Bauhaus sites in Weimar, Dessau und Bernau
The Bauhaus art school revolutionised artistic and architectural thinking and work in the 20th century. Today, the original buildings in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau, along with museums and exhibitions, provide an insight into this formative building block of the modern age.
Almost exactly 70 years after the inauguration of the Gropius building in Dessau, the Bauhaus sites in Dessau and Weimar became UNESCO World Heritage Sites in December 1996. The buildings designed by professors including Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer and Wassily Kandinsky defined the Bauhaus style, which had a decisive influence on the architecture of the 20th century. In July 2017, the World Heritage Site was expanded to include the ADGB Trade Union School in Bernau near Berlin, and the five Houses with Balcony Access in Dessau-Roßlau.
The Bauhaus in Weimar began its work in 1919. Many impressive buildings were constructed in the ensuing years, including the main building of the Bauhaus University and the school of applied arts on Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse. In Dessau, the art school became a magnet for the avantgarde of the time.
The building was designed by Walter Gropius and opened in 1926. The idea of modernity in architecture and design began its triumphant march in Dessau in buildings such as the „Masters‘ Houses“ or the Dessau–Törten estate featuring houses with balcony access, which are a prime example of the development in the construction of social housing.
Construction of the ADGB Trade Union School in Bernau was overseen by Hans Wittwer and Hannes Meyer, who held the position of director of the Bauhaus in Dessau from 1928 to 1930. The Trade Union School remains a preeminent example of separate, individual structures integrated cohesively into the surrounding natural landscape.
The historical Bauhaus canteen in Dessau features stools designed by Marcel Breuer, where students can still sit and eat while passionately philosophising about modernity.
Bauhaus and its Sites in Dessau, Weimar and Bernau
UNESCO World Heritage since 1996 and 2017
From the selection criteria
Between 1919 and 1933, the Bauhaus School, based first in Weimar (Thuringia) and then in Dessau (Saxony-Anhalt), revolutionized architectural and
aesthetic concepts and practices.The buildings created and decorated by the School’s professors Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Wassily Kandinsky and others launched
the Bahaus style, which shaped much of the architecture of the 20th century and beyond.
Information and Contact
Tourist-Information Weimar
Markt 10
99423 Weimar
Tel. +49 3643 74 50
Tourist-Information Dessau-Roßlau
Zerbster Straße 4
06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Tel. +49 340 204 14 42
UNESCO-Welterbe Bauhaus
Besucherzentrum Bernau
Hans-Wittwer-Straße1
16321 Bernau bei Berlin
Tel.: +49 3338 706 78 79