Dessau

Getting there

By plane Nearest airports are Leipzig (LEJ IATA) and Berlin (BER IATA). Allow 90 minutes transfer from LEJ (S-Bahn to Leipzig or Halle main station, and then onwards to Dessau by regional train), 2.5 to 3 hours from Berlin Brandenburg Airport using public transport.

By car The easiest way to get to Dessau is by car, using the motorway A9. It has three exits depending on where are you coming from. If you arriving from north use the exit "Dessau Ost" (faster) or "Vockerode" on a more scenic route. From the south the exit is "Dessau Süd".

By train Regional trains connect from Wittenberg (30 minutes), Leipzig (60 minutes), Halle (50 minutes), Köthen (20 minutes) and Magdeburg (60 minutes) every hour and from Berlin (100 minutes) at two-hourly intervals. Exit at 1 Dessau Hbf (Dessau main station). There are a few more suburb stations, which are usually not relevant for visitors.

By bus Germany's biggest long distance bus operator Flixbus has scrapped Dessau as a destination in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was the only one serving the city to begin with; come by train or car.

Getting around

Most sites in or near the city centre, including Bauhaus building, Master houses, Georgium park, can be reached by foot. However, if you want to visit some more parks and palaces in the suburbs or vicinity of Dessau, walking is not an option. Flat topography as well as a dense and reasonably maintained network of bicycle paths make touring by bicycle the recommended way of getting around. You can take bikes on regional trains within Saxony-Anhalt for free, from outside Saxony-Anhalt for a couple of euros. There is a bicycle rental in front of Dessau main station in the Mobilitätszentrale (mobility centre), prices are €6 to €7 per day. Getting around by car is generally easy. There is not too much traffic. Finding a parking space is usually no problem, parking fees may apply in the city centre. Some fine landscape in the Mulde or Elbe meadows is not accessible by car though. There is public transport, too. Two tramway lines start at the main station and connect with the south (Line 1) and the west (Line 3) of the city. Several bus lines serve all parts of the city. However, they have poor frequency, especially at weekends and do not serve places of tourist interest easily. In many cases you're likely to reach your destination by walking long before the bus turns up, not to mention by bicycle. Tickets for a single journey are €1.50 at the Mobilitätszentrale and vending machines (also in the trams), or €2 if bought from the bus driver. Dessau-Wörlitzer Eisenbahn's (DWE) double-deck railbuses with panorama windows connect Dessau main station with the suburbs of Waldersee and Adria (lido) as well as the nearby towns of Oranienbaum (palace and garden) and Wörlitz ("garden realm"). Trains run at two-hourly intervals daily from late-March to late-October and on certain holidays. A one-way ticket to Oranienbaum or Wörlitz costs €5 (reduced €3.50), a family of two adults and up to three children pays €20 for a whole day. Combined tickets including a guided tour of Oranienbaum

See

Bauhaus sites

1 Bauhaus building, Gropiusallee 38. daily 10:00–17:00 (closed on Mondays between Nov–Feb). The "Bauhaus building" (1925–26 by Walter Gropius) is a trendsetting building for modern architecture and thus listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is 5 minutes walk from the main station (use west exit, not the main exit). It houses a postgradual college ("Bauhauskolleg") and exhibition rooms. It is possible to walk about parts of the building freely. There are guided tours in German daily (not on Mondays between Nov–Feb) at 11:00, sometimes additional tours at peak times (€7). English speaking tours every Friday at 12:00 (€9}. Ticket counter is on the first floor. €9.00 (regular), €6.00 (reduced). (updated Sep 2024)

2 Masters' Houses (Meisterhäuser), Ebertallee 1–7 (5 minutes walk from the Bauhaus/10 minutes from the main station). daily Tu–Su 10:00–17:00 (closed on Mondays between Nov–Feb). The Masters' Houses (1925–26 by Walter Gropius), homes for the Bauhaus teachers ("masters"), are an ensemble of originally one single and three double houses. They are named after their first users (Gropius, Moholy-Nagy/Feininger, Muche/Schlemmer, Klee/Kandinsky). The houses Gropius and Moholy-Nagy were destroyed during WWII, the Gropius villa was replaced by a detached house of the 1950s. New Master Houses were added in 2014 by the Berlin architecture firm Bruno Fioretti Marquez. Guided tours in German daily (not on Mondays between Nov–Feb) 12:30 (€7). English speaking tours every Friday at 13:30 (€9). Tours start at the Bauhaus building. €9.00 (regular), €6.00 (reduced). (updated Sep 2024) 3 Bauhaus Museum Dessau, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Platz 1 (Stadtpark). Tu–Su 10:00–17:00 (Mar–Oct until 18:00). One of the world's largest collections of Bauhaus design and architecture. €9.00 (regular), €6.00 (reduced). (updated Sep 2024) 4 Siedlung Törten (Dessau-Törten Housing Estate) (4 km south of the city centre, along Franzstraße, Heidestraße, Damaschkestraße). Mar–Oct only:

Do

1 Anhaltisches Theater, Friedensplatz 1A. Given that Anhalt was once a separate state, its capital of course has its own theatre, staging dramas, operas, musicals, concerts of the philharmonic orchestra and puppet theatre. It has one of the largest revolving stages in Germany and accommodates an audience of 1100. The building, completed in 1938, is an impressive example of Nazi-era stripped classicism. (updated Nov 2019) Cycle along the Elbe or Mulde rivers and explore hidden beaches. The Elbe was named by the Romans albis fluvius (white river) for its bright sandy beaches. Kurt-Weill-Fest, annual culture festival honouring the German-American composer Kurt Weill (1900–1950), a native of Dessau, in late-February to mid-March every year.

Buy

In the city centre there is the standard shopping choice. Two shopping malls in the city centre, Rathaus-Center (between Kavalierstraße and Zerbster Straße) and Dessau-Center on Franzstraße/Askanische Straße offer similar shops and services. Worth having a look at are:

Bookshop in the Bauhaus, Gropiusallee 38 (at the basement of the Bauhaus building). daily 10:00–18:00. Offers a variety of books on art and architecture, also in English. 1 Galerie Bauart, Gropiusallee 81 (near Bauhaus/Meisterhäuser). F–Su 12:00–18:00. Offers designer products and Bauhaus-style furniture.

Eat

There are several restaurants and bars in the city centre and on Zerbster Straße. There is a food court inside the centrally located shopping mall Rathauscenter.

Budget 1 Orig. Thüringer Rostbratwurstgrill, Wolfgangstraße 24a. (updated Feb 2023) 2 Kellerklause, Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Straße 15. (updated Feb 2023) 3 Deniz Döner, Rabestraße 14. (updated Feb 2023) 4 Rondell Imbiss / BGHM Kantine, Kühnauer Str. 71. (updated Feb 2023) 5 Big Döner Dessau, Willy-Lohmann-Straße 18. (updated Feb 2023) 6 Asia Cuisine & Sushi, Kavalierstraße 53. (updated Feb 20