Mies van der Rohe Pavilion

This guide to the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona opens with a building that stood for less than a year: a 1929 World's Fair showpiece built for a royal handshake, designed by a young Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Lilly Reich to present Germany as modern and calm. It walks through the design itself, the cruciform steel columns, the golden onyx and green marble walls, the reflecting pool with its bronze figure by Georg Kolbe, and the low chair Mies designed just for the king's visit. Look for that same chair on your way through, still in use today.