Julia Mari Bernaus [image by Kelsie Mortimer

But the sheer number and scope of possibilities can make the practicalities of living and getting your foot in the door difficult to navigate. Julia Maria Bernaus may just have hit on the ideal solution. As the founder of the freshly launched Artconnect Berlin, she aims to provide a crucial and long-needed all-purpose, comprehensive creative hub and art directory for Berlin’s arts community.

What inspired you to create Artconnect Berlin?

Working for artists and musicians in Berlin I realized how much these [people] relied on others and how difficult it was to find the right people for their projects. I actually had a lot of friends looking for jobs and also knew a lot of established artists who were looking for people like my friends. At some point I realized that I was spending a crazy amount of time connecting these people and I thought there had to be a huge demand out there and an easier solution for putting them in touch.

Why do you think the art scene in Berlin is so dynamic? What are the criteria and factors that contribute to it being such a hotbed of creative expression?

Berlin is a very peculiar place, so no wonder it attracts so many people. I think that what attracts people is a mix of many factors. Berlin has always been a revolutionary city. In fact, the Brandenburger Tor was built with the statue facing the city to protect them from themselves, instead of facing the outside to protect it from others, as is the case with all other cities. That attitude mixed with the unique communism-capitalism mixture and the cheap cost of living has made this city irresistible. I think there are so many artists here because at some point it was very cheap to live here, the atmosphere was interesting and it became even more interesting because all these artists came to the city. Now it’s amazing how many artists there are, who are attracted to the “buzz” of the city. As more artists come here, it in turn makes it more interesting for yet others to come and try their hand. That is what makes it dynamic and expressive.

What are the general goals of the project?

To create a central point for Berlin’s creative scene, which physically does not exist in this city. We want to create a website where users can discover and develop an infrastructure of creative and cultural resources in Berlin. People will find concentrated information on one subject: the creative scene. And they will be able to find all those things or people that they are always looking for but struggling to find in many other different media outlets. We also want to help interesting artists promote their work through our blog.

The notion of a centralized service hub isn’t new, but it seems that Artconnect Berlin will be filling a long-necessary niche. What distinguishes Artconnect Berlin as a networking outlet in the city? What services will distinguish it from other sites and make it unique to artists?

There is really no dynamic social / professional network where users can not only show their work but post classifieds for free — things that make the practical part of being an artist easier. Also, there is no website exclusively for creatives in Berlin where you can follow current artwork and output from their users. The site will essentially be an index of the current scene, a snapshot of it at any given time. User profiles, the ability to tag by one’s skills, online portfolios and a marketplace to connect users looking for others’ skills and to post classifieds will all be prominent features of the site. New artist projects will be displayed on both the profiles and on the site’s main feed, so it’s a great way to get your work out there and seen. The site is a working platform and a meeting place for the creative community

Art Connect Berlin logo

Clearly you’re passionate about Berlin’s creative scene and have navigated it yourself quite successfully. Can you tell us a little bit about your own background and what brought you here?

Lots of things brought me here. My mom had told me since I was 10 that I had to learn German because it was the future of the cultural world and that I should end up living in Berlin. I always said I would never do it because it was too cold up there. Damn I was right, but here I am! The real reason, though, is because I had some Erasmus friends who were constantly telling me how different it was in their art schools in other countries. I had some German flatmates and I started to become curious about Germany. I realized that contemporary art was definitely not in Spain but in Germany and that if I wanted to know what it was all about, I had to leave my Spanish art school and come to Germany. Then I ended up in Braunschweig for a year, which was a big slap in the face and a definite shock to the system, culturally and educationally. But I loved it and had the opportunity not only to develop my art skills, but also hone a whole wealth of skills in administration, communication and art market affairs that have been invaluable. Also, my boyfriend had fallen in love with Germany and its art since studying in Karlsruhe, and he absolutely wanted to move to Berlin. So at the end of my Erasmus we did, and since then I have been very lucky. Germany has given me all the opportunities that in Spain I could never even have dreamed of.

Because the art scene is so broad here, I was able to able to gain experience in different sectors, beginning with placements at the Invaliden1 Galerie and Sassa Trülzsch, taking care of administration, database creation, artwork cataloguing and communication with artists and clients. I then went on to work for video artist Reynold Reynolds, first helping to program his unique camera system, then moving onto production, overseeing communications and art direction, as well as scouting the actors and staff.

I basically immersed myself in all there was to offer, and all this afforded me a wide perspective on the local and international art and music market and its operation.

