JUNKER HOUSE: THE ARCHITECTURE OF MADNESS

The most plausible example in the world of true schizophrenic, as opposed to merely eccentric or fantastic architecture, would have to be the Junker House in Lemgo, Germany.


Its creator, Karl Junker, (1850~1912), was a highly trained architect, whose entire career and only building was this house. The
explanation for this peculiar state of affairs was the onset of a chronic schizophrenic illness when Junker was in his mid thirties, schizophrenia which found concrete expression in the architect's personal environment. The house represents a true gesamtkunstwerk which includes, not only the architectural environment (largely the interior of the house), but also all of the furniture, murals and panel paintings, sculpture and carved reliefs. Every aspect of the artist's living space gave expression to
his internal reality. Only outside of an asylum, could such a complete life work be created. Junker was never hospitalized.

Between late 1889 and May 1893 Junker built in Lemgo, including a house on his own plans, which had by himself as a squire house was called and can be seen in part today. For his paintings and sculptures on 11 September 2004, the back of the house followed Museum Junkerhaus been opened to the.


In the years after 1893 most of the surviving works of Carl Junkers must be dated, bear the most part neither date, title or signature. About Junkers activities in almost two decades until his death, little is known.