Nowhere else in Germany is as inextricably linked to the Bauhaus as Dessau. Over a century ago, the architect Walter Gropius moved here with his visionary art school. Its influence can still be felt to this day.
The architectural style developed by the Bauhaus designers in the early twentieth century is regarded even today as synonymous with modern living. In 1919, the architect Walter Gropius founded his influential art school in Weimar. Combining art with the skilled crafts and trades for the first time, it is renowned for its functional yet aesthetic buildings and product designs. Six years later, the Bauhaus moved to Dessau for political and financial reasons, where it evolved to become an icon of a “new building style”. Its residency there was only short-lived, however: under pressure from the Nazis, the school relocated to Berlin in 1932 and was shut down for good a year later.
The school’s legacy lives on in Dessau, however, and over 300 buildings in the Bauhaus style can still be seen in the city today. One of the best-known is the Bauhaus building itself. Designed by Walter Gropius, it was home to the art school from 1925 to 1932. It is above all the monumental glass facade of the workshop wing that gives the building its revolutionary feel. Equally worth a visit are the Master’s Houses, in which the Bauhaus directors Gropius, Hannes Meyer and Mies van der Rohe lived and worked. The Törten housing estate are an illustration of what defined the Bauhaus philosophy: inexpensive and functional homes flooded with natural light. Some of these buildings are now listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.
Visitors to Dessau can go and see all the Bauhaus buildings by taking either the well-signed cycle routes or the local number ten bus. The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation organises guided tours to the individual buildings. One highlight is the Bauhaus Museum, which contains the world’s second-largest Bauhaus collection. The exhibition centres around works by students, teaching materials and records documenting the creative everyday life of the school. And if you’re seeking a more intense Bauhaus experience, it is even possible to spend the night in one of the studio flats in the Bauhaus building where Bauhaus students once lived – truly elevating your holiday to another level.
The Bauhaus is still a meeting place today: participants in the “Schule Fundamental” festival in front of the Bauhaus building in 2019. | Photo (detail): © Thomas Meyer/OSTKREUZ/Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau
One of the three Master’s Houses: the artists Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee designed the interior of Walter Gropius’ Kandinsky-Klee House, which their families lived in until 1933. | Photo (detail): © Thomas Meyer/OSTKREUZ/Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau
Over 300 buildings in the Bauhaus style are still standing in Dessau. They include the Kornhaus, a restaurant designed by the architect Carl Fieger. | Photo (detail): © Thomas Meyer/OSTKREUZ/Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau
Testimony to the creativity of everyday life at the art school: an exhibition at the Bauhaus Museum Dessau entitled “Versuchsstätte Bauhaus. The Collection”. | Photo (detail): © Thomas Meyer/OSTKREUZ/Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau
Detours
What does Görliwood mean, why can you find a piece of the Caribbean in Bavaria and where can you dance in front of bucket wheel diggers? In our series we take you on a trip each month to somewhere in Germany that you may not yet know but should definitely be introduced to. We reveal places that are not to be found on the usual tourist trails. Are you ready for a bit of a detour?
November 2025