ADGB Federal School Bernau

UNESCO World Heritage Site of Modernism in Bernau near Berlin

The Triennial of the Modernism wants to establish a network of German World Heritage Sites of the Modernism in the medium term - from 2022, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bauhaus will be a new associate partner*. Bernau Visitor Centre: The former Bundesschule, built between 1928 and 1930 by Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer with the Bauhaus as an educational institution for the German General Federation of Trade Unions (ADGB), is one of the most fascinating buildings of Modernism. The visitor centre opened its doors at the beginning of 2022.

Bernau Federal School, forest side; Photo: Jean Molitor

Architecture and offers

Designed according to Bauhaus guidelines and the principles of modern pedagogy, the former federal school of the ADGB fits ideally into nature and the needs of the people who use it. For the first time, the Bauhaus implemented in this building what it had already set out to do when it was founded in 1919: to create a unity of theory and practice in which students from all Bauhaus workshops participated. A building that breathes Bauhaus pedagogy and Bauhaus ideals both inside and out.

The Bundesschule is a unique ensemble of school buildings, teachers' and boarding houses as well as rooms and facilities for supply and leisure. The building impresses with technical refinements, innovative materials, elegant and pragmatic solutions for lighting and ventilation, and has lost none of its original aesthetics despite its eventful and moving history of use.

After renovation, the former Federal School and its teachers' houses became part of the World Heritage Site "The Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau" in July 2017, which has existed since 1996. Today, the Bundesschule and the teachers' houses are privately owned and used as boarding school accommodation and flats. 

In the newly opened visitor centre, visitors can now explore the entire history of today's UNESCO World Heritage Bauhaus for themselves in a permanent exhibition. Guided tours of the buildings and thematic events round off the programme. 

Further information and programme offers:

Contact

Dr Anja Guttenberger,
Head of Bernau Visitor Centre
Tel: +49 (0)3338-7067879

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