In May I spent some time in Europe. I saw a lot of castles, but this was my favorite.
Bauhaus at Dessau was constructed in 1925-26. It was designed by the founder of the Bauhaus, Walter Gropius and was commissioned and paid for by the city of Dessau.
Bauhaus, shortly after completion.
Source: © Lucia Moholy Estate via 99 Percent Invisible
For some context of the time period, check out the buildings in the distance.
Source: Bauhaus
It still operates as a school. There's also a museum and café.
The dorms where junior masters and promising students lived and worked.
It's where Marcel Breuer, Josef Albers, Herbert Bayer, Franz Ehrlich, Marianne Brandt, and Anni Albers slept.
It is also where a much less important design geek spent the night. I was able to call Bauhaus home for a night. It was so special.
Gropius handles are everywhere.
In bed at Bauhaus.
László Moholy-Nagy Bauhaus balconies
Source: The Charnel-House
Die Bauhausburger!
Founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, in 1919, the Bauhaus was located in Dessau from 1925 to 1932. On the run from the Nazis, the school was moved to Berlin in 1932, before closing down in 1933. Many of the artists, designers and architects moved to the United States and taught at Harvard, MIT, Black Mountain College and even Pond Farm. Almost a century later, the Bauhaus influence on art, design and architecture is still powerful.
Dessau is less than a two hour drive from Berlin. It's a modern mecca. Besides the school, there are a few other buildings in Dessau I'll post later.