Bauhaus against AfD: culture war flares up in Saxony-Anhalt!

Bauhaus against AfD: culture war flares up in Saxony-Anhalt!

A culture war is flourishing in Saxony-Anhalt over the Bauhaus Dessau, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. The AfD recently made the ideas of this architectural milestone the focus of its political attacks. The right-wing populist party describes the Bauhaus movement as the “misguided path of modernity” and is using the anniversary celebrations to showcase its controversial views on Germany's cultural identity. Loud tagesschau.de Saxony-Anhalt is proud of its world cultural heritage, but the AfD has unleashed a wave of criticism against the ideals of the Bauhaus.

Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a prominent figure in the AfD and a doctorate in Islamic studies, sets the tone in his statements. The MP belongs to the right wing of the party and is known for causing a lot of excitement with his rhetoric. He uses terms that are reminiscent of National Socialist rhetoric and calls for a “renaissance of German culture”. At the same time, Tillschneider denies any connections to National Socialist ideologies. Nevertheless, his comparison of the Bauhaus with a “misguided path” is highly controversial, especially since he is based on quotes from Nazi ideologues. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution has now classified the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as “certainly right-wing extremist”.

Resistance to right-wing extremist views

The AfD's attacks came in time for the preparations for the state elections in autumn 2026. The goal is clear: the party wants to establish itself as the strongest force. In this context, Tillschneider expressed the plan to make Saxony-Anhalt the “place of longing for all German patriots”, including the suggestion of a “Pride Pass”.

These political ambitions are calling not only the Ministry of Culture into action, but also the other world heritage sites in Saxony-Anhalt, which have come together to take action against the AfD. Saxony-Anhalt's Minister of State for Culture Rainer Robra (CDU) called the AfD's statements "shameless" and warned that they could lead to a serious problem for the region's cultural memory and economic prospects in the future. Loud zdf.de, Robra warns of the consequences that such an ideological conflict could have on the cultural landscape.

• Das Bauhaus wurde 1919 von Walter Gropius in Weimar gegründet.
• Besonders in Dessau erlangte das Bauhaus Berühmtheit mit dem von Gropius entworfenen Hochschulgebäude.
• Die Meisterhaussiedlung in Dessau ist ebenfalls UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe.
• Das Bauhaus schloss 1932 in Dessau und bestand bis 1933 in Berlin.

The disputes over the Bauhaus are also reflected in the reactions from the cultural scene. Artists in Saxony-Anhalt are concerned about the political aspirations of the AfD and are planning a counter-festival to the right-wing book fair, which is to take place in Halle/Saale in November - at the same time as the remembrance of Kristallnacht. As Barbara Steiner, director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, emphasizes, the AfD's criticism of the Bauhaus movement is mostly political calculation. For many, the Bauhaus is more than just an architectural style, it stands for social progress and cultural diversity.

An alarming trend

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) compares the AfD's arguments with worrying similarities to those of the NSDAP. According to Philipp Oswalt, former director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, the AfD criticism shows a continuity of right-wing radical positions that aim to discredit the values ​​of the Bauhaus and question the social benefits of this cultural movement.

The Bauhaus is not just an architectural heritage, but a symbol of an open and diverse society. The culture war, sparked by the AfD, is a reflection of the tensions and challenges that Germany is currently experiencing. Saxony-Anhalt remains a place where the debate about identity, memory and cultural values ​​is in full swing.

With concerns about the upcoming elections, many hope that the diverse spirit of the Bauhaus will continue to find space in the cultural landscape. Art and culture in Saxony-Anhalt are a valuable part of German identity - and it should remain that way in the future, regardless of political trends.