My love for the Bauhaus kicked in exactly ten years ago, when the design school celebrated the 90^th anniversary of its foundation in Weimar. Until then, my knowledge about it had been fairly superficial and I mainly associated it with architecture and its founder Walter Gropius. But then a Bauhaus exhibition came to London’s Barbican and a whole new Bauhaus world opened up to me. One that encompasses so much more than architecture.

I still remember the moment I caught a glimpse of a gorgeous, colourful wall-hanging by textile artist Gunta Stölzl, one of the few Bauhaus women who managed to step out of the shadow of the roster of mighty Bauhaus men to achieve international acclaim. Another lasting memory from that exhibition is not a Bauhaus art and design object but a black and white picture of a group of young laughing Bauhäusler, joyful, mucking about, clearly having fun. It perfectly captured the spirit of that particular moment in time, that notion of not just doing things differently in art and design, but in life, too.

Ever since then I’ve been convinced that the Bauhaus is the coolest thing to have come out of Germany. I’m fascinated by how modern it was 100 years ago and how timeless it remains today. Its idea that form follows function has travelled round the world, inspired the likes of Apple and Ikea, as well as countless everyday designs that surround us. And I somehow feel that the approach of the Bauhaus founders, teachers and artists of tearing down boundaries that existed between disciplines, establishing a whole new approach to art and design that has collaboration and knowledge sharing at its heart, is more relevant than ever in this digital era, where boundaries are blurred and things are forever changing.

The international take-up of this year’s Bauhaus centenary is quite amazing and almost no day goes by that I don’t read about a Bauhaus-related exhibition, book or project somewhere in the world. I guess I’m not the only one who has a bit of a soft spot for it!

Very high on my personal Bauhaus list of things to see is the new Bauhaus Museum Weimar in the central German state of Thuringia, opening on 6 April, which will sit at the centre of a new “Modernism Quarter” and house the world’s oldest Bauhaus collection. And a slightly off-the-beaten track building in neighbouring Saxony called Haus Schminke, which was built in the small town of Löbau in 1932/33 by architect Hans Scharoun for a local manufacturer, and still looks SO modern you wouldn’t believe it. Architecture experts list it as one of the four most important residential homes of classical Modernism in the world, in line with buildings by Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright.

And if someone then also got me one of those Gunta Stölzl wall hangings, I’d really be chuffed to bits…

Interested in a Bauhaus trail? The Cultural Heart of Germany, a tourism initiative of Saxony and Thuringia, features dedicated Bauhaus content, including a Bauhaus road trip.

Historically, Weimar is a bit of an overachiever, punching well above its weight. It may have only 65,000 inhabitants today but boy, has it left its mark. One UNESCO World Heritage listing wasn’t enough, so the city has been given two: one for classical Weimar with 13 buildings and architectural ensembles, and one for its Bauhaus sites.

More than just one UNESCO World Heritage site

The Weimar classic period from 1775 to 1832 flourished under the reign of Duchess Anna Amalia, and her library with the exquisite Rococo Hall is probably the most famous in the collection of eminent classical buildings. And while on the subject of libraries, Weimar is still best known around the world for its associations with Germany’s ‘national poets’ Goethe and Schiller who lived and worked in the town during the classic age. Goethe’s Home, part of the classical Weimar collection, also houses the Goethe National Museum. In August 2012, a new permanent exhibition was opened to honour the über-author, entitled ‘Floods of life, storm of deeds”’.

Fast forward into the 20^th century and Weimar was again the birthplace of a movement, this time of the world’s most influential art and design school. One which continues to influence our taste in architecture and furniture even today, with its emphasis on creations which are both pleasing to look at, and fit for everyday use.

In 1919, Walter Gropius established the Bauhaus School and assembled the whole of the European avantgarde of the time in Thuringia to teach at the new school of design. ‘Haus am Horn’, the most famous example of Bauhaus architecture, was built as a model house for the first architecture exhibition in 1923 and is one of three Bauhaus sites in Weimar. The new(ish) Bauhaus Museum, a minimalist block at the edge of the Weimarhallen park in the town centre, charts the history and the legacy of the movement.

Modernism – and onions

Apart from all its elegant palaces, museums and beautiful parks, Weimar is also a very liveable town, keen on letting its hair down now and then. Every October since 1653 the Onion Festival celebrates the humble vegetable, and it is the biggest such festival worldwide. Onion garlands, decorated with colourful dried flowers, are popular souvenirs, there are stands selling handicrafts, food and drink, music and an Onion Market Queen who reigns for one year. The whole historic town centre is one big party and 350,000 visitors make this the biggest festival in Thuringia. Not quite UNESCO World Heritage material yet, but another reason why Weimar is more than worthwhile.