About 4km north of Bernau's town centre, on the edge of a pine forest, stands one of the most significant Bauhaus buildings in Germany. The ADGB Trade Union School was designed in 1928 by Hannes Meyer and completed in 1930 as an educational retreat for trade union officials. Its curved, sinuous layout — five residential wings radiating from a central core — broke decisively with the symmetrical rationalism of most Bauhaus work.
The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as part of the "Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau" inscription. After years of decay following use as a Soviet military school and later abandonment, restoration work has brought several buildings back to a usable state. Guided tours are available and are the best way to understand the building's spatial logic and its short, fraught history. Check current opening arrangements before visiting as access conditions change.