The Fostinum
The collector is the true resident of the interior. The collector dreams his way not only into a distant or bygone world but also into a better one.
- Walter Benjamin
While numerous expressionist structures were built in Germany, there were many expressionist movements outside of Germany, including in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, and Iceland. Above, you can see some of the primary examples of expressionist architecture in these countries. Perhaps the most prolific of these movements was the "Amsterdam School" in the Netherlands, which built a number of brick expressionist structures across the country quite early on in the expressionist architecture movement. Around the same time, Rudolf Steiner formed his own sort of expressionist style as part of his anthroposophic movement, which can be seen clearly in the pictures from Dornach above. Expressionist elements also took hold in the former Austro-Hungary, especially in the area of the present Czech Republic and in Austria, where expressionist elements found their way into the Viennese "gemeindebau" (social housing) program. For more details on expressionist architecture outside Germany, see my page on Czech Cubist Architecture, which is sometimes considered an offshoot of expressionism.