AfD targets Bauhaus foundation in Dessau amid rising cultural war

The far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is attacking the Bauhaus‑Dessau foundation, which preserves the legacy of the modernist art and design school. Party officials have described Bauhaus as a symbol of “globalisation” and “non‑German” influence, echoing rhetoric used by the Nazis. Publicist Josef Chuchma warned that the attacks signal a cultural war, saying, “It feels like we are sorting who is a ‘real German’.”

The foundation fears that AfD’s criticism could spread to other cultural institutions and affect funding. AfD spokesman Hans‑Thomas Tillschneider told Reuters, “Bauhaus is architecture of globalisation… we are the party of ‘people from here’.” The attacks come ahead of September state elections in Saxony‑Anhalt, where the AfD could win over 40% of the vote and potentially form a state government for the first time since World War II. Bauhaus remains an important tourist draw and economic asset for the region.