100 Years of Bauhaus

To mark the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Bauhaus in Weimar, the concept and works of the artistic and technological avant-garde will also be showcased in the cultural metropolis of Baden in 2019. The Dammerstock housing development, which was built by Bauhaus founder and the project’s head architect Walter Gropius in the 1920s, is the indisputable showpiece of the city of Karlsruhe.

However, this is only one of the many diverse and remarkable examples of modernist architecture in Karlsruhe that aspire to modern design and high functionality. Avant-garde architecture is evident in residential projects such as the Alker Block, public buildings such as the Federal Constitutional Court, Schwarzwaldhalle and District Administration Office, as well as university and school buildings, churches and private residences.

There are many diverse and remarkable examples of modernist architecture in Karlsruhe that aspire to modern design and high functionality. Avant-garde architecture is evident in residential projects such as the Dammerstock housing development by Bauhaus founder Gropius and Alker Block, public buildings such as the Federal Constitutional Court, Schwarzwaldhalle and District Administration Office, as well as university and school buildings, churches and private residences. In the 20th century, the fan-shaped city itself uniquely contributed to the promotion of new architectural trends: Karlsruhe began considering innovative city concepts with the garden city of Rüppurr as early as 1911. In 1926, the then director of planning Schneider presented a comprehensive general development plan, which included the most modern concepts for housing, such as the Dammerstock housing development, as well as milestones with regard to urban green spaces. The choice of Karlsruhe as the location for the Federal Constitutional Court after the Second World War and the National Garden Show in 1967 gave rise to a revival in the construction of state-of-the-art buildings in Karlsruhe.