In 1925, the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau - and made design history. In just seven years, the city became the center of modernism: visionary architecture, new design ideas and a spirit of optimism characterized this period. Over 300 original buildings can still be experienced today - including the world-famous Bauhaus building, the Masters' Houses and the arcade houses, which have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
In 2025 and 2026, Dessau will celebrate the 100th anniversary of this move with exhibitions, artistic formats, conferences and festive events. Discover how the Bauhaus vision became a reality - and celebrate a legend of the century with us. Under the title "To the Substance", modern and contemporary materials will be the focus of numerous exhibitions and events at the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, in the historic workshop wing and at various locations in the city. Here are the highlights for 2025:
Anniversary Opening Festival An die Substanz. Bauhaus Dessau 100
The public supporting program for the anniversary opening begins on 5 September 2025 in the Bauhaus building. For the festive opening, internationally active artists will translate Oskar Schlemmer's historical material dances, which experimented with the performative potential of materials, into the present. Interpretations by Isabell Schad, Joanna Tischkau and Mike Dele Dittrich Frydetzki will be premiered on the historic Bauhaus stage. The Italian composer and musician Piero Mottola will premiere Voices of Bauhaus, a complex orchestra of voices. Performing will be soloist Marina Drobyshevskaya, baritone Alexander Argirov and the Extra Choir of the Anhaltisches Theater under the direction of Sebastian Kennerknecht.
On Saturday and Sunday, the anniversary celebrations will be moved to the Dessau Zoo, where the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the Anhaltisches Theater will celebrate together. The evening program begins with a concert by the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau and has much more to offer. You can look forward to a colorful Bauhaus program.
A highlight of the weekend are the concerts in the series Pop Around @ Bauhaus by zdf/3sat. On Saturday and Sunday, a total of four concerts with international artists will take place in the intimate setting of the Bauhaus Museum Dessau. The concerts will be broadcast live on Saturday, September 6.
The big anniversary kick-off will be extended with various educational offers, including special guided tours of the Bauhaus materials and creative workshops to join in and try out.
September 4 to 7, 2025
Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus in 1919 and its director until 1928, had the Bauhaus building erected in 1925/26 as a "School of Design".
Invisible Bauhaus Dessau
Digital tour
In 1925, the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau. But where did teachers and students live, work and celebrate in the first few months? What influence did the city of Dessau have on the Bauhaus and its work? And where did Paul Klee go for walks to find inspiration for his paintings?
The digital tour "Invisible Bauhaus Dessau" explores places, most of which are no longer visible today, that are closely linked to the arrival of the Bauhaus members in Dessau in 1925/26, when the Bauhaus buildings and Masters' Houses did not yet exist. A separate walk through the Georgium follows in the footsteps of Paul Klee. Users can call up the videos at the relevant locations using QR codes and watch them on their smartphone. On the website of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and analogously, a map shows the way through the city to the individual locations.
September 26, 2025 to ongoing
Nitro | Silver | Light
Avant-garde film at the Bauhaus Museum
As part of the film series "Filming Bauhäuslerinnen" and in cooperation with the Kunsthalle Dessau + KIEZ Programmkino
According to the latest research, 29 Bauhaus women made around 150 films. The film series shows a selection with a focus on "Does Gender Matter?" and "Modernist Materials in Film". At the Bauhaus Museum on 6.11.2025, the focus will be on experimental film art under the title Nitro |Silver | Light. Projected light, material graininess, chemical development and scratches in the film carrier will be important.
October 22 to November 12, 2025
Bauhaus Museum Dessau © Bauhaus Museum Dessau
Bakelite | Glaze | Color
Exhibition at the Bauhaus Museum Dessau
In the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, in the middle of the collection exhibition, important donations to the Bauhaus Dessau from the period 2019 to 2025 are on display, such as works by Christian Dell (Matthias Mynett), Friedrich Engemann (Christine Engemann) and Gunta Stölzl (Ariel Aloni). In a series of talks with the donors, often children or grandchildren of Bauhaus members, biographical backgrounds are revealed and the reasons why these works were given to the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation are explained.
December 4, 2025 to January 31, 2027
https://bauhaus-dessau.de/an-die-substanz/
