History
The Mylius Vigoni family: a German-Italian tradition
The story of Villa Vigoni begins at the end of the 18th century, when Heinrich Mylius (1769 – 1854), who was then barely twenty years old, moved from Frankfurt am Main to Milan to expand the trading activities of the family business to Italy. Thanks to his exceptional entrepreneurial skills, he managed to achieve considerable commercial success and became a wealthy man within the space of a few years.
Mylius did not only frequent German-Italian business and financial circles. His passion for literature, philosophy, art and music brought him into contact with the contemporary Milanese cultural scene. Indeed, he established friendly relationships with prominent figures such as Massimo d’Azeglio, Francesco Hayez and Alessandro Manzoni.
In 1799, Mylius married Friederike Schnauss (1771 – 1851) in Weimar. She introduced Mylius to the court of Grand Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, where he met Friedrich Schiller, Johann Gottfried Herder and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. By virtue of his contacts and relationships in Milan, Mylius became a key figure in German-Italian cultural exchange. He was convinced that mediation between cultures is essential for better coexistence and exchange between countries, institutions and individuals.
As a patron and philanthropist, he financed the establishment of kindergartens, schools and libraries, and awarded prizes for students and scholarships. In Milan, he realised his most ambitious project: the founding and financing of the Società d’Incoraggiamento d’Arti e Mestieri. This ‘society’ was the very first technical college in Italy. In 1863, the Polytechnic University of Milan emerged from it.
From a family residence to a place of art and remembrance: the creation of Villa Mylius Vigoni at Lake Como
In 1829, Heinrich Mylius acquired an estate in Loveno above the village of Menaggio as a gift for the forthcoming wedding of his son Julius to Luigia Vitali. However, when Julius died a few days after the wedding, struck down by a sudden illness, the property at Lake Como was remodelled: It became a place of remembrance and meditation on loss, grief, fate and trust in the future. The works of art that Mylius commissioned are evidence of a culture of remembrance that transcends private family history.
Mylius hoped that the so-called ‘little temple’ in the park, the paintings and the sculptures would be understood as an expression of the ‘human condition’ and the values that were most important to him: humanity, education, spirituality and creativity.
