Things to do in Dessau – 13 tips for the Bauhaus city

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | What to do in Dessau, Germany? Dessau is primarily known for its Bauhaus (and we're not talking about the DIY store) as well as its parks and UNESCO heritage. Here are our best tips!

Dessau

Dessau, or Dessau-Roßlau as the municipality is called today, is a slightly different destination, which offers two important UNESCO World Heritage Sites: "Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom" and "Bauhaus and its sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau".

With "Bauhaus" means not the building materials store of the same name, but the design school and design movement that developed in Germany starting in 1919, and over time led to what we call ”functionalism”. In Dessau there are no less than 300 buildings with a connection to Bauhaus and three sites that are part of the World Heritage.

Dessau is located in the federal state Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany. The city is located about seventy kilometers north of Leipzig.

What to do in Dessau?

What to see and do in Dessau? The city has a large focus on Bauhaus design, and there are also a number of beautiful gardens and castles that are part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom. We've listed our top tips here.

1. check out the Bauhaus school

For starters, you should check out the Bauhaus School, which appears in almost every image of the Bauhaus and is a World Heritage Site. This is the centre of the design movement that led to today's modern architecture. We just looked at the building from the outside, and then walked along 'Bauhausstrasse' towards the city centre. It is also possible to buy tickets to see a bit more.

2. Check out the House of Masters

Another Unesco heritage site is the 'House of Masters'. These houses housed the founder of Bahau, Walter Gropius, and other architects and teachers such as Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, László Moholy-Nagy, Oskar Schlemmer and Georg Muche and their families.

The semi-detached houses are identical in construction, but the residents put their own stamp on their own homes with different ideas on interior design and colour schemes. You can look at the buildings from the outside, or buy a ticket to see more. Isn't it fascinating that these houses, which feel so modern, were built in 1925-1926?

3. Check out the Dessau-Törten residential area

If you're interested in Bauhaus design, it's also worth checking out the Dessau-Törten neighbourhood. Start at the Konsum building, which was built in 1928. It now houses an exhibition on the development of the neighbourhood and provides information on various buildings worth seeing.

In this area is the third site in Dessau that is part of the UNESCO heritage "Bauhaus and its sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau". These are the apartment blocks with balconies that are part of the World Heritage Site, built as early as 1929-1930.

4. Visit the Bauhaus Museum

Still haven't had enough of Bauhaus? Then you can visit the Bauhaus Museum in the middle of town. The museum opened in 2019 and houses the world's second largest collection of Bauhaus objects.

5. Hang out at the Kornhaus

It was in 1929 that the city of Dessau, together with a brewery, commissioned the construction of the Kornhaus restaurant. Carl Fieger, who worked in Walter Gropius's office, was given the honor of designing the building. This special round building still stands right next to the Elbe River today, and serves as a popular restaurant, where various parties are also held.

The restaurant is located near the "Seesportverein Dessau" car park and we walked here one evening. We didn't end up at the restaurant, but by chance we started talking to the organisers of an outdoor cinema, and suddenly we were sitting with a beer and watching a German film. Cool in the evening, but good atmosphere!

6. See the Residence Castle - with museum of urban history

The Dessau Residence Palace (Residenzschloss Dessau) was once a princely palace that served as the residence of the princes and later the dukes of Anhalt. The palace was originally a mighty Renaissance building with four wings, but today only a single wing (Johannbau) remains. Today, you will find the city's historical museum here.

7. Take a walk in Georgium Park

The Georgium is a princely palace and park, part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom World Heritage Site, located in the centre of Dessau. The palace was built for Johann Georg von Anhalt-Dessau, younger brother of Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, who commissioned the Wörlitz Park. It's a great place to walk, and in true English park spirit, one surprise after another appears in the form of monuments and statues.

8. Strolling in the park Luisium

Another park in Dessau, which is also part of the World Heritage Site, is the Luisium Park with its palace. It was in 1774 that the Duke of Anhalt-Dessau started building a palace for his wife Margravine Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt. This is also a great place to walk, and the park is full of monuments, statues and caves.

