Heerlen, where I have been visiting a lot recently, isn't the most inspiring or beautiful town I have visited. That said, the centre does have some nice bits and one wonderful building, the Glaspaleis. Even my trusty blackberry camera couldn't destroy its looks, though next time I am taking my 'real' camera and try to do it justice.
The Glaspaleis ('The Glass Palace') is an example of early modernist architecture. Designed by Fritz Peutz and commissioned by Peter Schunck, it was completed in 1935, to be used as a department store. As well as the architecture being leading edge for its time, the lack of back room storage, meaning that the stock would essentially be on display as well, was new. The intent was to give the atmosphere of a market. It is now used as a library, an art house cinema, an art gallery and architectural centre. It is lovely inside.
In 1999 it was put on the list of the 1000 most important buildings of the 20th century by The International Union of Architects. For more information, click here.
And we stayed in a decent modern hotel called, perhaps a little self-consciously, The Design Hotel with its minimal chic:
This is a shot of the lobby. Neither of the two places were particularly expensive, or out of the ordinary, which is just the point. They co-exist happily and many people, including myself, can no doubt enjoy each one for what it does well. In fact walking directly from one to the other only heightens the effect.
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