Bauhaus: 100 Years of Rethinking the World

In 2019, Germany celebrated the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus. Known as Germany’s city of enlightenment, Weimar was the birthplace of Bauhaus in 1919, it relocated to Dessau in 1925 and closed in Berlin under pressure from the Nazis in 1933.  The extremely influential but short-lived art school founded by architect Walter Gropius was ill-fated from the start, constantly under fire for its ideologies, but its demise at the hands of the Nazis only facilitated the rapid spread of its philosophy around the world and its influence remains to the present day. This special tour, in the company of Andrew Spira, allows a more in-depth exploration of one of the iconic movements of the 20th century.

ITINERARY 

Day 1: Fly from London Heathrow to Berlin. Transfer by coach to Weimar for check in to hotel for two-night stay. Remainder of the afternoon free to explore this lovely old town before welcome reception, lecture by Andrew Spira 'The Bauhaus - the most influential Art Design School in History?' and dinner with wine at the hotel.

Day 2: Erfurt, Haus am Horn and Haus Hohn Pappelen, Weimar and the New Museum Weimar.
This morning we head to Erfurt, the 1250-year old Thuringia capital, renowned for its immaculately preserved medieval city centre. Highlights include the cathedral which dates from 742, the church of St Severus and the Petersberg citadel offering an excellent view of the city marking the boundary of an area steeped in history. Additionally, the Kraemerbruecke Bridge, as the only covered bridge north of the Alps with its houses spanning the river Gera, and the Latin Quarter, a relic of glorious university days, are also worth seeing. The famous names associated with Erfurt include Goethe, Schiller, the Humboldt brothers and Martin Luther lived as a monk at the Augustinian Monastery. After time for lunch (not included) we return to Weimar for a visit to the Haus am Horn, designed by Georg Muche, a painter and teacher at the Bauhaus, and the Haus Hohe Pappeln, built and inhabited by Bauhaus pioneer Henry van der Velde. Our final visit of the day is to the New Museum Weimar and its permanent exhibition on Van de Velde, Nietzsche and Modernism around 1900 featuring outstanding international works of Realism, Impressionism and Jugendstil. Evening at leisure in Weimar.

Day 3: Full day in Weimar and transfer to Dessau.
Today we explore the thousand-year-old town of Weimar, which lies at the heart of the 'Thuringian Classics' Road'. Thanks to the literary quartet Goethe, Schiller, Herder and Wieland, together with their numerous contemporaries who visited them in Weimar, the small former royal town has acquired the name of 'the Athens of the Ilm'. And was a 'European City of Culture' in 1999. Classical highlights here include Goethe Square, Herder Square, the German National Theatre, Wittums Palace with the Wieland Museum, Schiller's House and Schiller Museum, Goethe's House and Goethe National Museum, the Anna Amalia Library and the town castle housing the Cranach Gallery, Goethe's Summer House in the Park on the Ilm and the town church made famous by Herder. It is also the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement and much of our time today will be devoted to exploring the buildings and design of this revolutionary school. We will see van de Velde’s house in Belvedere Allee and Gropius’s Expressionist ‘Monument to the March Dead’. A major highlight of the day will be a visit to the brand-new Bauhaus Museum, opened to commemorate the centenary. Transfer to Dessau and check-in to the Radisson Blu Furst Leopold Hotel for two-night stay. Evening at leisure. 

Day 4: Full day in Dessau.
Full day in Dessau where we start with a guided tour of the restored Bauhuas Building (1926), designed by Walter Gropius, incorporating student accommodation, a workshop wing with a spectacular glass wall, a theatre and a canteen. Nearby are the Masters' Houses built for the director and masters of the school, whose occupants included Mies van der Rohe. You will also get the opportunity to see (externally) other Bauhaus buildings in Dessau, among them staff houses and the Labour Exchange (both by Gropius). Andrew Spira will give a lecture in the Bauhaus complex - 'The Bauhaus in Context'. This afternoon we will visit the New Bauhaus Museum Dessau, built for the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus and which opened its doors in September 2019. The museum will host the collection of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation which comprises of around 49,000 catalogued exhibits and the second largest collection worldwide related to Bauhaus. This evening we will have a welcome drink followed by dinner with wine at the Bauhaus-style Kornhaus Restaurant in Dessau.

Day 5: Berlin - the ADGB Trade Union School, Bernau and Mies Van der Rohe House.
This morning we will have a short tour of the Törten Estate (Gropius, Meyer and Muche), designed to create affordable living space for the growing population before we head to Berlin to continue our exploration of this fascinating artistic and architectural movement in the final years of its life, where its innovative and revolutionary ideas and ideals were met with short shrift by the ultra-conservative Nazis. We start our exploration of Berlin with a visit to the ADGB Trade Union School, dating from 1930 and still considered an archetypal example of functional architecture before our final visit of the day to the Mies Van Der Rohe House (now a modern art museum), which was his last building designed in 1932 before he fled the Nazis to the USA.

Day 6: Berlin Highlights.
On our final day we continue our exploration of Berlin to see some of the highlights that Berlin has to offer including the Brandenburg Gate, Recihstag, Checkpoint Charlie and last remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. Mid-afternoon transfer to the airport for the return flight to London Heathrow.

NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.

This tour has been classed as Demanding as there are a lot of walking tours involved, walking between sites and standing for viewings at the museums and Bauhaus buildings. 

Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.

INCLUDED

• Return flights from London Heathrow to Berlin
• Two nights' bed and breakfast at the four-star Leonardo Hotel, Weimar, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Two nights' bed and breakfast at the four-star Radisson Blu Furst Leopold, Dessau, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• One night's bed and breakfast at the four-star Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room  
• Welcome reception 
• Dinner with wine at the Leonardo Hotel, Weimar
• Dinner with wine at the Bauhaus style Kornhaus Restaurant, Dessau
• Dinner with wine at the Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin
• Two lectures by Andrew Spira 
• Transfers, tours and entrance fees
• Andrew Spira throughout 

NOT INCLUDED

• Double for sole use supplement 
• Holiday insurance 
• Meals other than those stated 
• Items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls etc
• Porterage and gratuities

HOTELS

Leonardo Hotel, Weimar
The four-star Leonardo Hotel Weimar is ideally located within walking distance of the downtown area opposite the beautiful Goethe Park and between the old town and the Belvedere Castle. All standard rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, phone, TV, internet, mini-bar, hairdryer, bathroom with bathtub and shower, and a panoramic view of the park or a quiet courtyard. There is also a leisure complex with indoor pool, gym, sauna, bar and restaurant overlooking Goethe Park. 

Leonardo Website

Radisson Blu Furst Leopold Hotel
This four-star hotel in Dessau in located in a Bauhaus-style building. The hotel has a bar and wellness & beauty centre, and rooms are comfortable with all modern facilities.

Radisson Blu First Leopold Website

Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin 
This four-star hotel is centrally located between the Brandenburg Gate and the Gendarmenmarkt. Facilities at the hotel include an exclusive spa area with pool, sauna, steam room, fitness room, restaurant and bar. Bedrooms are modern with en-suite bathroom, TV, telephone, wifi, safe, mini fridge, air-conditioning, and tea/coffee making facilities.

Maritim proArte Hotel Website