Just a little more than an hours drive from Berlin, Dessau is a day trip more than worthwhile for the architecturally interested and for Bauhaus aficionados in particular. This town, heavily scarred and de-structurized by war bombardment and post-war socialist urban aimlessness, has a lot more to offer than one can guess at first sight. Apart from the main Bauhaus building complex, there are the Meisterhäuser, the cooperative housing estate Törten (Siedlung Törten → Gropiussiedlung), the former employment office, the access balcony houses (Laubenganghäuser), a experimental steelhouse and the Kornhaus Restaurant by the Elbe River.

With it´s unique integral approach of combining crafts and art in a three step education, the idea and it´s results revolutionized the way we see and perceive all things we touch and use. Form follows function. Modern design as we know it was born. The three step education comprised the Vorlehre (preliminary course), the Werklehre (craft course) and Baulehre (building course). Bauhaus not only influenced architecture, but also had an immense impact on objects of everyday use, for example kitchen utensils and furniture.

However the main focus in Dessau lies in the architecture of the above mentioned buildings. Here are some impressions of the workshop, administration and dormitory blocks.

Bauhaus overcast.

Bauhaus sunny.

Bauhaus fans in reflection.

Dormitory balconies.

Workshop wing, lots of glass.

Dormitory.

More to follow.