World News
AfD party targets Bauhaus school as cultural debate intensifies ahead of Saxony-Anhalt election
Germany's culture minister pledges federal support for the Bauhaus Foundation amid concerns over far-right attempts to alter state cultural policy and funding.
The short version
- The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has criticized the historic Bauhaus school in its campaign platform ahead of the Saxony-Anhalt state election.
- Federal Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer vowed that national funding will protect the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau regardless of the election outcome.
- Over 2,500 organizations and individuals have signed a manifesto defending the institution against anti-democratic and nationalist attacks.
- The upcoming state parliamentary vote could determine whether the AfD secures enough legislative influence to affect regional cultural funding.
Key facts
- The AfD's election program criticizes the Bauhaus for avoiding national rootedness and proposes changing Saxony-Anhalt's marketing slogan from 'Think Modern' to 'Think German'.[Associated Press]
- Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, an AfD cultural policy spokesperson, previously criticized the Bauhaus in the state legislature as an 'aberration of modernism'.[Associated Press]
- Lead AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund stated that the party does not view the Bauhaus itself as a problem, but argues that German culture and history should not be limited to it.[Associated Press]
- Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer announced the federal government will continue financing the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau to safeguard its independence if the AfD wins the state vote.[Associated Press]
- More than 2,500 groups and individuals have signed an August 2026 manifesto supporting the Bauhaus and rejecting cultural nationalism.[Associated Press]
- The Bauhaus site and museum in Dessau attract up to 150,000 visitors annually, according to Bauhaus Dessau Foundation director Barbara Steiner.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Whether the AfD will secure an absolute majority in the Saxony-Anhalt legislature and have the votes to restrict state funding for the Bauhaus Foundation remains to be determined by the upcoming election.[Associated Press]