One of the main goals of Artconnect Berlin seems to be uniting disparate creative sectors and facilitating cross pollination of ideas and services across various disciplines. Have you personally found the artistic climate to be splintered and insular?

Berlin is growing really fast, and although some of the artistic sectors might be in a way connected, the city hasn’t had the chance yet to adapt to the mass of incoming people. But I am sure that there is a place for most of these people, they just need to have a place to say “here I am!” Berlin needs tools to be able to make use of its highly skilled people and potential. Most people don’t realize how much all the different creative sectors are connected and actually need a better connection. For example, a musician does not only need other musicians to play with him, but needs a graphic designer for the album, a camera man for filming the concerts and a video editor to edit them. Then there’s the need for video artists to make the music videos, assistants to help him with daily duties, a manager, a booking agent, and many other professions! All the creative sectors need each other and are integrally linked. I want to make it easier for all these people to connect.

Art Connect Berlin Team [photo by Kelsie Mortimer

We will have a monthly feature of Artconnect Berlin users on our blog. Our intention is to spotlight those young upcoming artists that we find interesting, helping them promote their work.

You recently staged a massive launch party. Do you have any other major initiatives planned to get the word out?

The party was great, we had over 350 people and it was loads of fun, but for the moment we don’t have any more party plans. We want to concentrate on improving the website and providing better service to the users.

What does the future hold for Artconnect Berlin?

If that question means if we will expand, the answer is no. We want to adapt to what users need in Berlin and continue to offer better service and more, improved features.

Do you have any other professional projects on the go? Where else can we catch your work?

I’m a freelancer in the art and music scene in Berlin, and currently work for Dustin O’Halloran and for Redbird Management, organizing and booking tours for him and for artists Ladytron and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. I also design and program websites for people involved in the Berlin art scene: theatre directors, dancers, product designers, artists, musicians, etc. I also have a website with old artwork, but I think that Art Connect Berlin and two other jobs is enough for the moment!

Artconnect Berlin officially launched on August 1st, 2011 and will ideally remain an organic presence on the web and in the Berlin creative community, continuing to grow and adapt according to user needs and demand. In partnership with ACB, watch for featured artists on Slow Travel Berlin.

KW Gallery, Auguststrasse

Berlin’s Auguststrasse isn’t short on galleries. This well known Mitte street is a main artery for contemporary art in the city, long ago earning the sobriquet “East Berlin’s art mile” for its impressive wealth of independent galleries that line both sides of the street and show everything from sculpture and fine art to photography.

Of all the street’s venues, the Kunst Werke Institute For Contemporary Arts at number 69 is perhaps the most acclaimed. The former margarine factory, built in the late 19^th century, was seized as an art space in the early 1990s by Klaus Biesenbach and his posse of young art enthusiasts. It‘s opening was a major factor in the development of this area as an artistic hub, and Biesenbach and his colleagues have worked hard to maintain its reputation as one of the city’s best places to see cutting-edge works.

Pass through the (listed) 18^th century façade and you’ll find yourself in a gorgeous courtyard, worn-smooth cobbles underfoot, chestnut trees dangling overhead. The modern, glass-walled building on the left is Café Bravo, designed by American artist Dan Graham and architecturally realized in collaboration with Hanne Nalbach. It’s a great place for a breakfast or lunch, even if you’re not visiting the gallery.

KW Gallery courtyard

Behind lies the restored factory-cum-art-space, which together with the white-cube style exhibition hall added by Berlin architect Hans Düttmann, consists of a whopping 2,000 square meters, extending over five floors. (Included in that figure are six artist studios, located in the front side wings).

Testament to its commitment to stay at the edgier end of art spectrum, KW has no permanent collection, but instead acts as a “testing ground” for emerging artists (many from Berlin and Germany), and as an exhibition space for international works. Over the years it has hosted a slew of major names from Doug Aitken and Dinos & Jake Chapman to Paul Pfeiffer, Santiago Sierra and Keren Cytter.

There are often additional events at KW such as talks, screenings or concerts, and the gallery enjoys close links with other international spaces with a similar ethos – the P.S.1/MoMA in New York, for example, and the Venice Biennale. In 1997 the KW initiated their own Biennale, which is still going strong. In fact the 6^th edition  - sponsored by KW – started on June 11^th and will run until August 8^th. More details on specific exhibitions and happenings can be found here.

If you feel like taking in more of Auguststrasse’s art scene, check out galleries like Eigen + ART, Galerie Gerken, Berlin Art Projects and Deschler.

KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Auguststr. 69
10117 Berlin-Mitte
Tel: 030 243 4590
Open: Tue–Sun 12–19; Thur 12– 21.

Café Bravo
Open: Mon: 9–20; Tue-Sat 9-End; Sun:10–20
Tel: 030 234 57777

About The Author

Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based writer & travel photographer and the founder of Slow Travel Berlin. You can check out his personal website here and some of his photography galleries here.

FdM Mauernpark (Photo by Dirk Mathesius)

On June 21st, Berliners will once again celebrate the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer with a city-wide music festival, the Fete de la Musique. With performances on over 80 open-air stages, the street festival offers everything from reggae and jazz, to hip hop, electronic music and klezmer. Some of the city’s larger venues, like the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the Volksbühne, will host events, as will nightclubs, beach bars, parks and smaller cafes. A day of music hopping at FdM is not only a great way to hear new music, it’s also an excellent way to explore the city…

When did the Berlin version of FdM begin and who started it?

It started  in 1995 when Simone Hofmann convinced the Senate Chancellery of Cultural Affairs to celebrate FdM in Berlin as a European Feast of Music.

What is the general “philosophy” of the event?

Fête de la Musique was founded in France in 1982 with the idea of showing in public how many people are able to sing or play an instrument. It is an invitation to experience live music in all of its diversity, to generously share music with others and in return to pay attention to the musicians and respect their effort. There are no restrictions in terms of style, genre, professional or amateur. All musicians perform without payment and admission is free.

How do bands or artists get to play or apply? Do they have to live in Berlin or come from Berlin?

They don’t necessarily have to live in or come from Berlin. Applications for Fête de la Musique are accepted all year round until the 8th of March. The music department of FdM then screens all applications and if requested gives recommendations to stage promoters setting up their program. Many of the stages have already a complete line-up, so for this reason many bands cannot be placed. We had more than 400 applications from musicians this year, among them 25 acts with or for children. More than 100 bands could be placed on stages this year and we assisted to more than 1/3 of the stages with advice for their program.

Which countries will be represented this year (2010)?

Musicians or bands from 21 countries – Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Sweden, Turkey, US.

What have been the man highlights in recent editions of the festival?

The very popular German band Element of Crime played last year after 4 years of stage abstinence.

How many acts are playing this year (2010)?

About 600 acts, all together approximately 4.000 musicians

What makes Berlin a great city to host the FdM?

There’s incredible diversity, it’s multi-national and quite liberal. Berlin is also a green city, lots of parks and recreational areas suitable for street music and open air festivals.

The festival also caters for kids, right?

Via a press release in February we asked children to apply and we encourage also applications from schools and kindergardens. The idea is to let children experience music in a relaxed and playful atmosphere, not to enforce any kind of high performance. Hot spots for kids this year are (amongst others) the Joan Miró elementary school in Charlottenburg, Kuchenkaiser and Circus Cabuwazi in Kreuzberg, Fette Musik stage in Prenzlauer Berg and Antje Öklesund in Friedrichshain.

FdM Berlin Mitte (Photo by Kai Bienert)

There’s a big classical element also, can you elaborate?

This year we have some attractive classical acts by the Academy of Art who will be performing on two stages, plus a Bach organ concerto at Luisenkirche, a brass band performing at Humboldthain and more than 15 choruses, ranging from classical to folk.

Where can people find a program?

The program flyer is available throughout the city at various hot spots and also online at www.fetedelamusique.de

What advice would you give anyone attending?

Bring your friends – Don’t bring your car!

In what ways does FdM Berlin support music in the city?

All the musicians, singers, ensembles or bands that did not get a place in the stage program, are invited to a day of street music on the 21st of June from 4pm to 10pm. But this event is strictly acoustic. The Fête Company will take over the GEMA licensing for this day. The invitation is displayed on the website and is announced via press releases and social media. The permission form for acoustic music performance in public spaces can be downloaded from the website.

About The Author

Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based writer & travel photographer and the founder of Slow Travel Berlin. You can check out his personal website here and some of his photography galleries here.

I was born in a small town near Cologne in West Germany. After an apprenticeship as a stonemason I travelled to Italy, then took a degree in architecture from RWTH Aachen. During all that time, and especially during my architectural studies, I used sketchbooks. I worked as a tutor alongside Professor Heiner Hoffmann, who put a strong emphasis on filling sketchbooks with observational drawings as an essential part of architectural education.

