Jenice [1] ( German: Yenidze ) is a former tobacco factory, one of the sights of Dresden . The building erected in 1909 with its architecture resembles a mosque . Workshops for the production of tobacco products were located here until 1953. Currently, the building is used for offices by various companies, there is a disco in the basement, and a restaurant under the dome.
Construction History
The idea of building a factory in such an unusual “oriental” style for Dresden belonged to businessman Hugo Zitz, who was engaged in the export of tobacco and the manufacture of cigarettes. The prototype for the future factory building was one of the mosques in Cairo , where Zitz traveled shortly before. And the name Jenice comes from the name of the locality in Greece, from where he imported tobacco for his production. The unusual architecture was supposed to be, on the one hand, an advertisement for its products, and this in fact helped him to achieve significant success in the near future. On the other hand, using the architectural features of the mosque, it was possible, for example, to “mask” chimneys and exhaust pipes as minarets . This was a necessity, otherwise Zitz would not have received permission to build production buildings, since the construction site was located in close proximity to the Old Town - the historical and cultural center of Dresden, and where the residence of the Saxon kings was located. Not everyone in Dresden took a positive view of the construction of a “mosque” in almost the center of the city. Herman-Martin Hammitzsch, the author of the project, was expelled from the Saxon Union of Architects for this work.
Architecture
The architect Herman-Martin Hammitz designed the building using the most advanced technologies at that time. Jenice was the first building in Germany built using load-bearing reinforced concrete structures. The architecture found a combination of modern and Moorish style . The total height of the building is 60 meters, of which 20 meters is a dome made of colored glass with a diameter of 17 meters. When decorating the facade, granite, colored concrete, tile, artificial sandstone and mosaics were used.
mosaic facing of the main entrance
Jenice restaurant on the roof of the building
Jenice has 600 windows made in various styles
Notes
Literature
- Gilbert Lupfer ua (Hrsg.): Architekturführer Dresden . Reimer, Berlin, 1997, ISBN 3-496-01179-3 (German)
- Tilo Richter (Text), Hans-Christian Schink (Photos): Industriearchitektur in Dresden . Kiepenheuer, Leipzig, 1997, ISBN 3-378-01019-3 (German)
Links
- Jenice at www.wtbc.de (German)
- Jenice at www.dresden-und-sachsen.de (German)