Villa Esche

The Villa Esche is an Art Nouveau villa in the Helbersdorf district of Chemnitz, in Saxony, Germany, designed by the Belgian architect and designer Henry van de Velde and built in 1902 and 1903, with an extension added in 1911. It was built as the home of the textile entrepreneur Herbert Esche and his family, and is considered van de Velde's first commission in Germany and the starting point of modern architecture in Chemnitz. The villa is a Gesamtkunstwerk in the Art Nouveau sense, with van de Velde's design extending from the building itself down to its furniture, interior textiles and everyday objects, and its surrounding park was probably designed by his wife, Maria Sethe.