Dessau-Roßlau: Population is shrinking, Bauhaus is flourishing - A festival of the future!

Dessau-Roßlau: Population is shrinking, Bauhaus is flourishing - A festival of the future!

Big things are happening in the small town of Dessau-Roßlau, which has 75,400 inhabitants in Saxony-Anhalt. The long-awaited opening festival to mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus starts on September 4, 2025. But as the city becomes the world capital of modern architecture, alarming statistics show that the population is steadily declining. At the end of 2024, Dessau-Roßlau only had 75,402 residents, which means a decrease of 660 compared to the previous year. Forecasts suggest that number could fall to just 70,021 by the end of 2025 - a decline of over 21% since 2008, according to [journee-mondiale.com].

Despite these demographic challenges, culture in Dessau-Roßlau is blooming like a freshly blooming flower. As part of the anniversary program “To the Substance” the city is being transformed into a living museum of modernity. The Bauhaus, founded in Weimar in 1919 and moved to Dessau in 1925, not only revolutionized architecture and design, but is now also bringing international flair back to the region. Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus, believed that art should fulfill a social function, and this vision lives on today, including through the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is Gropius' Bauhaus building.

Cultural tourism as a saving anchor

The Prellerhaus, Germany's first student residence, attracts numerous international visitors with its historical value. The city is specifically focusing on cultural tourism and international architecture trips to counteract the population decline. In 2023, Dessau-Roßlau even recorded 1,000 more arrivals than departures. The BauhausCard also provides year-round access to all international Bauhaus locations and is supplemented by virtual tours and podcasts - a clever move to establish a connection with the new generation.

“If you accept the challenges, a lasting turnaround can occur,” says a city representative. With the anniversary program, Dessau-Roßlau could not only strengthen its economic base, but also finally gain the cultural recognition that the city has long deserved. In a network of Bauhaus World Heritage sites that also includes Weimar and Bernau, Dessau-Roßlau is becoming more and more recognized as a cultural stronghold every year, and perhaps the Bauhaus Festival will be the historical turning point the city has been waiting for.

A legacy of global proportions

The Bauhaus left a lasting influence not only in Germany but worldwide. Style icons like the Wassily chair and the Barcelona Pavilion continue to inspire designers to develop innovative designs and modern living concepts. The Bauhaus project was often relocated to different cities, with the controversies playing a role that should not be underestimated given the political circumstances of the time. Today, the remnants of this movement stand in the form of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Dessau-Roßlau as a memorial to the creative power that emerges from the collaboration of art and technology.

Ultimately, Dessau-Roßlau is not just a provincial town, it is a living testimony to a time in which the world was being reshaped. As the anniversary celebration begins, it will be an opportunity for many people to celebrate the roots of modern design while looking to the future.