Sketch: Rolf Schroeter

During these Aachen days we were a group of very intense sketchers. We looked at, and commented on, each others work very passionately and there was a competitive spirit that kept things going. The multifaceted surroundings of Aachen, Belgium and Liege and other towns in the Netherlands like Maastricht  were very useful for sketching day trips.

I finished my studies in 2000, moved to Berlin and started a family – we had our first daughter in 2001. Without the challenging presence of my co-sketching friends and with the new needs of a young family, sketching fell into the background. I worked in Berlin first as an architect, then since 2003 at the illustration studio of Markus Junker. In my work as an architect and even more as an illustrator, sketching is an important part of the process, but this “design” sketching is different from observational sketching on location. At GODD.com we illustrate using Computer Graphics, mostly 3D-based, so the sketch is mainly a mean of communication and “image-finding”.

Around the beginning of 2009, I was told about the Urban Sketchers Network, founded by Seattle Journalist Gabi Campanario in 2008. I watched it for a while, slowly reactivated my own sketching and in July 2009 I felt confident enough to create my own Flickr account, join the group and post some drawings. I got totally caught by it. The feedback I received and could give was similar to the environment of the Aachen student days. Not quite the same passionate, bar-based roughness but with a wider range of people from multiple cultural backgrounds. In addition to posting in the Flickr group I started my own sketchblog in August 2009.

Sketch: Rolf Schroeter

In contrast to my student days I rarely go out with the main aim of sketching now. Paid work and family-duties (and joys) don’t leave much time for that. But I always carry a small notebook and pencil in my trouser pocket that I get out whenever I find a suitable occasion – on public transport, while supervising the kids or evenings out in theater, bars, etc. When I pass by something that really appeals to me, I might stop for a 15-20 minute sketch, rarely longer. Mostly I color the drawings digitally at home before posting them. When there’s time I use watercolors on location.

Although it’s only quick sketching there’s always this feeling of “stepping outside of the moment”. You’re outside the movement and everybody else is in it. The drawing gives you a reason to stand and watch, a gesture that would not be always be accepted socially without a sketchbook in hand. In this state my relation to the environment changes, because I am not heading towards anything – I try to let the sketching just “happen”. I start to see things – and the relationship between things – that I would not have noticed before; if things go well, this might find its way into the sketch and be of some kind of common interest at the same time.

Since I reactivated my sketching, my relation to Berlin has changed from being the city I accidentally live in to become…not a “hometown” but something I explore with continuing curiosity and that’s always challenging me. This hasn’t just happened by exploring the “scenic parts of town” either, but mostly just around everyday Charlottenburg where I live.

Sketch: Rolf Schroeter

The same thing happens when travelling (though not with family as we don’t ever seem able to travel “slowly” enough – we will improve on that). I am rarely interested in drawing yet another view of well-known sites, but prefer to roam around and find something that’s more atmospheric, something that visually appeals to me personally. So sometimes my sketching needs lead me to remote parts of the town and gives me a reason to stay there long enough, to let something new and unexpected “drip” into my experience. And, if I am very lucky, I carry a bit of it home. Sometimes this also creates some interesting contacts with the locals.

At the moment the Urban Sketchers network is an important part of all this. It’s a great environment for learning from others’ examples and testing the effect of your own stuff. Maybe it’s vanity, but I don’t think anyone sketches when no one else is watching. The network is well structured, with the public Flickr group (which anybody can join) and a few group rules, like the drawing having to be made on location, with an “urban” topic, and a bit of a story that explains the drawing. There’s also the Urban Sketchers blog, where only ‘correspondents’ can post and a “Sketchcrawl“, initialised by Enrico Casarosa, where everybody is encouraged to sketch on a special day together. In fact the next Sketchcrawl is May 15th, which I hope to be participating in.

Where were you born and what sparked your interest in photography?

I grew up in a small town in West Germany, close to the Dutch border. I moved to Berlin about 12 years ago to start my first job. I began to take pictures more or less by accident when a friend gave a camera to me. Right from the beginning the darkroom was a kind of magical place for me: the moment you see the first contours of a picture on what was a piece of white paper seconds before – fantastic.

Photo: Guido Steenkamp

What kinds of photos did you start shooting initially?

When I moved to Berlin I started to take pictures of abandoned military bases. A vast amount of these facilities can be found around Berlin, given up by the Red Army a long time ago. After two or three years of doing this, I got bored by photographing ‘dead’ stuff. Instead I focused on street photography which is all about life in its various forms.

Did you study photography?

