Fieger House

The two-storey house, constructed in 1927 using a rational construction method, is the only one of Carl Fieger’s series of small houses that was built. He planned flexible rooms that could be adapted to the individual requirements of the residents.

Minimal dwelling, maximum quality

The cube-shaped structure is complemented with a projecting semi-circular staircase to the west and a terrace at the southern side.

The house has a living area of around 74 square metres. The interior furnishings, made in the Bauhaus workshops, fulfil an important function in the structuring of the rooms. The living room and bedroom on the ground floor are separated from one another by built-in cupboards and a sliding door, which can be opened up during the day to make a large living room. This clearly reflects Fieger’s interest in flexible house design.

The builder of the detached house at Alte Leipziger Straße, now Südstraße, made use of the gravel pit that had been left behind after the first construction phase of the Dessau-Törten Housing Estate. In this way, no excavation work was required for its basement.

The architect

“Carl Fieger is perhaps the last new discovery among the Bauhauslers. It is time that he moved into the spotlight”. (Wolfgang Thöner, 2018)

As a draughtsman in Gropius’ private office and one of his closest colleagues, Fieger played an important role in the development of many of the famous Bauhaus buildings. From 1925 to 1928, he also taught technical drawing in the architectural department of the Bauhaus. His large format charcoal drawingss, for example of the Masters’ Houses ensemble or the Bauhaus Building, bear witness to his drawing skills.

It is little known that Fieger was also an architect with a signature of his own. There are two buildings in Dessau by Fieger: his own residence, built in 1927, and the Kornhaus building on the river Elbe (1929/30).

Throughout his life, Fieger experimented with prefabricated, standardised components, showing a special interest in the relationship between standardisation and individual expression. Colour design played a prominent role in his work. The design for the façade of his own house was originally lemon yellow with cobalt blue window frames and doors. Just a few years after Carl Fieger’s death, the house was sold and the new owner added an extension. The building, which is still in use as a private residence, is not open to visitors.

The building is privately owned.
It is not possible to visit.