Dessau, Germany — Travel Guide

Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the state (in German: Bundesland == Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau.
Dessau is famous for its college of architecture Bauhaus. It moved here in 1925 after it had been forced to close in Weimar. Many famous artists were lecturers in Dessau in the following years, among them Walter Gropius, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. The Nazis forced the closure of the Bauhaus in Dessau in 1933.

The town was almost completely destroyed by Allied air raids in World War II on 7 March 1945, six weeks before American troops occupied the town. Afterwards it was rebuilt with typical GDR concrete slab architecture (Plattenbau) and became a major industrial centre of East Germany. Since German reunification in 1990 many historic buildings have been restored.

Wikipedia: Dessau – Wikipedia

Sightseeing Highlights

Bauhaus building

(UNESCO World Heritage)
The Bauhaus building was constructed in 1925/26 from plans of Walter Gropius. Address: Bauhaus Dessau, Gropiusallee 38, 06846 Dessau

Bauhaus Masters’ Houses (Meisterhäuser)

(UNESCO World Heritage)
Includes: Gropius House, Muche House, Klee House, Fenninger House
Contact: Stiftung Meisterhäuser, Meisterhaus Kandinsky / Klee, Ebertallee 69/71, 06846 Dessau

Meisterhaus Kandinsky/Klee in Dessau – Wüstenrot Stiftung (wuestenrot-stiftung.de)
Public transportation: by bus #10 or #11 exit Gropiusallee

Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm (Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz)

(UNESCO World Heritage)
The Garden Realm stretches some 25 km, from Großkühnau in the west to Rehsen in the east, the Elbe forms the northern border, Mosigkau Heath the south west and Oranienbaum Heath the south east. This unique garden of the German Enlightenment developed within fifty years to become the largest English style landscaped garden in Europe.

It includes:

• Woerlitz Park (Wörlitzer Anlagen)
• Oranienbaum Palace and Park (Schloss und Stadt Oranienbaum)
• Georgium Palace and Park (Schloss und Park Georgium)
• Luisium Palace and Park (Schloss Luisium)
• Mosigkau Palace and Park (Schloss und Park Mosigkau)
• Landscape Garden Großkuehnau (Landschaftspark Großkühnau)

Climate & Temperatures

Average temperatures

Juli/August: up to around 30C / 86 F.
Winter: around freezing point

Best time to travel / Season

In general year-round, however, most tourists prefer the time between Spring and Fall.

Dessau, Germany, Visitor Info & Getting Around

Population Dessau-Roßlau

Ca. 90.000. Projected to decrease over the following 10 years.

Airport

The nearest major airports are:
a) Berlin–Tegel (approx. distance 120 km / 70 mi): Travel time from Berlin is approx. 2 hrs by car.
b) Leipzig-Halle (approx. distance 50 km / 30 mi)

Public Transportation

DVV Dessau provides services for: public transportation (bus, tram), electricity, water, etc.

Website: Dessauer-Nahverkehr.de (dessauer-nahverkehr.de)

Location

Dessau-Roßlau (the 2 cities merged in 2007) is located in the German state Saxony-Anhalt roughly between Berlin and Leipzig. Autobahn A9 Berlin-Nürnberg can be used to get to Dessau-Roßlau: exits are Dessau Ost or Dessau Süd

Distances to other cities

Magdeburg 50 km, Lutherstadt Wittenberg 35 km Berlin 120 km Hamburg 380 km Frankfurt / Main 450 km Hannover 210 km Nuremberg 350 km

Tourism Office

Address:
Zerbster Straße 2c
06844 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany

Visit Dessalu Tourism: Homepage | Visit Dessau

Getting there by bus: Busstop: Rathaus; bus #13, or #14, or #15