Jugendstil — the German and Northern European expression of Art Nouveau — dissolved rigid architectural forms into flowing, organic lines inspired by natural growth. Named after the Munich magazine Jugend ("Youth"), the style flourished from the 1890s to around 1910, producing some of the most ornamentally rich buildings of the modern era.
While French Art Nouveau favoured wrought iron and glass, Jugendstil often expressed itself in glazed ceramics, carved stone, and painted facades. Henry van de Velde, Joseph Maria Olbrich, and Peter Behrens (before his turn to Industrial Modernism) were key practitioners. The style's influence is visible in Riga, Helsinki, Brussels, and the residential neighbourhoods of Berlin and Munich.
