Bauhaus 100 years - the story of a German design school

Bauhaus is 100 years old this year, but it's not the DIY store's birthday. No, we're talking about a completely different Bauhaus. The birthday boy is both a design school and a design movement. We were introduced to Bauhaus during a Bauhaus-themed dinner. Here's the story of the Bauhaus school, and top tips for travelling in the footsteps of Bauhaus.

Table of contents

Bauhaus - something completely different from a DIY store

When you hear the word 'Bauhaus', do you think of a DIY store? You won't be alone. Even for us, until recently, Bauhaus was synonymous with tools, paint and outdoor furniture. It was only when the German Tourist Board invited us to the Bauhaus themed dinner that a light went on for us.

Bauhaus school

The Bauhaus was a design school focusing on architecture and design, but also on subjects such as art, textiles, advertising, photography, graphic design and even performing arts. Much was based on a geometric design language based on the sphere, cube and cone, as well as the colours red, blue and yellow.

The basic ideas were about creating design and art for everyone, with functionality always at the centre. You could say that Bauhaus was a precursor to what we call 'funkis'.

Weimar and Dessau

The Bauhaus school was founded in 1919 in Weimar, in the state of Thuringia, south-west of Leipzig. Under the supervision of headmaster Walter Gropius, several craft workshops were formed and a first exhibition was held in 1923. However, not everyone liked the school's modernist views and in 1925 the school moved from conservative Weimar to social democratic Dessau, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, north of Leipzig.

Nazism

During the Nazi era, the Bauhaus movement in Germany faced problems. When the Nazis seized power in Dessau in 1932, the school was forced to move to Berlin. A year later, it closed permanently. Many of the teachers and students fled to the US and other countries, spreading the school's ideas around the world.

READ MORE: Things to do in Germany and German attractions
READ MORE: Potsdam in Germany - and Sanssouci Castle

Tough times for women in the Bauhaus school

It wasn't easy to make it as a woman in the artistic world. the women of the Bauhaus school often had no choice but to 'choose' the textile workshops. Here they decided to set the same high standards for the artistic aspects as in all other school subjects. However, few women achieved the status of 'masters' compared to their male colleagues.

During dinner, we heard interesting stories about several of the women, including the skilful textile artist Otti Berger, who unfortunately did not manage to escape to the USA and died in the concentration camp in Auschwitz.

Bauhaus significance

The teachers of the Bauhaus school were the most prominent architects and artists of the time, with a strong focus on social responsibility and community development. The movement had a huge influence on modern design, from architecture to graphic design, both in Germany and abroad. Today the Bauhaus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, both the design school itself with its impact on the world and all the Bauhaus buildings in Dessau.

The link between bauhaus in Germany and funkis in Sweden

Functionalism, or funkis as it is commonly known, is the style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s with the ideal of 'form follows function'. In Sweden, the style had its breakthrough at the Stockholm Exhibition on Djurgården in 1930. The exhibition attracted almost 4 million (!) visitors and the chief architect of the exhibition was Gunnar Asplund.

Bauhaus 100 years - things to see and do in Weimar

If you're visiting Weimar and want to immerse yourself in Bauhaus design, there are plenty of sights and activities:

Bauhaus Museum in Weimar opened in April this year to mark its 100th anniversary. It displays artefacts from the world's oldest Bauhaus collection and focuses on the school's early history.
Haus am Horn is the famous first Bauhaus villa.
Guided Bauhaus walk are organised throughout the city for those who want to know more.
antiques is an antique shop where you can find design objects.

Bauhaus 100 years - things to see and do in Dessau

Dessau is strongly linked to the Bauhaus, and there is much to see here. Have a read: Things to do in Dessau - 14 tips for the Bauhaus city.

Bauhaus Museum in Dessau will open in September this year. This museum will have an exhibition space of over 1500 square metres and will showcase architecture, furniture, lighting, textiles, wallpaper and typefaces.
Master houses are the houses designed by Rector Walter Gropius himself, and where some of the most famous teachers lived.
The Dessau-Törten townhouse area - These 1920s terraced houses are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Coffee in a Bauhaus environment in the Kornhaus building on the river Elbe. The building was designed by Carl Fieger and is located at Kornhausstrasse 146.

Bauhaus 100 years - things to see and do in Berlin

There are also many clear traces of the famous design school in Berlin! Here are some examples of what to see and do in Berlin:

Bauhaus Archive is in the process of renovating the museum in Haus Hardenberg, a listed office building in Charlottenburg, Berlin. The renovation will be completed in 3-4 years.
Haus am Rupenhorn are houses built in the Bauhaus style in the 1920s.

Bauhas trip to Germany

For those who want to experience Bauahu's 100th anniversary on site, and who are not travelling by caravan, for example, a theme trip is being arranged by Svensk Form on 10-13 October.

Bauhaus in other parts of the world

When the teachers and students of the Bauhaus school were forced to flee Nazism, the teachings spread around the world, including to the United States. In Tel Aviv, Israel, there are also the white city, a residential area with 4000 Bauhaus-style houses.

To mark the 100th anniversary, the German Tourist Board, in collaboration with the creative architectural office DUS in Amsterdam, has produced a mini version of the Bauhaus. DUS is so well known that it was visited by Barak Obama when he was still president and travelling in Europe. TINY [BAU]HAUS is a 3D print made from sustainable materials that is touring Europe, including Copenhagen in October. It will be open to the public.

Tiny Bauhaus, *Paris © Marie Gabrielle Durand*

Want to know more about Bauhaus 100 years?

