In Alfeld, a charming Lower Saxony town of 19,000 (a 2 1/2-hour drive west of Dessau and four hours from Berlin), one of the major landmarks is the Fagus Factory, Walter Gropius' first big project (1911-1913), with one of its innovations being large windows to allow natural light to come in, instead of the enclosed, claustrophobic factories of old. This factory of shoe lasts factory (the moulds around which a shoe is constructed) is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and though still in operation is also open for tours.

Read more in my post Germany Celebrates a Century of Bauhaus Design.

Mike Reiss