Haus Am Horn

The Haus Am Horn, built in 1923, represents one of the very early prototypes of architectural modernism. This project enables visitors to understand the innovative ideas of the Bauhaus pioneers, their artistic approaches, and the revolutionary and experimental technologies they applied. The project partners of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar included the city of Weimar as the former owner of the property, the Association of Friends of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar as the previous manager, the landmark preservation departments of Weimar and Thuringia, and the German federal government and the state of Thuringia as funding providers through the Invest-Ost programme.

The house is the first and only example of authentic Bauhaus architecture in Weimar and has been officially recognised as a World Heritage Site along with other Bauhaus sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau. It was built by the designer Georg Muche, the Bauhaus director Walter Gropius and his students together with local and regional companies. The surrounding terrain consists of a large meadow and a garden for growing vegetables and fruit, in keeping with the original concept of 1923.

“This iconic building is a good expression of the development of a 20th-century domestic dwelling. The attention to the landscape and context is also relevant as the restored vegetable garden teaches about the new, experimental type of lifestyle that was proposed by the early Bauhaus”, the Jury said.

After the Klassik Stiftung Weimar assumed ownership and management of the Haus Am Horn in 2019, it discontinued its use as an administrative building and temporary exhibition venue. The central idea of this project was to present the building’s radically new concepts in terms of construction and modern living, make them understandable to visitors with no prior knowledge of the Haus Am Horn while offering detailed information to experts and professional visitors.

Thanks to the interdisciplinary collaboration between the building department of the Klassik Stiftung and the architect, landscape planner and exhibition designer, along with the landmark preservation department and the curator of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, the project succeeded in restoring the original aesthetic appearance of the home. Because the house only partially corresponded to its original design after so many years, extensive research was conducted on the materials and manufacturing techniques of the 1920s, for example for the radiators, baseboards, window construction and colour concept.

 

Thanks to innovative place-holding furniture rendered in white steel and three selected reconstructions, visitors are now able to envision the original aspect of the house. This is an innovative and transferable solution to other sites which have lost authentic furnishings. The accompanying exhibition texts inform the viewer as to which elements are original, reconstructed or newly added. Additional measures were also taken to offer accessibility to visitors with disabilities. Since its reopening in May 2019, the Haus Am Horn has seen an impressive increase in visitors.

“The restoration of the Haus Am Horn is based on research and an understanding and respect for the authenticity of the house and its original materials. It is a good example of the restoration of 20th century heritage as previous interventions were evaluated and reversed when considered unsuitable. The fixtures and fittings are also presented with a novel approach”, underlined the Jury.

More information
www.klassik-stiftung.de