Bauhaus-Archiv

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Bauhaus-Archiv was founded in Darmstadt in 1960 at the initiative of art historian Hans Maria Wingler. Its aim was to gather and research the scattered records of the school of design founded in Weimar in 1919 and dissolved in 1933. Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus, supported the project and designed a museum building, which was never realized in Darmstadt, however.

In the early 1970s the institution moved to West Berlin. After Gropius's death, his design was adapted to a site on the Landwehrkanal in Tiergarten; in 1979 the building with its characteristic sawtooth roofs opened on Klingelhöferstraße. The building is now itself a listed monument and one of the city's best-known pieces of architecture.

The collection is considered the most comprehensive in the world on the history and influence of the Bauhaus. It includes furniture, lamps, metal and ceramic works, textiles, paintings and prints, photographs, architectural plans and models, as well as numerous estates and documents of the school's teachers and students.

Since 2018 the original building has been undergoing a heritage-sensitive renovation and is being extended with a new building by Staab Architekten featuring a glass tower; the archive and library are closed during construction. Until the reopening, the museum shows smaller presentations with free admission at the Temporary Bauhaus-Archiv on Ernst-Reuter-Platz, runs the Bauhaus shop there, and realizes larger exhibitions as a guest at other Berlin venues.

Highlights

• World's largest collection on the history of the Bauhaus
• Museum building designed by Walter Gropius with striking sawtooth roofs (currently a construction site)
• New extension with a glass tower by Staab Architekten
• Temporary Bauhaus-Archiv with Bauhaus shop and free admission
• Bauhaus Music festival and hands-on workshop formats

Founded

1960

Operated by

Bauhaus-Archiv e.V.

Director

Brigitte Franzen

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Temporary Bauhaus-Archiv: free admission. Exhibitions of the Bauhaus-Archiv at other venues (e.g., Museum für Fotografie) are subject to that venue's admission. Some workshops and tours are paid.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Step-free entrance (the door is somewhat heavy; staff will help); main area wheelchair-accessible with seating; the walkway, about 2 m high, can only be reached by stairs. No tactile floor guidance system. The Ernst-Reuter-Platz subway station has no elevator; the nearest station with an elevator is Zoologischer Garten. Two accessible parking spaces opposite, in front of the Renaissance-Theater (from 15:00). Website information in easy-to-read German and sign language; questions in advance to welcome@bauhaus.de.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Open Bauhaus-Werkstatt (workshop) every Saturday morning, explicitly for all age groups. The Temporary Bauhaus-Archiv (a storefront space) has neither a coat check nor public restrooms.

Getting there & parking

Nearest station with an elevator: S+U Zoologischer Garten. From the Ernst-Reuter-Platz subway station (Hardenbergstraße exit), the route crosses a busy street without traffic lights.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Lockers: not available

Bauhaus shop in the Temporary Bauhaus-Archiv (Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00) and online. No lockers – please do not bring large luggage. Dogs on a leash are welcome.

Events & venue rental

No rental options are listed on the website during construction.

Plan your visit