In April 1919, Gropius published the Bauhaus manifesto and program, presenting the school’s goal of uniting different arts around building and making. The cover image was Lyonel Feininger’s woodcut "Cathedral", which became an early symbol of the school’s idealistic, craft-centered vision. The manifesto helped publicize the Bauhaus and attract students and attention beyond Weimar.
After World War I, the Grand Duchy’s former art schools in Weimar were reorganized under architect Walter Gropius. On 12 April 1919, Gropius signed his contract and formally created the State Bauhaus in Weimar, aiming to connect art training with hands-on craft work in workshops. This decision set the school’s direction for its entire Weimar period.
Johannes Itten developed the Bauhaus preliminary course (Vorkurs), a required foundation term for new students. The course trained students to experiment with materials, color, and form before specializing in a workshop. This teaching model became one of the Bauhaus’s most influential contributions to modern design education.
By 1920 the Bauhaus expanded its workshops and formalized how they were led. Each workshop paired a craft specialist (“work master”) with an artist (“form master”) to connect practical skill with modern artistic thinking. This structure supported the Bauhaus aim to teach design through making, not only through drawing and theory.
Textiles became central to the Bauhaus’s ability to produce saleable work. In 1920, a women-only textile class was merged into the weaving workshop, and the workshop continued to develop as a space for both craft training and design experimentation. Over time, weaving would become one of the Bauhaus’s most successful areas during the Weimar years.
From 1921, artist Georg Muche headed the weaving workshop as its form master. Under this arrangement, students were expected to develop design ideas alongside technical training provided within the workshop system. The weaving workshop’s output and experiments helped demonstrate that Bauhaus design could move from one-of-a-kind craft toward patterns and products that could be repeated.
Paul Klee joined the Bauhaus faculty in the early Weimar period and began teaching in January 1921. As a "form" master, he helped shape how students thought about composition, color, and structure across different media. His presence strengthened the school’s reputation as a center for the modern avant-garde, not only a craft school.
In 1922, Wassily Kandinsky was appointed as a teacher at the Bauhaus in Weimar. He worked within the workshop structure and contributed to a growing emphasis on abstract form, color theory, and disciplined composition. His arrival added another internationally recognized modern artist to the school’s faculty.
By 1922–1923, Gropius increasingly emphasized designing for modern industry, not only for small workshops. This shift created tension with earlier approaches associated with Johannes Itten and helped push the school toward functional, production-minded design. It also set up the Bauhaus to present itself publicly as relevant to modern technology and everyday life.
From 15 August to 30 September 1923, the Bauhaus held its first major public exhibition in Weimar. The event showed work from students and masters across multiple locations, including the school buildings and the newly built model house, connecting education directly to public display. It helped the Bauhaus explain its goals to a wider audience and demonstrate what “modern” design could look like.
For the 1923 exhibition, the Bauhaus built Haus am Horn in Weimar as a prototype for efficient, modern living. Designed by Georg Muche, it presented an integrated approach: architecture, interiors, and furnishings were planned together to show how design could shape everyday life. The house became a key example of how Bauhaus ideas could move from classroom experiments to real buildings.
By 1924–1925, the Bauhaus faced increasing hostility in Thuringia’s political climate and experienced damaging funding cuts. These pressures made long-term planning difficult and pushed the school to look for a new sponsor and location. The crisis ended the Weimar chapter and directly led to relocation plans.
In 1925, the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau after Weimar support collapsed and Dessau offered better conditions. The move marked a turning point: the school could pursue stronger links to industry and scale up workshop production. This relocation closed the 1919–1925 Weimar phase and opened the well-known Dessau period.
In 1996, Bauhaus-related sites in Weimar and Dessau were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, recognizing their major influence on 20th-century architecture and design. This international designation helped preserve key Weimar locations connected to the school’s earliest years, including Haus am Horn. The listing also framed the Weimar period as the starting chapter of a globally significant movement.
Bauhaus School in Weimar (1919–1925)