Two weeks after its WH designation, this still proved to be a pretty low-key site to visit. Alfeld an der Leine is a town somewhat hidden in the land close to the former GDR border, some 50km from the main North-South Autobahn. The Fagus Works is signposted from the town entrance, and indeed at first sight just looks like a factory. A very clean one that is – they develop wooden shoe lasts here.

I visited on a Saturday when no production was going on. By car, you enter the complex via the main factory gate. The gatehouse was also designed by Gropius in the overall style of the complex. I told the guard that I wanted to visit the exhibition, and he sent me on to a grey building at the back of the complex. This was a former storehouse, which was turned into an exhibition building.

There were about 15 other visitors around. One of the caretakers noticed the Dutch license plates on my car and called out - “all the way from Holland!” A foreign visitor clearly still is a rarity here. After paying the small entrance fee (3 EUR) I made my way through the four levels of exhibitions. The lower levels are mostly dedicated to the building’s history and architecture, while the upper levels focus on shoemaking. I really liked the historical photos of the factory – while it still was under construction and the photos by Albert Renger-Patzsch that made this work of modern architecture famous around the world.

All the time I was a little anxious – the exhibition is quite well done, but what I had came for was the architecture. Unfortunately, the general public is not allowed to enter the main buildings. You can freely walk around the complex and take pictures, but that’s about it. I think a visit to the site would greatly improve with a guided tour around the buildings.