If you want to know more about Bauhaus 100 years, you can read more on the page Bauhaus100.

Did you know that Bauhaus is also something completely different from a DIY store? Have you even seen any of the museums or buildings on site?

30 April 2019 6:00

Germany

history, UNESCO heritage

Helena

Administrator

23 Comments

Add yours →

Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

We had probably also thought that Bauhaus was synonymous with the DIY store until one Friday night we were sitting on the TV sofa, watching "På Spåret" and the questions were about Berlin (we think). This is one of the few TV programmes we try to watch if possible.

30 April 2019 - 6:51

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad they brought it up in På spåret! 🙂
  
  30 April 2019 - 11:21
  
  Reply
Eva/Living like Eva says:

How interesting! I don't know much about Bauhaus, but have known about them since 1990, when I discovered the artist Paul Klee (who was a teacher at the school). And now I have also visited the "white city" in Tel Aviv!

30 April 2019 - 8:59

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  What fun! Especially that you visited the white city in Tel Aviv! 🙂
  
  30 April 2019 - 11:22
  
  Reply
Anette Åhnbrink says:

Three years ago, there was a diversion right at Dessau, and we thought it looked nice there, so we said that on the way home from Greece (what else?) we stop there! Said and done, unfortunately we ended up there when a rainstorm passed by, so it was not as much explored as we thought, by the way, stood on a lovely little site on the Elbe, leopoldshafen, a boat club that was located on a peninsula, you saw the Kornhaus building from there, which unfortunately was closed when we cycled past in the morning after the rain. Very nice bike paths, many castles and other nice houses to look at, recommended!

30 April 2019 - 9:06

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Nice that you have been in Dessau! It sounds like a nice area! 🙂
  
  30 April 2019 - 11:23
  
  Reply
Ama de casa says:

Yes, I still think of DIY stores when I hear "Bauhaus". Will probably continue to do so even in the future, difficult to teach old dogs to sit, kind of 🙂 🙂

By the way, isn't that first picture one of the main courses you got at the event? 😉

Have a great May Day evening!

30 April 2019 - 9:46

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, yes, that's one way of looking at it, although I've corrected for dessert now 😉.
  
  30 April 2019 - 11:23
  
  Reply
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

Interesting. You learnt new things there. You never get too old. Happy May Day

30 April 2019 - 10:07

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  That's how it is! Happy May Day! 🙂
  
  30 April 2019 - 11:24
  
  Reply
- Ruth in Virginia says:
  
  You always learn something new when you read different blogs.
  Perfect source for a curious, nosy old lady like me. 🙂
  I feel like I am in the loop - still.
  
  30 April 2019 - 16:01
  
  Reply
  - Comment by post author
    
    Helena says:
    
    Agreed! I always learn something new from reading blogs.
    
    01 May 2019 - 6:19
    
    Reply
Ditte says:

Interesting and fun reading! And I learnt a lot of new things.

Wishing you a nice May Day weekend.

30 April 2019 - 13:15

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you Ditte!
  
  30 April 2019 - 20:21
  
  Reply
Lisa says:

I knew that there was a different Bauhaus than the hardware store because we saw a really good film on German TV about the Bauhaus a while ago. It showed how tough it was, especially for women. The film was called Bauhaus and can be highly recommended

30 April 2019 - 15:19

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  How nice that you have seen a film about Bauhaus! Sounds interesting, thanks for the tips!!!
  
  30 April 2019 - 20:21
  
  Reply
Christina Löfgren says:

Thank you so much for the great info on Bauhaus, I will be visiting Weimar this summer. Oh thanks to you and for Sweden's best travel blog.

30 April 2019 - 17:11

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  What fun if there is a visit to Weimar Christina! And many thanks for the nice words about our blog!!! 🙂
  
  30 April 2019 - 20:22
  
  Reply
BP says:

Interesting reading and I learnt a lot of new things here. Great that you mentioned Tel Aviv and the white city that I commented on before.

30 April 2019 - 20:36

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, I heard about it both from you and during dinner! If I come to Tel Aviv I will have to check it out! 🙂
  
  01 May 2019 - 6:20
  
  Reply
Lena in Wales says:

Have visited the Bauhaus in Dessau, very interesting.
They had some students there on courses when I was there, so interacted with some. Fun to find out a little about today's Bauhaus, this was a little over 5 years ago.
A great place with many groundbreaking ideas.

01 May 2019 - 9:41

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you were there! Now that we have learnt more about this, it would be great to get there!
  
  06 January 2020 - 21:05
  
  Reply
Lena - good for the soul says:

Hehe, no. I have never heard of this. Although it seems to be quite big, to say the least!

Hug Lena

03 May 2019 - 7:01

Reply

Bauhaus 100 years - the story of a German design school

Bauhaus - something completely different from a DIY store

Bauhaus school

Weimar and Dessau

Nazism

Tough times for women in the Bauhaus school

Bauhaus significance

The link between bauhaus in Germany and funkis in Sweden

Bauhaus 100 years - things to see and do in Weimar

Bauhaus 100 years - things to see and do in Dessau

Bauhaus 100 years - things to see and do in Berlin

Bauhas trip to Germany

Bauhaus in other parts of the world

Want to know more about Bauhaus 100 years?

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23 Comments

Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

Helena says:

Eva/Living like Eva says:

Helena says:

Anette Åhnbrink says:

Helena says:

Ama de casa says:

Helena says:

Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

Helena says:

Ruth in Virginia says:

Helena says:

Ditte says:

Helena says:

Lisa says:

Helena says:

Christina Löfgren says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Lena in Wales says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

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