The Meyer-Wittwer-School in Bernau
Hannes Meyer became one of the main forces and in many ways intellectually leader of the “Bauhaus” art and design school in 1928. He and his partner Hans Wittwer won the competition for building a trade union school in Bernau in the suburbs of Berlin. In 1930 the project was finished and opened its doors to the first group of students. They saw a school that partly looked like a factory eventhough it was embedded into the landscape. The views and the extensive use of glass brought the richness of the natural environment into the interior spaces. The interior design was functional and beautiful in its clear message, honest in the material used, the fabrics, in its units and their use for. It was and still is a building which brings people together and, even today opens the minds of the visitor. This architecture, in its concept and in its physical reality was a very radical break with what had been built before. This school can be seen as a model for our current educational facilities. When you enter this building today, you still feel how kind this architecture encounters its users and its visitors.
We are proud that the Meyer-Wittwer-School has become internationally recognized as a leading example of Bauhaus architecture. Its possible listing on the UNESCO world-heritage list, has increased its international acclaim as an important site to be experienced.
There are more important things to know about the Meyer-Wittwer-School. It is the school’s usage in the twentieth century. History needs places to be remembered.>br> The story of the twentieth century is the history of a period of transition from a perceived meaningful living for a majority of people, into a modern consumer society focused on the individual.
Mankind paid an extremely high price for Germany’s difficulties with a more pragmatic way of living. War crimes and crimes against humanity were planned and the perpetrators trained in this building, originally built for the trade union. Hitler came to the school in 1933 after he had come to power, to consecrate the “ugly” leftist building for his own purpose. SS-men were trained here to pretend to be attacking Polish soldiers - leading Hitler to fabricate a reason to attack Poland and bring about the start of World War Two. The so called “necessity of extermination” of all Jewish population was first announced here as early as 1935.
The school was returned to the trade unions and reopened in East Germany and used for educating representatives of third world countries during the “cold war.” A major objective was convincing people of the benefits of a socialist state and its goals of social and economic equality. Soon after, a second school was constructed next to the Meyer-Wittwer-School.
The “Cold War” ended in 1989/1990 with the destruction of the Berlin Wall. The West German trade union abandoned its use of their traditional trade union building. The building was subsequently used for different purposes and eventually left empty for many years. Later it was bought by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and restored – winning awards for its thoughtful restoration. Today, people from around the world come to visit the Meyer-Wittwer-School. We would like to welcome you as well.
Please contact us at bundesschule.bernau@gmx.de
"Visiting the bundesschule at Bernau was both a visual delight and a moving experience. The vision and skills of its architect
have been clouded by some of the way the building was used by some of its occupants. My hope is that the story of it’s use
and misuse can inform future generation so that we can help build a better and human world".Ron Shiffman, Pratt-Institute, New York
June 19, 2010