Henry van de Velde Museum / Villa Esche

Villa Esche was designed in 1902 by the Belgian architect and designer Henry van de Velde as a family residence for the Chemnitz textile entrepreneur Herbert Esche. Henry van de Velde (1863-1957) was one of the most sought-after artists in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. With the aim of harmonising function and aesthetics, he strove for an artistic reform of all areas of life. Villa Esche was his first architectural commission in Germany and was of great importance to his work. The villa and the park-like garden are a total work of art in the Art Nouveau style and one of Chemnitz's architectural jewels. After an eventful history, the Villa Esche was extensively restored from 1998 to 2001 and now houses the Henry van de Velde Museum as a branch of the Chemnitz Art Collections. The museum area comprises the dining room and the music parlour on the ground floor with the original furniture of the Esche family and the permanent exhibition on the upper floor with outstanding exhibits from the holdings of the Chemnitz Art Collections and from private collections. Since 2022, the interactive Virtual van de Velde app has been inviting visitors to playfully explore the museum.

As a meeting place for business, art, culture and society, Villa Esche is also a conference centre and event platform for Grundstücks- und Gebäudewirtschafts-Gesellschaft m.b.H. (GGG), which owns the entire complex and also offers guided tours of the entire villa. The Villa Esche restaurant is located in the former coach house.