If I were to pick the most special WHS I've seen this year, it would have to be the Bauhaus sites. It is not because they are beautiful and grand, but more because of the impact they have made to the world. I myself was surprised to find out that something so common and recent could still be so interesting! Modern architecture and modern designs as we know today have largely been shaped by this school of thought. Its influences are still apparent today, and they, perhaps, are even more relevant now than they were ever before. 

My visit in Germany could not be more timely: the Bauhaus celebrates its 100th year anniversary this 2019. I was able to trace back the evolution of this school of thought beginning with a visit to Weimar where it all started in 1919. There, I even witnessed a class performance (Bauhaus in action?) at the "Bauhaus Box" beside the administration building. Next, I went to Dessau where the Bauhaus reached its period of initial blossoming, and then to Berlin where its principles were extended and applied for the greater good, i.e., when Walter Gropius took part in the creation of the Grosssiedlung Siemensstadt (of the Berlin Modernist Housing Estates-WHS).

I have also seen works of other Bauhaus masters such as that of Mies van der Rohe in the Weissenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart. And when I thought I have already had enough of Bauhaus, I got an assignment to go to Israel, on the invitation of their ministry of tourism, where I had to fly out again literally 36 hours after I arrived back in Manila to get there. In Tel Aviv, I was billeted in a hotel right at the heart of the White City, which sports the largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings in the world. Suffice to say, the whole "Bauhaus theme" experience for me was indeed memorable, and more or less complete. 

The message of the Bauhaus is rather clear and simple: Despite its troublesome beginnings, the Bauhaus has left so many marks around the world. Sometimes, however, we take them for granted and forget how they have made our lives more comfortable. If there is one tradition that perfectly embodies the spirit of a "true" global heritage and what it should be, the Bauhaus brand of modernism fits that without any question. I was happy enough to bring home a copy of 2019 special edition of the "Bauhaus: 1919-1932" book, a commemorative puzzle that says, "From Thuringia to the World", as well as fridge magnets depicting Bauhaus buildings of Tel Aviv -- indeed, great souvenirs from a wonderful World Heritage Site!