Germany celebrates a century of artistic innovation honoring the Bauhaus in 2019

Bauhaus began in Weimar in 1919
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

GERMANY — Between the two great wars of the 20th century a movement arose in Germany called Staatliches Bauhaus which was more commonly known as "Bauhaus."

Germany's defeat in World War I, the fall of the German monarchy and the abolition of censorship under the new, liberal Weimar Republic allowed an upsurge of radical experimentation in all the arts, which had been suppressed by the old regime.

Bauhaus founder, architect Walter Gropius
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Founded by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919, Bauhaus (meaning "building house") combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to the designs  it publicized and taught.

Oddly enough, despite the fact that Gropius was an architect, the original school did not have an architecture department during its first several years.

Gropius teaching scheme for
Bauhaus
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Even so, Gropius had extremely specific ideas about the structure of his fine arts institution as pictured below in his "Diagram for the Structure of Teaching at the Bauhaus."

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of this influential project, though its lifespan only lasted fourteen years, from 1919 to 1933 when the National Socialists shut it down. Even so, the international impact of the Bauhaus movement thrives today as a tribute to the concept of "Rethinking the World."

Bauhaus was relocated to Dessau in1925
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Weimar's original school of design was relocated to Dessau in 1925 and later briefly to Berlin in 1932. Thanks to its international forms, Bauhaus remains the most effective cultural export that Germany produced during the twentieth century.

Due to the repressive political measures of the National Socialists and drastic cutbacks in funding, it was no longer  possible to operate in Berlin.

The Berlin Bauhaus was short-lived and had to be moved for political reasons  (Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

In October 1931, the Bauhaus resumed work in an abandoned telephone factory in Berlin-Steglitz. However, the premises had already been searched and sealed by  police and the SA on 11th April 1933. In the process, 32 students were arrested.

The short-lived, dramatic Berlin phase led many "Bauhauslers" into “inner emigration” or into actual emigration, thus giving the movement a global identity along with the international reputation it still enjoys today.

The former Bauhaus pottery workshop in Dornburg was established by Walter Gropius in 1920 and is in use as workshop today. It also has a hotel and restaurant.
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Moving their ideas from Germany to the United States, China, Israel, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico and beyond, former teachers and students established bold new concepts in the fields of fine and applied art, design, architecture and education. Rethinking the world was, therefore, central to its effectiveness.

Second director Hannes Meyer
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Following Gropius, the second Bauhaus director was one of the most important architects of the New Architecture movement of the 1920's. Hannes Meyer broadened the scope of the Bauhaus project with innovative concepts that had a lasting influence on important aspects of the Bauhaus’ controversial reputation. His theories, which emphasized the social aspects of design, were widely criticized and poorly received.

In addition, Meyer was a rather stealth leader during his tenure as director of the Bauhaus. So much so, in fact,  that he is frequently referred to as the "unknown Bauhaus director."

Some analysts believe he was too communist while others claim he was too bourgeois. In retrospect, it is now clear that Meyer probably had a stronger influence on the Bauhaus and its students than Gropius may have wanted to believe.

The original plans for the League of Nations in Geneva,
Switzerland  (Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

"The anniversary of the founding of Bauhaus is ideally suited to consolidate Germany's position as the number one  cultural destination for Europeans," said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board.

"The roots, heritage and international appeal of the Bauhaus movement can be experienced in cities such as Weimar, Dessau, Berlin and many other areas. These are all contributing factors to a very important facet of travel destination Germany’s cultural offering.”  

Architecture was a primary focus
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Over time, brief though its physical existence may have been,  the Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in modern design, Modernist architecture and art, design and architectural education. The Bauhaus also had a profound influence upon subsequent developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography.

Given the politics of the era when the Bauhaus was established and existed, the changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors and political influence. For example, when Mies van der Rohe took over as director of the school in 1930, he made it a private institution and would not allow any supporters of Hannes Meyer to attend.

In 2019, the new Bauhaus Museum will open with the slogan,
"The Bauhaus comes from Weimar"
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de)

Travelers planning to visit Germany next year may want to check whether any Bauhaus events are taking place during their visit. Programs are planned throughout the year, particularly in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin.

With the new Bauhaus Museum opening in Weimar next year, the slogan "The Bauhaus comes from Weimar" is especially relevant on several levels for the German psyche.

Bauhaus in Weimar -- Bauhaus represents many layers of
German pride with its contributions in design and architecture
(Courtesy: Bauhaus100de) 

As philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once expressed so elegantly, "The ills of an age are healed by changing the ways in which people live their lives."

So important has the Bauhaus movement become that it was awarded UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status in 2009.

The Bauhaus is recognized worldwide as a synonym for modern architecture and design. Its ideas have not aged; rather, many of them appear to have lost none of their topicality and inspire the search for contemporary resolutions.