The Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar occupies the original buildings where Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus school in 1919. The main building and the former art school next door were both designed by Henry van de Velde in an elegant Art Nouveau style that predates the Bauhaus movement they would house. The interiors are remarkable — sweeping staircases, original murals by Oskar Schlemmer, and a mural workshop that still functions.
The campus is an active university, so you can walk through the grounds and peek into the public areas freely. The main staircase with Schlemmer's reliefs is the highlight. It is a short walk south of the Altstadt, near the entrance to the Park an der Ilm, and pairs naturally with a visit to the Haus am Horn.