Walter Gropius' 1926 school building, an icon of modernism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – with glass facade, auditorium, canteen, guided tours and overnight stays in the Studio Building.
March 28, 2026 – October 10, 2027
The anniversary exhibition for the building's 100th birthday, in the workshop wing, is organized around the building's three materials and examines the industrial history, working conditions and raw materials behind modernist aesthetics.
When the Staatliches Bauhaus had to leave Weimar in 1925, the industrial city of Dessau invited the school to relocate there. Walter Gropius' office designed a new school building, which was built in 1925/26 and inaugurated on December 4, 1926. Besides the Bauhaus, it also housed the municipal vocational school. The complex is divided by function into separate wings: the workshop wing with its glass curtain wall, the vocational school wing, the administrative bridge, the central section with auditorium, stage and canteen, and the five-story Studio Building (Prellerhaus) with live-in studios for students.
Under pressure from the National Socialists, the Bauhaus had to leave Dessau in 1932; Nazi institutions then used the building, among other things as a training center. During the air raids of March 1945 the workshop wing in particular was badly damaged, and after the war the glass facade was provisionally filled in with brickwork and wooden windows.
For its 50th anniversary in 1976, the building was extensively reconstructed – the first modernist building in Germany to be restored according to heritage conservation standards. The Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau (Bauhaus Dessau Foundation) has been based here since 1994, and in 1996 the building became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A further complete renovation followed through the late 2000s.
Today visitors can explore the building on their own or on guided tours that also open up rooms otherwise kept locked. In the Studio Building you can stay overnight in former student rooms. In 2026 the foundation is celebrating the building's 100th birthday with a major exhibition on glass, concrete and metal.
| Adults | €14 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8University students and school students aged 18 and over, recipients of unemployment benefit (ALG I), people with severe disabilities, holders of the ARTcard and certain professional association IDs |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens under 18 get free admission. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €8companion free · Reduced with a severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis); companion free with “B” marker. |
| Students & apprentices | €8 |
| Groups | –Group tours for up to 25 people, e.g. Bauhaus Building (60 min.) €85–105 plus admission per person; booking requests up to eight weeks in advance. |
| Families | –No separate family ticket; children and teens under 18 are free. |
Combined ticket for the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, Bauhaus Building, Masters' Houses, Konsumgebäude Törten and the exhibition in the former Kaufhaus Zeeck department store €29 (reduced €19), valid on three consecutive days. Public guided tours from €7 plus admission. Annual ticket €49 (reduced €29).
Step-free access on the south side into the basement level (rear entrance); the main entrance has stairs. A historic freight elevator connects the basement level with the visitor center and all floors. Accessible restroom on the basement level; one loaner wheelchair and lightweight museum stools available. The free Bauhaus Dessau app offers audio tours with audio description and in plain language. As a listed monument, the building is not fully accessible; advice at inklusiv@bauhaus-dessau.de.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
For young visitors, the ticket desk offers a fold-out explorer tour with pictures, puzzles and drawing tasks (approx. 90 min.) and a drawing kit (€2); the “Bauhaus Dessau” app includes child-friendly highlight tours. Family tours take place occasionally, mostly at the Bauhaus Museum Dessau.
Dessau Hauptbahnhof · 700 m
About 700 m from Dessau Hauptbahnhof (west exit, via Bauhausstraße). Bus line 10 (“Bauhauslinie”) connects all Bauhaus sites from the bus station.
Free parking
Free visitor parking at the Bauhaus Building, plus 4 spaces for coaches.
café-bistro im Bauhaus on the lower level (Mon–Sat 8:00–22:00, Sun 8:00–17:00); the historic canteen can currently only be used with advance registration. designshop in the Bauhaus Building. Lockable cloakroom lockers, group lockers and luggage chests on the lower level, some with charging for e-bikes.
Up to 185 guests.
Available for rent in the Bauhaus Building: auditorium with stage (up to 185 people, with technical equipment), canteen (80–100), seminar rooms for 32 and 50 people, and the Glasraum (glass room, approx. 12); plus rooms in the Bauhaus Museum. For conferences, meetings and seminars; prices on request (vermietung@bauhaus-dessau.de).
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public guided tours of the Bauhaus Building daily at 11:00 (Nov–Feb Tue–Sun), on Fridays also in English. Group tour of the Bauhaus Building 60 min., combined tours with other Bauhaus sites 120–210 min. |
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