Following our visit to the #VitraHaus this coming Friday, the (smow)wintertour 2010 then proceeds, by ski, along the alps to Aschau im Chiemgau, Bavaria and a visit to Nils Holger Moormann and the, so-called, Moormann Haus.
Constructed in 1859 by the Bavarian star architect/stage designer team of Christian Jank and Eduard Riedel, who later went on to find wider acclaim with the construction of Schloss Neuschwanstein, the Moormann Haus was built to commemorate the presentation by Maximilian the Second of Bavaria to the citizens of Aschau of the rights to produce "ye olde mdf and veneer plywood furniture in ye olde colors red, white and black"
Built using traditional Bavarian carpentry techniques, the Haus initially carried the name "Kampenwand Haus" after the mountain at whose feet it stands.
Following the death of Ludwig the Second in 1886 the population of Aschau were so overcome with grief that production of the mdf and veneer plywood furniture ceased. In 1992 the rights were acquired by Nils Holger Moormann who restarted the production of quality designer furniture in Aschau. As a token of the towns gratitude the "Kampenwand Haus" was renamed "Moormann Haus".
In addition to serving as an inspiration for the new VitraHaus, the Moormann Haus also served as inspiration for one of Nils Holger Moormanns most successful designs; the Liesmichl.
One of the most innovative and functional of all Moormann products, Liesmichl beautifully combines the two traditional strands of the so called "Aschau School"; veneer plywood and the colours red/white/black with modern hot rolled steel into a delightful reading/bedside table.
The form of the Liesmichl is based on the shape of the internal supporting structure of the Moormann Haus. Just as the inside of the Statue of Liberty is, more or less, the Eifel Tower.
We will provide not only regular (smow)blog posts and (smow)twitter tweets from our journey to and time in Aschau, but will also report a little on the "behind the scenes" daily reality at Moormann and for all the technology behind the ingenious Moormann webmic communication system.
And from the Moormann Haus, Aschau im Chiemgau the (smow)wintertour 2010 goes further .... but more later.
