Summary
Where the Mulde River converges with the Elbe, Dessau is often referred to as the “Bauhaus city.” This designation is well-deserved, as Walter Gropius established the Bauhaus school in Dessau in 1926. The primary building of the Bauhaus school is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as are the homes Gropius designed for the school’s instructors.
Another UNESCO site worthy of mention is the enchanting Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm. Significantly older, this decorative expanse comprises a collection of English-style parks and palatial structures initiated by the Duke of Anhalt-Dessau in the 18th century, featuring some of the first English parks and Neoclassical palaces in German-speaking regions.
Let us delve into the top activities to experience in Dessau:
1. Bauhaus Dessau
The main building of the Bauhaus school, designed by Walter Gropius in 1926, emerged from a period when the school lacked an architecture department, which was established only in 1927. Financial support was provided by the city of Dessau, and the structure exemplifies key characteristics of Bauhaus architecture, including a glass facade integrated into a load-bearing framework and minimal visibility of supporting elements at the corners.
Guided tours are available, although English-speaking tours are less frequent; it is advisable to confirm timings in advance.
Regardless, it is an essential visit, as it grants access to Gropius’s private office, where he was stationed until 1928 before departing for Berlin.
2. Bauhaus Masters’ Houses
In addition to the main building, the city of Dessau financed the Gropius-designed residences for the Bauhaus faculty members, who leased them from the municipality.
Gropius and his spouse, Ise, resided in the most substantial detached dwelling, which was arranged in a row with three semi-detached residences, each featuring identical modular floor plans.
These residences were named after the renowned individuals who occupied them: Moholy-Nagy/Feininger, Muche/Schlemmer, and Kandinsky/Klee.
Designed for habitation, the Masters’ Houses also served as model homes for educational purposes.
Nestled within a pine woodland, the houses remain well-preserved and exemplify the signature clean lines associated with Bauhaus design.
Although the Gropius and Moholy-Nagy houses were destroyed during the war, they have been recently reconstructed and reopened in 2014. The Kandinsky-Klee House is available for tours, whereas the Feininger House operates as a museum and documentation center dedicated to the German-American composer Kurt Weill, born in Dessau in 1900.
3. Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm
Throughout Dessau, this UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises stately buildings and exquisite gardens reflecting the 18th-century reign of Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau.
The initiative for the project stemmed from Enlightenment ideals, while design concepts were inspired by a Grand Tour of Italy, the Netherlands, France, England, and Switzerland undertaken by the Duke in the 1760s with architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff.
Upon his return, he commissioned Germany’s first English park in Wörlitz, which remains a centerpiece of the Garden Realm, intended as a source of inspiration for visiting architects and horticulturists.
The landscape features eccentric structures, including Europe’s sole artificial volcano situated in the center of a lake, along with Rock Island topped by the pavilion, Villa Hamilton.
The duke was also responsible for establishing the Wörlitz Synagogue, highlighting his religious tolerance and serving as an ornamental feature inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli.
4. Schloss Wörlitz
The Garden Realm includes the first Palladian palace erected outside of England.
Schloss Wörlitz replaced a Baroque hunting lodge and was completed in 1773 to commemorate the duke’s recent marriage to Margravine Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt.
The influence of Neoclassical architecture is evident in the prominent portico and tympanum adorning the main facade.
Tours are conducted from Tuesday to Sunday, showcasing a decor that, while opulent, is notably less elaborate than the Rococo houses of its era.
Schloss Wörlitz features amenities unique to palatial residences of the time, including food lifts, retractable doors, folding beds, an upper-floor water supply system, an early refrigerator, and cast-iron stoves.
5. Luisium
Within the Garden Realm lies an intimate Neoclassical palace constructed by Leopold III for his wife, Margravine Louise.
The palace’s construction commenced in 1774 and was modeled after contemporary English country houses.
The ground floor boasts a solemn ballroom adorned with reliefs, frescoes, and marble-effect columns, while the upper apartments are more modest yet embellished with intricate stucco and family portraits.
Guided tours of the interior are available from May to September.
The palace resides in another English landscape park, featuring an elegant Gothic Revival stable building, an orangery, faux ruins, and an ancient forest inhabited by wild boar.
6. Dessau-Törten Housing Estate
While the Bauhaus school was located in Dessau, the administration sought Walter Gropius’s assistance to address the city’s affordable housing challenges.
His response materialized in the housing estate situated in the district of Törten, where current residents enjoy living in Bauhaus-style homes.
The estate, constructed between 1926 and 1928, comprises 314 housing units following its completion.
This project included experimental elements as Bauhaus explored new materials, designs, and prefabricated components.
The primary goal was to minimize construction costs while fostering resident self-sufficiency.
Consequently, all homes featured kitchen gardens and enclosures for small animals.
The main landmark in Törten, the Konsum Building, hosts exhibitions related to the project, and guided tours of the neighborhood are also available.
7. Georgium
Within the Garden Realm, Georgium ranks as the most cherished landscape park after Wörlitz, created for Leopold III’s younger brother, Johann Georg.
Situated about one kilometer from the Elbe, Georgium features a variety of follies, including the ruins of a Roman portico, an Ionian temple, a triumphal arch, and the intriguing remnants of a bridge.
The Neoclassical palace houses the Anhaltische Gemäldegalerie (Anhalt Painting Gallery), displaying works from the 1700s to the 1900s by notable artists, such as Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Mytens, landscape painter Jacob Philipp Hackert, and Realist Wilhelm Trübner.
