New angle: Bauhaus school functions as a hotel

Dessau, Germany – A former art institution has re-emerged as a place to stay for the night. In doing so, the Bauhaus school in this post-industrial city hopes to attract the growing number of no-frills tourists who are turning away from the jet-set lifestyle in favour of a much more meaningful experience. A ‘built manifesto’ of the design movement’s modernist aesthetic, the famous Bauhaus school now operates as a distinctive youth hostel with communal showers and (former Bauhaus student) Marcel Breuer chairs in the canteen once shared by the students. Travellers in search of narrative will find that the former school has a fascinating story to offer.

Designed by Walter Gropius, the building was constructed in 1926, its asymmetrical design and concrete walls reflecting the Bauhaus aesthetic of unadorned functionalism. The building was closed in 1933, during the Nazi regime.

As the tourism industry moves from high gloss to high austerity, the Bauhaus school’s sparse, no-frills approach to aesthetics will likely draw design-savvy guests keen to lay their heads where Bauhaus apprentices once perfected their takes on modern life.