I didn’t study photography. I studied business management. I am head of a consulting department at a Berlin based software company.

What got you into street photography?

I like walking in the streets and I like to watch people. The most exciting aspect of street photograpy is that there is very little that you have to prepare for, and almost nothing you can plan. All you have to do is to step out on the street and have your camera ready to record the small details of daily lives. I would prefer to call this ‘voyeuristic documentation’ rather than street photography. For me the basic idea of this kind of photography is to document life in its candid moments.

What makes Berlin a good place for this kind of photography?

Well, Berlin is where I live and therefore I take most of my pictures here. I wouldn’t say Berlin is the best place in the world for street photography (that would be NYC), but it’s relatively easy in Berlin. The two things that are obviously required for street photography are people and interesting environments.

Photo: Guido Steenkamp

Berlin has got a large number of (very different) districts. What I really like about the city is the fact that I can always decide what type of street photography I want to do, simply by leaving the subway at a different station.

You mentioned in your blog you don’t like going “East” – why is that?

When I’m on the streets, I am always in search of interesting subjects. I usually find these types of subjects in West Berlin districts. When I wrote that I don’t like going “East”, I was referring to districts like Prenzlauer Berg or Friedrichshain. I am well aware of the popularity of these areas by young people, but this is also what makes them boring in a certain way. If you spend some time there, you will notice that people all look alike; they wear the same type of clothes and they are mostly between 20-40 years old; elderly people are virtually non-existent. Personally, I prefer to shoot in classic West Berlin districts like Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg or Neukölln as I believe they are far more balanced in terms of their population.

What equipment do you use? Do you have your own darkroom / developing suite etc.?

Most of the time I use a small camera, a 25-year-old Leica that no one takes seriously. I do the black and white development by myself, followed by scanning and some post processing using Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop. I started to use a digital camera recently, now that the Leica M9 a decent digital camera is finally available. I still have to work on my digital workflow though in order to get the same level of quality from digital that I get from film based cameras.

Photo: Guido Steenkamp

What local equipment or developing shops would you recommend?

The best developing service I found in Berlin is Phototechnik Fehling in Berlin Schöneberg. It’s a rather small shop but the people working there really know their stuff. For new equipment the Leica Store in Fasanenstrasse (close to Kudamm) is my first point of call. Their products and customer service are outstanding but a little on the pricey side.

Which Berlin (or German) photographers do you most admire and why?

There are three german photographers I’d like to name. Harald Hauswald – for documenting the daily life in the former GDR and for founding Berlin’s famous Ostkreuz photo agency. Thomas Höpker – a well known MAGNUM photographer who has been documenting history for more than five decades. And.Andy Spyra - a young photographer I only discovered recently when I saw his work at the C/O gallery in Berlin. The exhibition is running for another three weeks. If you are in Berlin make sure to go there.

Name five of your favourite “slow” places or activities in Berlin…

• Buchhandlung Walther König at the Museumsinsel – When it comes to books about photography or art in general, Walther König is the best arranged bookstore in town.
• Camera Work gallery in Kantstrasse - There are always interesting photo exhibitions at Camera Work, either by well known photo icons or by young and up-coming artists. Admission is free!
• KaDeWe in Tauentzienstraße – You will for sure find Berlin’s premium department store in every Travel Guide. Nevertheless, the KaDeWe is always worth a visit, not only for tourists but also for people living in Berlin.
• Turkish market on Maybachufer - Twice a week you can buy everything there from fruit and vegetables to meat and dairy products and clothing.
• Familienrestaurant KiiWii in Güntzelstrasse – A great place for having a relaxed Latte Machiatto or a fine dinner while watching the kids playing in the indoor play room.

Guido Steenkamp

See Guido’s website here.

About The Author

Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based writer & travel photographer and the founder of Slow Travel Berlin. You can check out his personal website here and some of his photography galleries here.

Joost Schmidt, Poster for Bauhaus Exhibition, Weimar 1923 (Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin/ Foto: Markus Hawlik© VG Bild-Kunst Bonn)

Though short lived, Germany’s Bauhaus design school went on to become one of the 20^th century’s most influential and pervasive movements. Almost every major European and American city features some example of the Bauhaus style, whether one of the school’s linear, flat-topped buildings or one of the many lamps, tables and chairs produced through the years.

As Annemarie Jaeggi, Director of Berlin’s Bauhaus Archiv has pointed out, “Bauhaus is better known abroad than Goethe or Schiller”.

