Bauhaus by Bike

You've seen them often: Berlin tourists-on-bikes pedalling determinedly across Potsdamer Platz, sailing down Unter den Linden or whizzing along the East Side Gallery. But, far from the madding crowd, is a 90-minute bike tour with a difference. 

This is the tour I mentioned in my last blog, and it's one that fewer tourists discover. The combined bike/audio guide tour starts from the Haus am Waldsee, then traces a path through the leafy villa colony of Zehlendorf, taking you past 12 private homes designed by Bauhaus artists Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Hermann Muthesius.

photo: Viola F. Ording

The route loops around the beautiful Schlachtensee lake, and the concentration of 1920s Bauhaus homes in this residential neighborhood makes it unique in all of Germany. Some have the romantic charm of English country homes; others have the strict functional lines we associate with purist Bauhaus.

The tour was designed by Katja Blomberg, curator of the Haus am Waldsee, who was inspired by a walking/audio guide tour through a residential neighborhood in Chicago, studded with homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Blomberg liked the unpretentious tone of the Chicago audio guide and decided that was exactly what she needed for her Zehlendorf Bauhaus tour. The research and commentary were prepared with the help of students from the Universität der Künste.

An ideal combination of city biking, nature, history and architecture. Nothing spells "Serene Weekend" quite like it.

The Haus am Waldsee is at Argentinsiche Allee 30 (U3 to Krumme Lanke). You can either bring your own bike or rent one at the museum. Rentals are daily from 11 am to 4 pm and cost 5 EUR for two hours. The audio guide is available only in German.