Törten Estate

Central Germany


The leafy Törten Estate, built in Dessau’s south in the 1920s, is a prototype of the modern working-class estate. Although many of the 300-plus homes have been altered in ways that would have outraged their purist creator Walter Gropius (patios and rustic German doors added to a minimalist facade?), others retain their initial symmetry. To reach Törten, take tram 1 towards Dessau Süd, get off at Damaschkestrasse and follow the signs saying ‘Bauhaus Architektur’.

You're free to roam the streets, but be aware that this is a residential area. To peek inside the buildings, head to Konsumgebäude and Moses-Mendelssohn-Zentrum.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Central Germany attractions

1. Konsumgebäude

The former Konsumgebäude building, once the centre for trade and cooperative living on the Törten Estate, today houses an information centre and a small…

2. Moses-Mendelssohn-Zentrum

0.17 MILES

Located within the Törten Estate, this exhibition tracks the life and accomplishments of the Dessau-born humanist philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, the…

3. Bauhausgebäude

2.52 MILES

It’s almost impossible to overstate the significance of this building, erected in 1925–26, as a school of Bauhaus art, design and architecture. Today a…

4. Technikmuseum Hugo Junkers

2.68 MILES

Aviation fans will be wowed by the vintage aircraft on display at the Technikmuseum Hugo Junkers. Tram 1 goes straight to the museum (get off at…

5. Schloss & Park Georgium

2.81 MILES

The sprawling 18th-century Park Georgium is anchored by its neoclassical palace, now a picture gallery showcasing German and Dutch old masters such as…

6. Gropiushaus

2.83 MILES

Walter Gropius' house is the most recently reconstructed of the Masters' Houses, opened to the public in 2014. It contains the ticket office for the…

7. Meisterhäuser

2.83 MILES

You’ll find the four surviving Meisterhäuser – Gropiushaus, Haus Feininger, Haus Muche/Schlemmer and Haus Kandinsky/Klee – on leafy Ebertallee, a 15…

8. Kurt Weill Zentrum in Haus Feininger

2.84 MILES

Haus Feininger, former home of artist Lyonel Feininger, now pays homage to Dessau-born Kurt Weill, who later became playwright Bertolt Brecht’s musical…