130 years ago, the Swiss architect Le Corbusier was born

La Chaux-de-Fonds - The Swiss architect Le Corbusier, who was born on October 6, 1887, as Charles Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, was a leading figure of two significant styles of the 20th century, purism and brutalism. His austere reinforced concrete buildings and visionary ideas for urban habitats brought him fame and admiration as well as misunderstanding and condemnation. The man who claimed that "a house is a machine for living" also had lively connections with the Czech avant-garde.

His entire life, he was fascinated by the precision and functionality of various machines, cars, and ships. His fascination also had roots in Le Corbusier’s original profession, as he trained as a watchmaker's engraver. This craft had a tradition not only in his homeland (he was born in the Swiss La Chaux-de-Fonds) but also in his family. However, he could not pursue it further. Since childhood, he had very poor eyesight and after the age of thirty, he even became blind in one eye. This handicap caused Le Corbusier problems, but it could not prevent him from being active in his work.

He realized a total of 75 buildings on several continents (he built his first villa at the age of 19), designed dozens of urban studies, wrote over 40 books, published several magazines, created hundreds of drawings and paintings, and remarkably impressed as a furniture designer. His elegant LC4 sofa is particularly famous. He died of a heart attack at sea on August 27, 1965, and has many followers. He is buried next to his wife in Roquebrune, France, a country that became his second home.