just the wooden pews, a simple table as an altar and an icon of saint Mary. So there is little material distraction.
The chapel has become a kind of archi-pilgrimage place for architects. The combination of traditional quality and materials with modern thinking is considered to be rather distinctive. Also non-architects will enjoy this place. The location and situation of the chapel in the village is scenic with great views of the valley and mountains. The chapel is beautiful, simple and warm.
Links: metalocus.es/en/news/taking-care-detail-saint-benedict-chapel-peter-zumthor, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CGd5w0xC8k
More in Graubünden
These four places are just a selection, there is much more in canton Graubunden. For example the Origem Turm on the Jullierpass, at 2300 mtr of altitude, is a bold object amidst bold mountain tops (it was closed during my trip). If it is on the way or you are in the neighbourhood, do your groceries or grab a coffee at Migros in Churwalden.
A famous architectural object in the region is Therme Vals, designed by Peter Zumthor. I visited the Therme 15 years ago, and clearly remember the experience - the colours, materials, spaces are fantastic. You'll find a reference and information on nine other objects in Graubünden in a blog of photographer Dominique Gehl - click here.