Bauhaus Museum Weimar

The Bauhaus Museum Weimar tells the story of the 20th century's most influential design school in the very city where it was founded in 1919. Housed in a stark concrete cube that opened for the Bauhaus centenary, it holds the oldest Bauhaus collection in the world, from lamps and chess sets to toys and paintings. For anyone interested in modern design, it is one of the most rewarding things to do in Weimar.

Where it is and how to get there

Weimar is a compact town in Thuringia, central Germany. The nearest major rail hub is Erfurt, where ICE trains from Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich stop; from there a regional train takes about 15 minutes to Weimar. Regional trains are covered by the Deutschlandticket. From Weimar's main station, the museum is roughly a 15-minute walk south toward the old town, or a short bus ride to Goetheplatz. Leipzig and Erfurt airports are the closest airports.

Why the Bauhaus matters

Walter Gropius founded the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar in 1919, bringing artists and craftspeople together under one roof. Teachers included Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee and Johannes Itten. The school moved to Dessau in 1925, but its Weimar years laid the groundwork for modern architecture and product design worldwide. The Bauhaus sites in Weimar and Dessau are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The current building, designed by Heike Hanada with Benedict Tonon, opened on April 5, 2019. It replaced a much smaller museum in a former carriage house on Theaterplatz.

What to see

The permanent exhibition, The Bauhaus Comes from Weimar, draws on about 13,000 objects and is spread over three exhibition levels. Highlights include:

• The famous table lamp by Wilhelm Wagenfeld and Carl Jakob Jucker
• Josef Hartwig's Bauhaus chess set
• Metalwork by Marianne Brandt and ceramics from the Bauhaus pottery
• Peter Keler's red doll's pram and colorful toys by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher
• A reconstructed fitted kitchen showing how the Bauhaus rethought the home

Tickets and opening hours

The museum is open Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. Summer-season tickets for 2026 cost €11 for adults and €8 reduced; students aged 16 to 20 pay €4 and visitors under 16 enter free. Prices were slightly lower in the previous winter season. The ModerneCard (€17) and BauhausCard (€30) cover several modernist sites. All prices are in euros, as of October 2026.

The building is fully accessible via its main routes, with an elevator and accessible restrooms. There is a café and a museum shop.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you combine it with the rest of Weimar. Allow 90 minutes to two and a half hours for the collection. Across the square, the Museum Neues Weimar covers the art and ideas that led up to the Bauhaus, and the Haus Am Horn, a 1923 Bauhaus model home near the Park an der Ilm, is an easy walk away. Weimar also makes a good day trip from Leipzig or Erfurt.