Masters' Houses, Architectural ensemble and museum in Dessau-Roßlau, Germany

The Masters' Houses are a settlement of three identical semi-detached houses and one detached house built in Dessau in 1925–26 to Walter Gropius's designs. The white, flat-roofed cubes have large windows, projecting balconies and terraces, and doors from nearly every room to the outside. The semi-detached houses have mirrored floor plans.

Walter Gropius designed these houses in 1925 and 1926 for Bauhaus teachers as places to work and live. They represent early examples of combining craftsmanship, industry, and everyday life in a radical new way.

These houses show how people wanted to live differently: with open spaces, simple forms, and furniture that fit perfectly into the rooms. You can see how artists and designers put their ideas about good living into everyday practice.

You can explore the interiors with guided tours or on your own. Pay attention to the pathways between the buildings and allow time to notice the details of the furnishings.

The radiators of the central heating were placed so they could be seen from outside through the windows, even in bathrooms where this was thermally unsuitable. The Bauhaus wanted modern technology visible to everyone on the street.