Walter Gropius in Competition - Bauhaus Archive

Press Release
Walter Gropius in Competition
The Bauhaus Archive in Berlin presents a rediscovered architectural
competition from 1927/28 for a cultural complex in Halle an der Saale
Exhibition title: A City Crown for Halle Saale. Walter Gropius in Competition
Exhibition dates: 26 October 2011 – 9 January 2012
Press conference: 25 October 2011, 11 a.m.
Opening event: 25 October 2011, 7 p.m.
Berlin, 11 October 2011. Six of the Weimar Republic’s most famous architects participated in
an urban planning competition that is now being featured – over eighty years later – in the
exhibition ‘A City Crown for Halle Saale: Walter Gropius in Competition’. During the late 1920s,
Peter Behrens, Paul Bonatz, Emil Fahrenkamp, Hans Poelzig, Wilhelm Kreis and the director of
the Bauhaus, Walter Gropius, were invited to design a monumental cultural complex with a
civic centre, sports facilities and an art museum for the city of Halle on the Saale River. The
complex was to be located on a rocky plateau forty meters above the riverbank. The
exhibition, which will be on display at the Bauhaus Archive in Berlin from 26 October 2011 to
9 January 2012, presents long‐lost original plans, photographs and newly constructed models.
The design submitted by Gropius, entitled ‘Hanging Gardens’, is placed in the context of the
other entries, which range from conservative to moderately modern concepts. Gropius went
much further than his competitors. He proposed ‘a solution that will go beyond the fulfilment
of practical functions by creating a unique and fantastic city crown using the means of new
technologies and new materials.’ Gropius did not win the competition with his visionary
design, yet none of the entries was executed. Despite the fact that the competition
eventually fell into oblivion, a large number of architectural plans and drawings survived,
some of which have been restored especially for this exhibition.
‘The competition for Halle demonstrates the amount of importance that was placed on the
notion of community during that era. This is also reflected in Gropius’s reference to the
architectural ideal of a city crown as a cultural forum with large public venues,’ explains Dr.
Annemarie Jaeggi, director of the Bauhaus Archive / Museum of Design Berlin.
The exhibition opening will take place on 25 October 2011 at 7 p.m. Speakers include Dr.
Annemarie Jaeggi (Director of the Bauhaus Archive), Stephan Dorgerloh (Minister of Education
and Cultural Affairs, State of Saxony‐Anhalt) and Dipl.‐Ing. M. Sc. Christine Fuhrmann (BTU
Cottbus, guest curator).
‘A City Crown for Halle Saale: Walter Gropius in Competition’ is a joint project of the
Moritzburg Foundation / Art Museum of the State of Saxony‐Anhalt and the Institute for Art
History and European Archaeology at the Martin Luther University in Halle, Wittenberg, in
cooperation with the Bauhaus Archive / Museum of Design Berlin. A catalogue will be
published in conjunction with the exhibition, which is also accompanied by a programme of
events.
(continued on reverse)

Catalogue (in German):
A City Crown for Halle Saale Walter Gropius in Competition
Eds. C. Fuhrmann and L. Helten
2011, 132 pages, richly illustrated
ISBN 3‐86105‐049‐8, 19.80 €
available for purchase at the museum ticket desk
Programme of Events:
bauhaus_brunch: ‘The City Crown. Between Utopia and Reality’
30 Oct. 2011 & 20 Nov. 2011, 11:00 am, location: Bauhaus Archive Berlin
Price for brunch (incl. coffee and tea), admission and guided tour of the exhibition:
19 € / members 15 €
Registration is required by telephone (030 / 25 40 02‐43) or e‐mail
(fuehrungen@bauhaus.de).
bauhaus_lecture: ‘A City Crown for Halle Saale. Walter Gropius in Competition’
by Dipl‐Ing. Christine Fuhrmann
9 Nov. 2011, 7:00 pm, location: Bauhaus Archive Berlin
Panel discussion: ‘The City as a Crown. Urban Planning and Modernity’
14 Nov. 2011, 7 p.m.
Location: Landesvertretung Sachsen‐Anhalt (State Offices of Saxony‐Anhalt in Berlin)
Exclusively for Members: Finissage
Registration by e‐mail at: mitglieder@bauhaus.de
9 Jan. 2012, 7:00 pm, location: Bauhaus Archive Berlin
The Bauhaus Archive / Museum of Design
The Bauhaus Archive/Museum of Design in Berlin is devoted to the research and presentation of
the history and influence of the Bauhaus (1919‐1933), the most important school of
architecture, design and art in the twentieth century. The building on the banks of the
Landwehrkanal, which was designed by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, provides public access
to the world's largest collection of objects documenting the history and activities of the school.
In addition to Bauhaus‐related topics, the Bauhaus Archive also devotes attention to current
discussions on contemporary architecture and design, positioning itself in Berlin's museum
landscape as the Museum of Design.
If you have further questions or require photographic images, our press and PR office would be
pleased to provide assistance.
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Bauhaus Archive / Museum of Design
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Tel. (+49) 030 – 25 400 245 Tel. (+49) 030 – 25 400 247