SPECIAL – German Greats!

Welcome to the first in our new series of country specials – designed to help you make the most of a week(end) away. We start the ball rolling in Germany, where we welcome our new member: Haus am Horn, the only building designed and constructed by the Bauhaus in Weimar.

We’ve arranged the houses chronologically, from youngest to oldest. It’s striking to see Belgian architect Henry van de Velde so active in Germany at the start of the century, with three houses to his name. All the usual Iconic Houses categories are represented: Taut’s Home in Hufeisensiedlung is a Unesco World Heritage monument where you can spend the night. Germany’s hidden gem is Haus Schminke in Löbau, where you can also stay. Haus Auerbach in Jena is a private house that’s open for visits, while in Berlin Georg Kolbe’s house is a great example of the artist’s home and studio.

We want your tips!
We’re always looking out for new and inspiring examples. So, if you know a unique and unmissable house from the 20th century, please tell us about it by mailing info@iconichouses.org. Thanks for your suggestions!

New at Iconic Houses in 2025!

Laubenganghäuser, Dessau-Roßlau, 1930
The Laubenganghäuser (Houses with Balcony Access) in Dessau-Törten were built by Bauhaus director Hannes Meyer. The striking red brick buildings connect apartments through distinctive open corridors ‘the Laubengänge’ and remain a prime example of social housing to this day. By realizing his vision of ‘needs of the people instead of luxury’, the Swiss architect created affordable housing for low-income families.

Note: Plan your visit(s) well in advance, as house museums can have irregular visiting times and often require online reservation.

Haus Ungers, Cologne, 1950 and 1989
House Ungers, was built by O.M. Ungers for his family with a studio for his architectural office and two rental apartments. The house gives testimony to Ungers’ architecture of the 60’s, giving him his first international acclaim. In 1989, a monolithic cube of basalt lava was built into the garden to house the extensive library of rare architectural books.

Haus Schminke, Löbau, 1933
Architecture should be an experience. This is why Hans Scharoun's Haus Schminke offers to spend a night, exclusively, in the Schminke House. And of course you can use all the built-in furniture, including the Frankfurt kitchen, which in large part remains in its original form. There is a total of seven beds. On request extra beds can accommodate up to twelve guests.

Mies van der Rohehaus, Berlin, 1933
Van der Rohe, one of the most important architects of the 20thC, was the director of the Bauhaus at the time the Lemke House was designed. This private home for Karl Lemke and his wife was his last project before emigrating to America in 1938. The house demonstrates Mies’ genius for using a minimum of material to produce maximum quality to satisfy the needs of modern living.

Haus Lange Haus Esters, Krefeld, 1930
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe  was commissioned in 1927 by Hermann Lange and Josef Esters to design the villa ensemble known as Haus Lange Haus Esters. They were to be home not only for the families of the clients but also, in the case of Hermann Lange, for his comprehensive collection of contemporary art.

Taut's Home, Berlin, 1930
Travel back in time to Berlin's stylish 1930s accommodation at the UNESCO-World heritage site at the Horseshoe Estate. Suitable for up to four guests, Taut’s Home is a cultural treasure with the character of a museum and a real-life experience of design history. This is probably the closest you can get to the spirit of emergent Modernism and the Golden Twenties in Berlin.

Haus Rabe, Zwenkau, 1930
Haus Rabe is a total work of art of classical modernism in the Bauhaus style. It was planned and built between 1929 and 1931 by architect Adolf Rading. It served the married couple Erna and Erich Rabe and their daughter Gabriele Schwarzer as a family home and doctor's surgery. Today - almost 100 years later - it is in excellent condition. The exhibition includes a 90-year-old dining table that was specially made for the Rabe family home and several other furnishings. In addition to public tours, the unique rooms of Haus Rabe offer ideal conditions for special events up to 15 people.

Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin, 1929
Georg Kolbe was the most successful German sculptor in the first half of the 20th century. The studio house ensemble that Kolbe had built for himself at the height of his success in 1928/29 represents a significant example of Berlin architecture of the 1920s. The brick structures with ceiling-high windows are a clear affirmation of architectural modernism.

mayhaus, Frankfurt am Main, 1928
The mayhaus is the model house of the New Frankfurt designed by architect Ernst May to solve the housing shortage. It has been restored and returned to the condition in which it was first occupied around 1928. It thus exemplifies the political, economic and artistic reforms for which Frankfurt's mayor Ludwig Landmann received worldwide attention at the end of the 1920s.

Weissenhofmuseum im Haus Le Corbusier, Stuttgart, 1927
The semi-detached house of Le Corbusier was built as part of the Weissenhofsiedlung. Under the direction of Mies van der Rohe, 17 international architects belonging to the Avant-Garde presented new solutions for living, among them Gropius, Oud and Scharoun: a milestone of modern architecture.

Haus Auerbach, Jena, 1924
The residence was designed for the Jewish couple Felix and Anna Auerbach and is one of the few private homes that Walter Gropius ever constructed. For the first time Gropius realized his famous ‘Baukastenprinzip’. It is one of the most important examples of the interbellum era of 'Neues Bauen' in Europe and the only Gropius building with the original colored interior.

Haus Am Horn, Weimar, 1923
The Haus Am Horn is the only building designed and constructed by the Bauhaus in Weimar. This model house was built for the 1923 Bauhaus exhibition. It provided an opportunity for the masters and students to present their visions of modern living. In 1996, the house was inscribed by UNESCO as part of Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau.

Hohenhof, Hagen, 1908
In 1906, Karl Ernst Osthaus commissioned Henry van de Velde to design his family home in Hagen as a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’. Traditional constructing material characterize the house's exterior. Van de Velde created the interior design as a unified whole. In addition to the original interior design, furniture and craftwork by Henry van de Velde is on display.

Haus Hohe Pappeln, Weimar, 1907
The Haus Hohe Pappeln was the home of the Belgian architect and designer Henry van de Velde who came to Weimar in 1902 as the artistic advisor for the Thuringian arts and crafts trade. He lived there with his family until 1917. In addition to the house itself he designed all the furniture, fixtures and the garden.

Villa Esche, Chemnitz, 1903
Villa Esche in Chemnitz was designed by Belgian designer Henry van de Velde for the family of Herbert Esche, a successful stocking manufacturer. The Esche family lived here until 1945. After that, the house had a number of reincarnations including as a military command post, a residential building and the headquarters for the local Chamber of Craftsmen.
   

Haus Deiters, Darmstadt, 1901
Haus Deiters on the Mathildenhöhe was part of a groundbreaking ensemble of permanent as well as temporary modern buildings. This ensemble was created by the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony that worked and lived on the Mathildenhöhe. Immediately after completion, the fully furnished buildings were opened to the public as part of an international architecture and design exhibition.

Posted February 16, 2024