The Fagus Factory, a shoe last factory in Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, is an important example of early modern architecture. Commissioned by owner Carl Benscheidt who wanted a radical structure to express the company's break from the past, the factory was designed by Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer.
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I was left a bit disappointed by my visit. There is too much content in the museum (over 5 floors), and I would say the story could be curated better. It felt like a lot was repeated across different information boards, display cabinets and videos. There is also the UNESCO welcome centre, which seemed a bit pointless to me. The audio guide tour of the campus was okay, but again, it sort of repeats what is inside the museum, so of limited interest. I was told there are a few buildings I could go inside during my weekday visit, but it was pretty unclear on the ground. Given it’s still an active workplace, I decided not to just start opening random doors. The canteen also stops serving food a while before closing time. Saying all of this, the buildings remain stunning. I’m glad I finally visited them, but I hope they refresh the exhibition in the...
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The Fagus factory in Alfeld earned its UNESCO cultural heritage site status as a trailblazing work of modernist architecture and the first major commission of Walter Gropius, founder of Bauhaus.
The shoe factory also has a notorious connection with inhumane shoe-testing experiments conducted on prisoners at Sachsenhausen.
The museum unfortunately concentrates on shoe production. There is not enough context to illuminate the importance of Gropius’ work here, and there’s a shortage of Bauhaus-related material. The NS era is treated very cursorily. Instead there are whole rooms filled with group photos of factory employees or about trees and forests. Despite these shortcomings, the museum is interesting and well...
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This factory’s architectural design was at the leading edge of thinking when it was conceived of and built in 1911. The collaboration of factory owner Carl Benscheidt, and the young Walter Gropius helped to spur the nascent Modernist movement. Benscheidt was a man with a vision, a strong artistic streak and an intuitive understanding of human nature and Gropius would go on to found the Bauhaus school of architecture. They combined a healthy work environment, simplicity, efficiency and perhaps above all an ethos of excellence that was ahead of their time and has helped shape our the thinking even now. The factory owners have developed a walking tour outside and an extensive display space inside that is well...
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