The impact of the Bauhaus on modern architecture and design is undoubtedly immense. Everyone can find traces of these ideas in his everyday live: buildings, furniture and objects of daily use. Although the Bauhaus School was founded in Weimar in 1919, the building in Dessau (photo) designed by Walter Gropius is the symbol of the Bauhaus idea: the unity of art and technology based on function. The glass curtain walls are striking, Gropius has used this element for the first time at the Fagus Factory. I would recommend to take a guided tour, even though they are in German language. The tour takes you through many parts of the building that are not open to individual visitors: the auditorium, the cafeteria, the director's office, a student flat. Everywhere you can see examples (such as door handles, furniture, lamps) that the interior design follows the same principles as the architecture.

The Masters' Houses are just a few minutes away from the school building and well worth a visit. After the move from Weimar to Dessau, Gropius designed three twin-houses for the Bauhaus masters and a single house for the director himself. Although the houses are constructed from the same basic elements, the interiors were designed differently according to the tastes of the residents. The house of Gropius and one half of a Master's House were destroyed in the WWII. In 2011/2012, both buildings are going to be reconstructed in their original form.

There are other examples of the Bauhaus architecture in Dessau, that are not included in the WHS, but probably interesting for fans of modern architecture. In the district of Dessau-Törten, Gropius designed a housing estate of terraced houses with kitchen gardens. The intention was to build affordable houses for the masses. The housing estate is well preserved, but the buildings have undergone many modifications. Especially, the window fronts are changed almost everywhere. One house has been reconstructed in the original form, it is used by the Moses-Mendelssohn-Society and can be visited. There is also a daily guided tour through the Törten estate (start at the Konsum Building). During the tour the visitors can also see an apartment in a “Laubenganghaus” (house with balcony access) and the Steel House. Near the train station is the former Employement Office designed by Gropius. It is still used as a public building (nowadays the city's Traffic Office) and can be visited during opening times. Near the Elbe river is the restaurant Kornhaus, that should be visited not only for its architecture but also because of the excellent food. The terrace offers a magnificent view to the Elbe, this area is part of the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve.

During my visit I realized how important the influence of the Bauhaus really was. Many of the ideas that were developed in Weimar and Dessau are today a matter of course and part of our everyday lives. All in all one of my favourite WHS - however, I'm obviously a fan of modern architecture.

We had accommodation at the lovely bed-and-breakfast "7 Säulen" (7 Pillars) opposite to the Master's Houses, which I can also recommend.