The Goetheanum is the world centre for anthroposophy. It is an immense building designed by Rudolf Steiner himself who named it in honour of Goethe. It is situated on the top of a hill in Dornach, Switzerland, near Basel. The current building is in fact the second Goetheanum, built on the ruins of the first. Work on the first Goetheanum began in 1913 on land donated by a member of the Anthroposophic Society. It was inaugurated in September 1920. It was a large, wooden structure with a double dome and a 900-seat theatre. It was destroyed by arson on New Year’s Eve, 1922. Steiner quickly worked on the construction of a second, even larger Goetheanum. He developed the plans in 1924, and its structure was built between 1925 and 1928 (the date of its official inauguration), and was completed after Steiner’s death. At the time, it was truly a monument of expressionist architecture, and one of the very first large-scale buildings in Europe to be made of reinforced concrete. It houses two auditoria (1,000 and 450 seats, respectively), a library, offices, classrooms and conference rooms. Yet in fact, at the time of its inauguration in 1928, the building was incomplete and would remain so until 1970. Final works were not completed until 1998. In the Goetheanum, anthroposophic art is on show everywhere: architecture, sculptures, paintings, stained glass windows, and in theatre and dance performances.
Today, the Goetheanum is the headquarters of the anthroposophic movement, as well as the gathering place for conventions. Thus it is like a window into Steiner’s heritage. It also houses the School of Spiritual Science, divided into various sections which explore each of the fields for which Rudolf Steiner urged renewal: medicine, agriculture, pedagogy, social sciences, and fine arts. The Goetheanum is therefore a venue for research and exchange. In a certain sense, it is the Steiner university campus, and it is possible to study at the Goetheanum throughout your life.
Should you have the opportunity to visit the Goetheanum, I would certainly recommend doing so. First of all, you will become aware of the vastness of Steiner’s research and, before him, that of Goethe. Biodynamics is a very small part of it. Secondly, a visit will allow you to grasp Steiner’s ideas through the atmosphere of architecture and the art. It is a valuable addition to reading his works.