How do you see the cultural significance of the Bauhaus today in shaping Germany’s image abroad? What role does the Bauhaus Archive play in maintaining this image?

We find that the Bauhaus and our Bauhaus Archive, with the largest collection in the world, exert a strong attraction. Sometimes it seems that the Bauhaus is better known and appreciated abroad than in Germany. Before our closure for construction work in 2018, 80% of our visitors were international! With our collection – including paintings, sculptures, photographs, models, plans, graphics, everyday objects and various archival materials – we are a central point of contact for researchers and enthusiasts from all over the world. By caring for this extensive collection and making it accessible in a variety of ways, we convey both the tangible and intangible heritage of the Bauhaus.

What role does the Bauhaus Archive plays today in defending democratic values and promoting diversity, especially in light of historical and contemporary attacks on the Bauhaus?

We feel a great responsibility here, and our team is deeply committed to embodying democratic values and social diversity. As director, I strongly support this. This commitment is closely linked to our theme: from the very beginning, the Bauhaus faced attacks from right-wing populists, culminating in its closure in 1933. In 2023, we established an internal working group on diversity, which, in response to investigative reporting by *Correctiv*, launched the event series ‘Practising Stance: A Series on Bauhaus and Diversity’ in early 2024. Through this series, we invite discussion about democratic principles and the vision of a diverse, supportive society. With a well-informed and often critical perspective on both the Bauhaus and contemporary political developments, we ask: How can we, as a cultural institution and as individuals, take responsibility and actively support an open society? Recently, we quickly organised a much-discussed panel discussion that attracted considerable attention.

How can the Bauhaus Archive remain internationally relevant and at the same time contribute new ideas to the design discourse?

The historic Bauhaus itself could be described as an ‘international platform’: students, teachers and guests from all over the world came to Weimar, Dessau and later Berlin to explore new directions in art, architecture and design. For this reason, fostering connections with institutions, researchers and Bauhaus enthusiasts remains a central focus for us, rooted in the school’s history. Unfortunately, we are currently closed due to our major new building project, which is a painful reality. Nevertheless, we remain active and continue to expand our contacts and networks.

What factors are necessary today to create a design movement with the global impact of the Bauhaus?

Whether this is possible to the same extent today is debatable. But there is certainly much to be learned from the historic Bauhaus. It existed for a relatively short 14 years, during which it constantly reformed and reinvented itself, driven by a desire to be radically different. The Bauhaus positioned itself firmly in the present, addressing the pressing issues of its time. Crucially, the Bauhaus was a school – a community of learners and teachers. For me, this collective spirit of shared reflection, experimentation and even struggle over ideas was the foundation of its success and the secret of its enduring influence.