Haus am Horn

Lore & Background

The Haus am Horn was built for the first Bauhaus Werkschau exhibition, which ran from July to September 1923. It was designed by Georg Muche, a painter and teacher at the school, after students chose his design in a democratic ballot. The building was completed in only four months, overseen by Adolf Meyer, and financed with an interest-free loan from Adolf Sommerfeld. It was intended as a model for a housing estate on a planned Bauhaus campus, which never materialized, leading to its nickname 'Musterhaus' (pattern house).

The house features a simple cubic design with a flat roof, using steel and concrete. Energy efficiency was a priority due to memories of World War I fuel shortages. The walls have three layers: an external concrete wall, an inner insulating layer of peat-based 'Torfoleum', and an interior lining. Windows were larger on the south and west sides, while the northern side was almost windowless. The interior included four bedrooms, a kitchen, pantry, separate dining room, living room with work space, and a bathroom with a gas-fueled Junkers boiler. All furniture and fittings were made in Bauhaus workshops, with contributions from László Moholy-Nagy (lights), Marcel Breuer (furniture), Marta Erps-Breuer (rug), Alma Siedhoff-Buscher (children's room), Benita Koch-Otte (kitchen design and children's room carpet), and Theodor Bogler (kitchen ceramics).

After the exhibition, the house became Sommerfeld's property, who sold it in 1924 to lawyer Franz Kühn. It later passed to the German Labour Front, which planned demolition, but World War II halted that. After the war, it was confiscated by Soviet forces and eventually became public property. From 1971, Bernd Grönwald, a lecturer in architectural theory, lived there with his family, restored parts of the house, and opened it to the public, hosting over 40,000 visitors. After Grönwald's death in 1991, his family stayed until 1998. The building underwent restoration in 1998–99 and again in 2018–19, reopening on 18 May 2019.

Reader's Guide

The Haus am Horn is significant as the first building to embody Bauhaus design principles, marking a turning point in 20th-century architecture. Its simple cubic form, flat roof, and use of modern materials like steel and concrete reflected the school's emphasis on functionalism and industrial collaboration. The house served as a prototype for affordable, efficient housing, influencing later designs such as the Frankfurt kitchen. Its construction involved students, aligning with the Bauhaus philosophy of learning through practical experience. The building's inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 underscores its global architectural importance. Despite mixed contemporary reviews—locals nicknamed it 'die Kaffeemühle' (the coffee grinder)—the house demonstrated innovative ideas in energy conservation, spatial organization, and integrated design. Its legacy endures as a landmark of modernist architecture and a testament to the Bauhaus movement's impact on design and daily life.

Did You Know?

• The house was nicknamed 'die Kaffeemühle' (the coffee grinder) by local residents due to its square shape and clerestory roof.
• The kitchen designed by Benita Koch-Otte was a source of inspiration for the later Frankfurt kitchen of 1926.
• Bernd Grönwald, who lived in the house from 1971 to 1991, allowed over 40,000 visitors to tour it while it was his family's private home.
• The interior color scheme, rediscovered during 1998–99 restoration, used calming green-yellow for the living room and brighter colors for colder-side rooms.