9. Visit the Hugo Junker Technology Museum

A completely different thing that you can do in Dessau is to visit the Hugo Junkers Technology Museum. Hugo Junkers, who was born in 1859, was an engineer and entrepreneur with close ties to Dessau. At the museum you can learn a lot about the aviation industry, among other things. Outside the museum you will also find some exciting objects such as airplanes and the remains of a wind tunnel.

10. Take a guided tour of Mosigkau Castle

Just outside the centre of Dessau you will find Mosigkau Castle, which together with the park is a UNESCO heritage site. This rococo castle was built between 1752 and 1757 as a summer residence for Prince Leopold I's daughter Anna Wilhelmine.

If you want to see the inside of the castle, you have to join a guided tour, which we chose to do. The guide was in German, but we got a booklet in English and at least got to see all the beautiful rooms.

11. Be fascinated by Oranienbaum Castle and Castle Park

Another castle outside Dessau, which of course is also a World Heritage Site along with its castle park, is Oranienbaum Castle. This beautiful castle is older than many others in the area, having been built at the end of the 17th century.

The client was the wealthy Henriette Catharina of Orange-Nassau (1637-1708), who came from Holland and married Prince Johann Georg II of Anhalt-Dessau (1627-1693). The castle was initially planned as a summer residence, but after the prince's death, Henriette Catharina moved here permanently.

The castle has worn out over time and constant renovations are ongoing, both inside and out. We chose to book a guided tour, and as usual we were informed that the tour would be in German, but that we could get a booklet in English.

When it turned out that we were the only participants on the tour, the poor guide, who only knew very little English, was slightly shocked. We tried to convince him that it was okay that he was just showing us around, but once he had absorbed the shock, he did his absolute best to tell us the most important things in a mixture of German, English and sign language.

Some rooms are very worn, while others, such as the tapestry room and the tile cellar, show the splendour and luxury that once existed here. It was a really interesting and enjoyable tour!

You also don't want to miss the castle park, which is both beautiful and different. It was Prince Franz who transformed parts of the park into an Anglo-Chinese garden, which is unique in Europe in that it has largely preserved its 18th-century character.

Finally, if you wish, you can check out the castle's oblong orangery, built in 1812, where citrus fruits are still grown today.

12. Enjoy the Wörlitzer Park.

Wörlitzer Park is the largest park in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom and an integral part of the World Heritage Site. The park was founded in the second half of the 18th century, under the rule of Leopold III Friedrich Franz.

The centre of the park is Lake Wörlitz, and the park is filled with charming bridges, monuments and caves. There is also a wide range of interesting sights such as the Gothic House, the Pantheon, Wörlitz Castle and Stein Island with Villa Hamilton and an artificial 'volcano'.

READ MORE: Wörlitzer Park - Dessau-Wörlitz garden centre

13. Cycle along the Elberadweg

The Elberadweg (Elbe cycle path) is a popular and varied cycle path that runs through much of Germany, divided into different routes. The route starts in the Czech Republic and passes through Dessau on its way.

More things to do in Dessau

If you have more time in Dessau, there is of course even more to discover. Here are two additional tips.

See Walter Gropius' old employment office

The historic employment office, Arbeitsamt, was designed by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and built in the late 1920s. The building is another example of functionalist Bauhaus architecture in Dessau.

Visit Dessau Zoo

Tierpark Dessau is located next to the Georgium park and can be a nice break from all the city's buildings, museums and castles, especially for those traveling with children.

Where can you live or stay with your campervan?

When we visited Dessau with a camper van, we had time to try out two different pitches. First we were at Seesport club Dessau, nicely situated on the Elbe. We found it to be a small, personal and cozy campsite with a good location for discovering the city.

On the last night we instead stood at Hugo Junkers Airfield. The location was further from the center and not as cozy, but worked well for an overnight stay.

More things to see and do around Dessau

There is of course more to see and do near Dessau. Here you will find more tips and reports:

• Things to do in Wittenberg
• Things to do in Magdeburg
• Things to do in Quedlinburg
• Thale in the Harz