Dessau, Center of Music and Arts

Even though it's a modest urban settlement, Dessau has got much action taking place, particularly cultural experiences at the Dessau Theater. This is a town located in the eastern part of Germany, not far away from Berlin (133 km towards sunset), and it has a population of about 80,000. It appeared in a written document in 1270, and in the year 1570 it was declared district capital of the Anhalt Principality, keeping this title until 1918.

Weather in Dessau is common for this latitude which places the city in the temperate-moderate climate, half way between the north pole and the Equator. Temperatures vary from -20 degrees centigrade at night in the cold season and 35 centigrade in July at high noon.

Dessau is also the "mother-town" of the famous Bauhaus college. For people who are not familiar with Bauhaus, I'll only tell you that it's an architectural current, which turned up around the year 1930 and has had many followers in current architecture all over the world. It was a revolutionary style of designing edifices which meant it was over for the old, heavy, stone constructions that were made until then. Roomy, exploiting natural light more efficiently than the former building types - the Bauhaus was indeed the father of modern-day architecture.

There are several buildings made in Bauhaus style, and one of them is the Anhalt Theater, a place that is very important to the city's residents, as well as to the nearby villages and towns. Anybody who is anybody comes here to attend the excellent musical plays, theater plays and concerts. It is always full of spectators and you'll even see many tourists that choose to go there, a thing that may come as a surprise for some, but not for the people of Dessau. They know very well that this is an uncommon theater in this portion of the country, and they don't see it as a surprise when they meet foreigners arriving to Dessau to attend the spectacular theater shows.

The town was almost completely wiped out by the allied bombers in 1945, but in the next few years it was rehabilitated, and most of the old edifices were refurbished. Today, Dessau is a mix of vintage castles and houses with the new Bauhaus structures. Also, several buildings are included into the UNESCO World Heritage Project, so you can imagine that this town is worth touring.

One other interesting feature of Dessau is that it was declared the greenest town in the country, with many parks and green alleys, making it optimal for reposing promenades amongst magnificent nature. People who choose Dessau as their travel destination for the holidays are seldom disappointed, because this is indeed a delightful place, a city where you are able to relax and unwind with your family and buddies and disregard the daily problems, at least for a short while. Besides, Dessau offers first-class accommodation, and I'm talking about 4 star hotels that, even if they aren't made in Bauhaus style, they can offer the best conditions for anyone who goes there.


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