Dessau Travel Guide

 
by Vishuddha
 
  •   Dessau
    by Vishuddha
  • Johannbau - landmark of Dessau
      Johannbau - landmark of Dessau
    by Leipzig
  • view from my window to the town hall (right tower)
      view from my window to the town hall...
    by Leipzig
  • Anhaltisches Theater Dessau
      Anhaltisches Theater Dessau
    by Nemorino
  • Anhaltisches Theater Dessau
      Anhaltisches Theater Dessau
    by Nemorino
 

Explore Dessau

Things to Do  

Kurt Weill Center

Kurt Weill Center, Dessau

 Nemorino Says:  The composer Kurt Weill (1900-1950) was born in Dessau as the son of a Jewish Kantor. He is best known in Germany for The Three Penny Opera (1928) and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1930) -- both to texts by German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956),... 

Anhalt Theatre Dessau

Anhalt Theatre Dessau, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  The Anhalt Theatre Dessau is the cultural centre of the town. It serves as theatre, opera, dance theatre and houses the Anhalt Philharmonic Orchestra. It is the largest theatre in Saxony-Anhalt. According to a local our guild over 500 performances take place here yearly. The... 

Dietrich Palace

Dietrich Palace, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  This baroque palace in the center of Dessau was built between 1747 - 1752 and was originally the palace of Prince Dietrich and his wife Princess Henriette Amalie. In the years from 1777 - 1793 it served as the seat of philanthropist Basedow. A few years ago the building was... 

Umweltbundesamt

Umweltbundesamt, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  The Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) is an architectural highlight, hidden behind the Wörlitzer Bahnhof (Wörlitz Station - a former station which serves now as an office building). This composition of glass, steal and wood was made by the architects Sauerbruch... 

Museum for Natural History and Prehistory

Museum for Natural History and Prehistory, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  This building is a kind of landmark. Located on the busiest intersection in town it catches everyones eyes. This copy of the St. Spiritus Hospital near Rome was build in the mid 18th century as a charitable institution. Today it hosts the Museum for Natural History and... 

St. George's Church

St. George's Church, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  This Baroque chruch was built in early 18th century. It is located a few hundred meters south of the market square. In the 1960s and later in the early 1990s the church became extensively restored. 

Johannbau

Johannbau, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  The Johannbau, originally built around 1530, is perhaps the most beautiful building in town. The Renaissssance wing of the former castle was reconstructed after the fire air raids in 1944/45. Today it houses the City Museum with permanent exhibitions.The museum is opened... 

Der Alte Dessauer

Der Alte Dessauer, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  "Der Alte Dessauer" can be translated as the old man of Dessau. This memorial near St. Mary's Church is a trubute to Prince Leopold I. of Anhalt-Dessau. The Prince was general field marshal in the Prussian army who created the Prussian infantry.He brought the Gose beer to... 

St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  This Late Gothic gem with Renaissance elements can be found right behind the town hall. It was originally built between 1506 - 1554 by the architects Schmiedeberg and Binder. Due to an air raid in 1944 which destroyed over 90% of the city the church became destroyed. After... 

Bauhaus Building

Bauhaus Building, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  With constructing the Bauhaus Building, based on designs by Walter Gropius in 1925, Dessau became famous in the modern world. The building opened as the High School for Design. Later more buildings in Bauhaus style were erected in the city.UNESCO has added the Bauhaus... 

Anhaltisches Theater Dessau

Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, Dessau

 Nemorino Says:  Gigantomania was a common feature of all the Nazi building projects, and this theater in Dessau was no exception. With over a thousand seats, it was one of the largest theaters in Germany when it was built in the 1930s on orders of the local Nazi ruler. Adolf Hitler and... 

Masters' Houses (1925-26)

Masters' Houses (1925-26), Dessau

 Nemorino Says:  Walter Gropius designed these houses for himself and several of the other Bauhaus "Masters" such as the painters Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956), Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) and Paul Klee (1879-1940).The houses do not look extraordinary today, but were shockingly modern and... 

Hotels  

Hotel Fuerst Leopold

 12 Opinions

Transportation  

Dessau Main Station (Hauptbahnhof)

Dessau Main Station (Hauptbahnhof), Dessau

 Nemorino Says:   Dessau is well served by regional and long-distance trains to and from Erfurt, Halle, Leipzig, Magdeburg and Berlin. The second photo shows an interesting text panel (interesting if you can read German, that is) which is set up outside the station, showing how the immediate... 

Getting there

Getting there, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  Situated halfway from Berlin to Leipzig. Good traffic connections by rail and road to International Airport Leipzig. Located on Autobahn 9 (Berlin - Leipzig- Nuremberg - Munich). 

Local Customs  

Plattenbauten
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Nemorino 2621 reviews
Pre-fab GDR buildings in Dessau

During the nearly forty years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) thousands of these pre-fab Plattenbau apartment buildings were built all over the country.

These buildings have not aged gracefully, for the most part, and some have been torn down, but others are now being modernized and successfully marketed.

Updated Jan 3, 2006

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What to Pack  

Climate in Dessau
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Leipzig 2747 reviews

Miscellaneous: Rainy season: There is no special rainy season

Avg. Temp. in Spring: max.: 9 – 20°C ( 49 - 68°F ); min: 2 - 9°C ( 36 - 49°F )
Avg. Temp. in Summer: max.: 22 – 25°C ( 72 - 77°F ); min: 12 - 14°C ( 53 - 58°F )
Avg. Temp. in Autumn: max.: 7 – 19°C ( 45 - 66°F); min: 2 - 11°C ( 36 – 51°F )
Avg. Temp. in Winter: max.: 3 – 6°C ( 38 - 43°F); min: 0 - 2°C ( 32 - 36°F )

Updated Sep 6, 2002

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Off The Beaten Path  

Adult Education Center (VHS)

Adult Education Center (VHS), Dessau

 Nemorino Says:  This building was originally a drab pre-fab Plattenbau, built in 1982. A typical building from the era of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).In 2001 it was empty and desolate, and they were seriously thinking of tearing it down, but instead it has been completely... 

Schwabe Haus

Schwabe Haus, Dessau

 Nemorino Says:  In this house lived and workedfrom 1830 to 1875Samuel Heinrich Schwabe(born 25.X.1789 - died 11.IV.1875)Natural scientist and astronomer.From here he studied the sun for four decades,here he discovered the eleven-year cycle of sun spots.The house has recently been restored... 

Tag der Elbe

Tag der Elbe, Dessau

 Leipzig Says:  "Tag der Elbe" (Day of Elbe River), is an annual event where hundred of brave swimmer swimm across the fast flowing stream. In 2006 the Naturathlon took place at the same time (location variies each year). My company took place and formed a team. Several tasks had to be... 

Favorites  

Oilseed fields
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Leipzig 2747 reviews

Favorite thing: Walking in the nature. As everywhere in Germany in the Leipzig Lowland Basin a lot of oilseed is plant for edible oil as well as for fuel for cars. Oilseed grows in spring and early summer and has its own smell.

Written Aug 25, 2002

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Map of Dessau