If you’re a fan of Bauhaus, you’ve probably seen countless images of the building in Dessau, where the principles of the school were taught and developed. From architectural models of the building to photographs taken from the balconies of the ateliers, there was ample evidence that the era of the school (1926–1933) was a golden age for design.
The building’s modern lines are impressive, considering it opened in 1926. It’s hard to imagine how this building existed at the same time speakeasys and flapper girls were the rage.
The visit, however, is anything but “form meets function”, a principle the school focused on. It’s unclear where to start — there’s the front of the building with Bauhaus spelled out, with no door. From the side, we went in, but there was a sign that said to go from the back. When we finally figured it out, it was unclear where you were allowed to go in the building, or how to experience the place.
After wandering around, we found that you’re allowed everywhere, as long as the door is not locked. There were plenty of rooms that the tours had access to, but wanderers were not permitted. All tours were in German, so there wasn’t much we could do to experience the building.
Disappointed we wandered around the campus area, thinking that the other buildings, Master Houses and other example structures were nearby. Instead, we came across a sign that led to a castle. Since it was only a few hundred meters away, we decided to take a bit of a detour.
There was an old palace that was fenced in. The surrounding area was lush and green and quite enjoyable to walk around. At the end of the road was an enormous mausoleum. Entrance was 3,50 Euros and we decided to go in. The ancient ruin like atmosphere along with the overgrown grass and lush foliage made the park look interestingly mysterious.
Once we paid the entrance fee, we stepped in to find a large bird cage.
“Funny, they have birds from Brazil?!”
Walking past the mausoleum, we saw a sign for bears.
“Let’s go see what the sign for bears is all about.”
As we turned to follow the path, we realized we were in a zoo. The mausoleum was in a secluded garden/park area that happened to be inhabited by bears gifted to the royal people who were buried there.
If we had known it was a zoo, we wouldn’t have entered. Luckily, the zoo was full of well arranged plants and flowers. The walk from animal pen to animal pen was quite enjoyable.
We came across an old tower and went closer to see it — but it turned out to be a bathroom. Europe is known for repurposing old ancient structures into serving practical modern needs.
After the zoo, we decided to revisit the Bauhaus and give it another chance. After grabbing lunch in the cafe, we visited the exhibition that provided a brief history and learned where the other buildings were located.
The Master Houses were a nice collection of buildings to visit. Exploring from top to bottom, the two sides of the house were residences for two sepereate masters (Klee and Kandinsky).
Then we went to visit all the other spots on the map including the random buildings and residences in the surrounding area.
Overall, it was interesting to see the Bauhaus structures, but a bit depressing to see how people don’t really care about them as much anymore. The homes in the neighborhoods may have the structure, but the windows and decor are much doctored up to non Bauhaus aesthetics. It’s almost as if the shape of the homes are relics of the past that are no longer relevant — not as relevant as the thick bordered, non proportionally pleasing window frames that are adapted onto the homes.
It also gave me a taste of how the school failed. IF it were practical and IF it could better people’s lives, why weren’t the ideas incorporated? The ideas didn’t survive because there were flaws. Perhaps the political involvement of the school (the ideas were known to be “Marxist”) limited the development.
I like the experimentation they did, but it seems that practicality has been left out. Or maybe such experimentation wasn’t further refined for practicality in Europe. Since the school had to close during Hitler’s regime, the practical development phase may have never been reached. The flat roofs of the Master homes would flood with water and the school building was known to overheat in the summer and get too cold in the winter.
It seems the sublime “form meets function” principle I had been seeking isn’t in Dessau or anywhere in Germany where the ideas originated. The prominent professors all moved overseas, many to the US. Mies Van der Rohe’s development of modern architecture is much appreciated and practiced today. Arch Daily has a new modern structure every single day.
So…prior to this visit, to the the holy land of Bauhaus, I have been closer to the ideals of the school (the aesthetic of simple and well balanced proportions, idea of geometric beauty and form meets function) for most of my life.
The Mies buildings in Chicago, Frank Lloyd Wright in my neighborhood — there were more living ideals of the principles embodied in my surroundings than the birthplace of Bauhaus.
Plus, most of the building was rebuilt post war (due to tremendous destruction)…it’s debatable how significant the actual building is anymore.
