In their design for the Palace of the League of Nations, Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer were guided by the nature and goals of the League of Nations, founded in 1920.

The building theory classes at the Bauhaus focused on imparting a functional understanding of architecture. Building had become a science. As a result, the ADGB Trade Union School was designed logically from the inside out, with the requirements of the residents and dictates of the natural environment determining the form arising from the environmental and materials studies. Walter Peterhans’ photographs of the school images illustrate both the architect’s intentions for the building and the environmental studies conducted by Bauhaus students.

The Federal School of the German Trade Union Federation in Bernau, designed by Hannes Meyer, Hans Wittwer and the building department at the Bauhaus in Dessau, is still regarded today as a paradigmatic example of functional architecture. All the interiors were designed by the Bauhaus workshops in Dessau.

Exploring a potential UNESCO world heritage site while cycling through the forest? Swimming with a view of one of the largest Bauhaus ensembles in the world? This is possible close to Bernau: only 40 kilometres north of Berlin, hidden in a pine forest, lies Hannes Meyers’ impressive construction for the Bundesschule des ADGB (ADBG Trade Union School).