Germany Guide
Saxony-Anhalt and the Harz
The Meisterhäuser
Address: Ebertallee
Opening time: April– Oct Tues– Sun 10am–6pm; Nov– March 10am–5pm
Price: €5
Website: www.meisterhaeuser.de
The series of four white cubist villas a five-minute walk from the Bauhausgebäude along Ebertallee is the Meisterhäuser which served as accommodation for the Bauhaus professors. Gropius's director's house and half of one of the others were lost in the war, but those that remain have been restored to their original condition and are open to the public. These quarters were supposed to espouse a philosophy of new industrial living, yet contained features and designs – such as large windows and complicated lighting systems – that put them well outside the pockets of the masses, so arguably contravened Bauhaus ideals. Sadly the original Bauhaus furnishings are lacking, because they are simply too expensive to buy, as the prices in the antique shop along Gropiusallee en route from the Bauhausgebäude attest. However, in their absence, photos of original setups help give an impression, as do the informative German-language tours (Tues– Fri 12.30pm, Sat & Sun also 1.30pm; €9).
The houses include that of German-American artist Lyonel Feininger – now home to the Kurt-Weill-Zentrum, which celebrates the work of the versatile musician from Dessau who's best known for cabaret pieces such as "Mack the Knife" in Brecht's Threepenny Opera. The other two duplexes are known as the Muche/Schlemmer Haus and the Kandinsky/Klee Haus, the latter notable for pastel walls chosen by the two designers and faithfully reproduced today.