Dessau-Roßlau: Bauhaus, Culture and River Landscapes

Dessau-Roßlau combines Bauhaus history, museums and performing arts with the river landscape of the Middle Elbe and several cycling routes. You can therefore tailor your stay in different ways: to architecture and collections, theater and music, or exploring by bike.

Bauhaus, Collections and Architectural History

The Bauhaus building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. The Bauhaus Museum Dessau houses the world’s second-largest collection of Bauhaus exhibits. The collection “Bauhaus Experimental Workshop. The Collection” comprises more than 1,000 exhibits and tells the story of the Bauhaus school in Dessau. The buildings and collections bring different aspects of the Bauhaus into focus.

The Anhalt Picture Gallery Dessau is located in Georgium Palace. Its collection includes paintings, drawings and prints from 1400 to the present day. Luisium Palace was built in the northeast of Dessau between 1774 and 1778. Mosigkau Palace and Park are among the few Rococo ensembles in Germany that have been largely preserved in their original condition. This means the architectural selection extends beyond Bauhaus.

The Kornhaus also offers a striking architectural reference: Carl Fieger designed it in 1929 as a modern restaurant with a large window front facing the Elbe. Following extensive renovation and restoration in accordance with heritage conservation principles, it reopened on October 3, 2012.

Theater, Music and Special Experiences

The Anhalt Theatre Dessau produces theater and music for Dessau-Roßlau, the Anhalt and Wittenberg region, and their visitors across five disciplines: music theater, concerts, drama, ballet and puppetry. The Anhalt Philharmonic is based at the Anhalt Theatre and offers symphony and chamber concerts. The Old Theatre is a smaller venue of the Anhalt Theatre; it stages puppet theater, modern productions and improvisation.

The Kurt Weill Centre in Dessau has an archive and hosts events as well as a festival dedicated to the composer Kurt Weill. Together with the theater and concert offerings, this provides another focus for a stay centered on music and performance.

At the “Hugo Junkers” Technology Museum Dessau, “Apollo 11” offers a virtual reality experience in which visitors fly through space and explore the Moon. There is also a Junkers F-13 flight simulator, suitable for people aged 14 and over. Advance booking is requested for both experiences. The simulator’s age requirement is a useful point of reference if you are planning a visit with teenagers.

River Landscapes and Nature at the Museum

The Middle Elbe river landscape extends across the south of Dessau-Roßlau. The permanent exhibition “Fascination Nature” at the Museum of Natural History and Prehistory Dessau features reconstructed landscapes of the floodplain of the “Middle Elbe River Landscape” Biosphere Reserve in large dioramas. The permanent exhibitions are arranged as a tour on the upper floor and in the 40-meter-high museum tower. The southern landscape and the reconstructed floodplain scenes in the museum offer different perspectives on the subject of river floodplains.

Cycling Tours with Different Highlights

The signposted Bauhaus Buildings cycling tour is just over 18 kilometers long; both the north and south loops start at the main railway station. A longer circular route through Dessau-Roßlau covers 62 kilometers, connecting the outer districts north and south of the Elbe and taking in the floodplain landscape and Vorfläming. The distance and landscape focus can help you choose a tour that fits your day’s plans.

The signposted Prince Franz Garden Realm tour around Dessau-Roßlau links the palaces and parks of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm. It is named after Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau (1740–1817). The Elbe Cycle Route passes directly by numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites in and around Dessau-Roßlau; the R1 European Cycle Route runs directly through Dessau-Roßlau. Coming from Wittenberg via the Elbe Cycle Route, the Luther Trail approaches Dessau and first passes through Luisium. For specific route planning, it is advisable to check local conditions before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Roßlau, Dessau-Roßlau, Mildensee, Kochstedt, Börde, Saalekreis, Harz and Anhalt-Bitterfeld.

For the regional travel overview: Saxony-Anhalt.