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A journey to modernist architecture

Christina Deicke ms
January 2, 2019

Houses, streets, factories — modernist architecture has many faces. In 2019, the year the Bauhaus celebrates its centenary, architecture lovers can take a "Grand Tour of Modernism" through Germany.

"Form follows function" was the most important credo of modernism. The architectural epoch developed in the early 20th century, after World War I. Buildings of steel, glass, concrete and brick, conspicuous for their straightforward simplicity, were its trademark. Nonetheless, it's scarcely possible to grasp modernism in its entirety because its developments and concepts are so diverse. Expressionism, the Bauhaus, Neue Sachlichkeit, or New Objectivity, and Neues Bauen, its parallel movement in architecture, functionalism, minimalism and other tendencies were all classified as modernism. One thing is certain: they represented a turning point in design that influences and inspires architects to this day. 

In 2019 Germany is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus, the world renowned school of design. To mark the occasion the Bauhaus Verbund association has developed the "Grand Tour of Modernism." The tourist route, which runs right across Germany, makes it possible to browse through 100 years of architectural history between 1900 and 2000. The Bauhaus Verbund website has suggestions for tours and information on the individual sites.

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