The Deutscher Werkbund emerged when the architect
Joseph Maria Olbrich left Vienna for
Darmstadt, Germany, in 1899, to form an artists' colony at the invitation of
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse. The Werkbund was founded by Olbrich,
Peter Behrens,
Richard Riemerschmid,
Bruno Paul and others in 1907 The Werkbund commissioned van de Velde to design a
theater for the 1914
Werkbund Exhibition in
Cologne. The exhibition was closed and the buildings dismantled ahead of schedule because of the outbreak of World War I.
Eliel Saarinen was made corresponding member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1914 and was invited to participate in the 1914 Cologne exhibition. Among the Werkbund's more noted members was the architect
Mies van der Rohe, who served as Architectural Director.
Key dates of the Deutscher Werkbund • 1907, Establishment of the Werkbund in Munich • 1910,
Salon d'Automne, Paris • 1914,
Werkbund Exhibition, Cologne • 1920,
Lilly Reich becomes the first female Director • 1924, Berlin exhibition • 1927,
Stuttgart exhibition (including the
Weissenhof Estate) • 1929,
Breslau exhibition • 1934, Werkbund declare dissolution • 1947, Reestablishment
100th anniversary The
Verband Deutscher Industrie Designer (Association of German Industrial Designers, or VDID) and the
Bund Deutscher Grafik-Designer (Federation of German Graphic Designers, or "BDG-
Mitte") held a joint meeting to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Deutscher Werkbund. A juried exhibition and opening was held on 14 March 2008. ==Museum der Dinge==