Fagus Factory, Industrial heritage complex in Alfeld, Germany
The Fagus Factory is a manufacturing facility in Alfeld an der Leine made up of ten connected buildings with steel and glass fronts. Generous windows allow natural light into all work areas and define the entire structure.
Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer designed this factory building in 1911 for manufacturing shoe lasts, shaping the start of modern industrial architecture. The design later influenced the Bauhaus movement and design principles around the world.
The factory shows how workers and production were brought together as one system, with expansive windows flooding the workshops and shaping daily life inside.
The complex offers guided tours through exhibition areas, production zones, and a museum that are open year-round. You can get around best on foot, since the buildings are close together, and the paths are level and easy to walk.
The factory was designated a world heritage site after more than 100 years of continuous operation while still producing shoe lasts. This combination of active manufacturing and protected monument status is unusual for an industrial building.
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