Bauhaus, the AfD, and the September 6 Election in Saxony-Anhalt

On 6 September, voters in Saxony-Anhalt will decide whether the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) can secure an absolute majority in the state parliament—a scenario not seen since the Nazi era. The party’s regional platform pairs its usual focus on cost-of-living, immigration and deindustrialisation with a cultural agenda that pits a “think German” campaign against the state’s official “think modern” branding, which draws on the Bauhaus design legacy. The AfD is projected to capture roughly 40 % of the 1.8 million-strong electorate.

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Dessau-Roßlau, the birthplace of the Bauhaus school, once propelled Germany into modern design and social liberalism. Today the city is a “living museum” of that century-old turbulence, yet it faces stark socioeconomic pressures: unemployment stands at 10 % (versus 8 % statewide and 6 % nationally), household incomes rank near the bottom of the German distribution, and the population has fallen to about 75 000 from 130 000 in 1990, driven by out-migration of educated young women. The Bauhaus campus, expanded in 2019, attracts tens of thousands of visitors, but local officials doubt tourism can revive the economy.

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• Sven Schulze – State premier (Christian Democratic Union). He warned the AfD of “snake-oil” promises on growth and affirmed the need for foreign workers in care and hospitals.

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• Tobias Rausch – AfD state parliament member since 2016. He framed the party’s agenda as rescuing the country from “old-party” politicians and signalled ambitions beyond Saxony-Anhalt.

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• Armin Willingmann – Veteran Social Democrat. He stressed the region’s cultural significance and cautioned against “crude policy of isolationism.”

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• Barbara Steiner – Director, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. She described the AfD’s anti-Bauhaus stance as a “Trojan horse” threatening Germany’s liberal society.

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• “If the economy is blossoming here, why is there no money to be found anywhere?” — Ruth Schulze

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• “I was born and bred in Dessau and don’t want to speak ill of it – but the lack of money really is the number one issue,” — Sven Schulze

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