Weimar: Bauhaus University

1904 – 1911

Architect: Henry van de Velde

Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 8, Weimar

Former Grand Ducal Saxon School of Art

The Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Art was built in two phases from 1904 to 1911 according to plans by Henry van de Velde.

Originally, a half-timbered building stood on this site that housed the art school’s rooms and was known as the Art Barn. In 1904, an extension was added to the east.

From 1905 to 1906, a new building for the Grand Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts, also directed by van de Velde, was built opposite the school.

A further extension of the school of arts was not approved until 1911.

Building

The school in Weimar is one of the most important art school buildings from the turn of the century. It was also the site where the Bauhaus was founded in 1919.

The central and western part, with its characteristic studio windows, was built instead of the half-timbered building.

The slightly recessed entrance leads through a windbreak and large vestibule to the open, oval staircase.

In the center of the dynamically rising, elliptical main staircase stands the figure of Eve, sculpted by Auguste Rodin.

The studios are located to the north and ancillary rooms are located to the south at the end of the corridors branching off to the side.

The building’s main façade impresses with the contrast of pilasters, which combine two floors each, and the glass surfaces in between.

Only in the central section do the pilasters extend to the third floor, which is integrated into the mansard roof with its curved studio windows.

Bauhaus University Weimar

The building is currently used by the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning and the Office of the University President. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.