The Bauhaus (“building house” in German) began life in Weimar in the aftermath of the First World War. Rooted in modernism and bolstered by the liberal milieu of the Weimar Republic, founder Walter Gropius was specifically inspired by British designer William Morris and prior German movements like the Deutscher Werkbund and the “Neues Bauen”.

Exploring the links between fine art and craftsmanship (and later art and mass production), Gropius set in motion the fusion of form and function that would become the Bauhaus trademark.

Gropius inaugurated the school in 1919. The first Bauhaus teachers were Swiss painter Johannes Itten (who taught the school’s all important Vorkurs or preliminary course until 1922), German-American painter Lyonel Feininger and German sculptor Gerhard Marcks. Not long afterwards the German painter, sculptor and designer Oskar Schlemmer (who headed the theater workshop) and the painters Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky joined.

Though the school began in Weimar it really took off in the industrial town of Dessau, where it moved in 1925 following financial cuts by the Thuringian government. Housed in an a building  designed by Gropius, the school hit its creative stride here underpinned by the new motto: “art and technology – a new unity”. The final stage of the Bauhaus school occured in Berlin, where the school operated in an abandoned telephone factory for a year before being closed down by the Nazis.

T. Lux Feininger, Sport am Bauhaus, 1927 (Bildnachweis: Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin© T. Lux Feininger)

Today the main repository of all things Bauhaus is also in Berlin, namely the Bauhaus Archiv in the city’s Tiergarten district. Housed in an idiosyncratic building constructed by Gropius himself (1976-1979), the Archiv/Museum’s distinctive roof, reminiscent of a flotilla, tends to polarise (Bauhaus member Max Bill derided it “a screwed-up old man’s design”) but makes it easy to find at least.

Its surprisingly demure interior is the best place to get an overview of the breadth and depth of Bauhaus’ expansive activities, which ranged from architecture and furniture to ceramics, metalwork, photography and more. Set on one floor of the main building, the exhibition space is not huge – only a third of the entire collection can be shown at any one time; but it manages to pack in insightful work from Vorkurs students and Bauhaus heavyweights alike.

There are some gorgeous examples of tubular steel furniture from Hungarian Marcel Breuer, including a cherrywood and horsehair original, and leather and wicker armchairs from Mies van der Rohe, who also created the marvellous rosewood writing desk also on display.

The endearing black and white documentary of Gropius’ home, for which he designed every aspect for “maximum efficiency and simplicity” underlines the Bauhaus commitment to everyday functionality. While paintings from Itten, Schlemmer, Feininger, Albers and Klee testify to the influence of Goethe’s Colour Theory, and the wallpaper samples – wallpaper allegedly being most profitable Bauhaus product of all – illustrate the stylistic reach of the movement.

There’s also a host of remarkable pieces rendered in clay, wood and metal, ranging from classic lamps to a beautiful chess set (see photo) by Josef Hartwig in oak, maple, pear and oak, each piece designed to reflect the moves it can make in the game. Also of note is the reconstruction of Gropius’ curvaceous coffee bar, designed originally for the 1930 Werkbund Paris exhibition.

Josef Hartwig Chess Set, 1924 (Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin/Fotostudio Bartsch)

In the back room are models of some of the larger Bauhaus projects. Strangely, although the school’s original vision was centered on buildings, they didn’t begin an architecture school until 1927.

However, these diminutive versions of the Fagus factory, Mies van der Rohe’s planned high-rise at Friedrich Str. and the Bauhaus building at Dessau adequately display the school’s legendary architectural vision, all flat roofs, clean lines and a determined lack of ostentation.

If all this doesn’t sate your curiosity, pop next door to the main archive where you’ll find the largest Bauhaus resource in the world, featuring books, magazines, newspaper clippings and more.

There’s also the shop, which stocks a surprisingly large range of lovely Bauhaus reproductions and also sells a map of the key Bauhaus buildings in Berlin (one of the more prominent being Mies van der Rohe’s Neue National Galerie on Potsdamerstrasse). And if you’re feeling intrepid, it’s worth checking out the Bauhaus school in Dessau, 130km south-west of Berlin.

Bauhaus Archiv
Klingelhöferstraße 14
10785 Berlin (Tiergarten)
Tel: 030 25 40 02 0
Info: 030 25 40 02 78
Admission: Sat, Sun, Mon: €7/€4 / Wed, Thurs, Fri: €6/€3 (includes audio tour)

About The Author

Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based writer & travel photographer and the founder of Slow Travel Berlin. You can check out his personal website here and some of his photography galleries here.