Most compelling are the works on paper by Albrecht Dürer and Hieronymus Bosch.
8. Technikmuseum Hugo Junkers
Hugo Junkers was instrumental in facilitating the Bauhaus’s relocation from Weimar to Dessau.
The aviation engineer and aircraft designer established his factory in the city in 1895. Opened in 2001 at the site of his former factory, the museum chronicles Junkers’ life and showcases the pioneering machinery he created.
The exhibits include machinery relevant to Junkers’ career, such as the iconic Ju 52, employed for both civilian and military purposes, alongside various Junkers engines (Jumo 207, 211, 213 A, 213 AG-1, 004 A, L 5), many of which are displayed in cross-section.
Outdoor exhibits feature the substantial remains of a wind tunnel from 1934, as well as hardware from the GDR era, including a MiG-21 jet fighter and an Ilyushin Il-14 personnel aircraft.
9. Schloss Mosigkau
Revisiting the Garden Realm, Schloss Mosigkau presents an opulent palace predating many of Leopold’s constructions.
Designed in Rococo style during the 1750s, it was constructed for Prince Leopold I’s favored daughter, Princess Anna Wilhelmine.
Upon her passing in 1780, her will stipulated that the house become a convent for unmarried noblewomen, a function it maintained until 1945. Since the 1950s, the palace has served as a museum for Rococo decor and an art gallery housing Flemish and Dutch masters such as Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Brueghel the Elder, and Anthony van Dyck.
The gardens remain in their Rococo style, featuring a bowling alley, trimmed hedges, a maze, and a fish pond.
The orangery continues to support the wintering of exotic, centuries-old potted plants, which line the main pathway to the palace in the warmer months.
10. Arbeitsamt von Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius designed Dessau’s employment center after the Institute for Employment and Unemployment Insurance was established in 1927. Gropius won the design competition, and the facility was completed by 1929. The office was thoughtfully organized to direct visitors based on gender and five distinct professions to facilitate their job searches.
Natural light plays a crucial role in the design, highlighted by a semi-circular rotunda featuring a glass saw-toothed roof that illuminates the interior and includes a ventilation system operable via cables.
The building functioned as a job center until the conclusion of the Second World War.
Since reunification, it has transformed into Dessau’s office for public safety and order, allowing visitors to explore its unique architecture.
11. Museum für Stadtgeschichte
The Residenzschloss, located in Dessau’s historical old town, was among the earliest Renaissance structures in Central Germany, commissioned in the mid-16th century.
Of this expansive multi-winged palace, the central section known as Johannbau still stands today after the complex sustained bomb damage during the Second World War.
The remaining section features curved gables and a tower with a spiral staircase, hosting Dessau’s museum of city history.
Notable exhibits include a model of the Dessau Synagogue, which was destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938, an impressive cast iron collection, and a substantial trove of approximately 5,000 coins and medals.
Also on display are educational models from the Philanthropium, an Enlightenment-era school from the late 18th century, including a remarkable model depicting a lightning strike on a church spire.
12. Elberadweg
In Dessau, visitors can access a cycling and walking route that begins in the Czech Republic and stretches nearly 1,000 kilometers across Germany before concluding at the North Sea in Cuxhaven.
The riverside scenery in Dessau is verdant, dotted with noble estates ideal for scenic detours.
For a delightful day trip, cyclists can reach Wittenberg upstream in just a few hours.
Wittenberg, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is nicknamed “Lutherstadt” and is recognized as the birthplace of the Reformation in the 16th century.
Along the way, consider stopping in Coswig to admire the striking Baroque Schloss Coswig.
13. Kornhaus
Regardless of whether you travel by bike or on foot, remember to visit this restaurant, located adjacent to the Elbe.
The Kornhaus was designed by Bauhaus architect Carl Fieger, who worked alongside Gropius for many years as a draftsman.
Fieger contributed to the design of both the main Bauhaus building and the Masters’ Houses.
The building’s name is derived from a granary dating back to the 1700s and has evolved into a beloved dining destination since its opening in 1930. The Kornhaus boasts two stories on the street side, with a stairway leading to a stunning, single-level riverfront dining area adorned with expansive windows and a rotunda that offers panoramic views of the river.
14. Oranienbaum
This settlement underwent a name change in the 17th century when Dutch Countess Henriette Catherine of Nassau relocated here upon marrying Prince John George II of Anhalt-Dessau.
The Dutch Baroque palace constructed for Henriette Catherine retains connections to the House of Orange, the Dutch royal family.
The former Dutch Queen Beatrix served as a patron for the palace’s recent restoration, visiting in 2004 and 2012. The formal Baroque gardens are a delight, featuring a five-story pagoda and a Chinese tea house.
The orangery, measuring 175 meters, stands as one of the longest in Europe and is well-stocked with citrus plants and exotic shrubs.
15. Tierpark Dessau
This expansive 11-hectare area, located just steps from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), constitutes the largest recreational space within Dessau.
The park encompasses the former mausoleum for the Dukes of Anhalt, a striking Neo-Renaissance monument completed in 1898. The zoo, which has garnered acclaim for its animal welfare practices, is the main attraction of the park.
Among the 120 species at Tierpark Dessau, many are native to Central Europe; alongside them are a selection of exotic animals, including jaguars, coatis, tamarins, and alpacas.
These share the habitat with more familiar fauna such as goats, lynxes, wolves, and deer.
Notably, a recent addition to the park replicas the dune ecosystems of the Wadden Sea, home to pied avocets, lapwings, and various other waders and waterfowl.
