Bauhaus manifesto defends school from AfD attacks

Germany's culture minister and a group of art and design institutions voiced support Thursday for the Bauhaus art school, whose modernist legacy has come under attack from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Culture Minister Wolfram Weimar published a “Bauhaus Manifesto 2026” with leaders of artistic, religious, crafts and architectural institutions to defend the Bauhaus movement and the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau.

The manifesto argues that recent attacks from political fringes echo some of the criticism levelled by the Nazis, who branded much Bauhaus-linked work as “degenerate art”. It says the Bauhaus and the hostility it faced from the Nazi regime show that a culture of remembrance is a prerequisite for understanding history and democracy.

The Bauhaus was founded in Weimar in 1919 and moved to Dessau in 1925 because of right-wing political pressure. It moved into its well-known Dessau building in 1926.

“Today, exactly 100 years later, we want to defend the Bauhaus against populist attacks,” the manifesto states.

Regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt are due in September, with the AfD leading in polls and seeking an outright majority for the first time. The party's campaign criticises the Bauhaus and its legacy, alleging that promoting the movement amounts to “denying German identity” and threatening to cut public funding for the Bauhaus Foundation.

The AfD has instead advocated more “patriotic tourism” and education, favouring figures such as Martin Luther, Otto von Bismarck and Friedrich Nietzsche.

The manifesto champions Bauhaus and its UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites for their influence on modern design and architecture. The school was shut down by the Nazis after Adolf Hitler took power in 1933.