Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Germany's far-right AfD party could soon lead a state government for the first time. In Saxony-Anhalt, the party says it wants to stop funding what it calls "anti-German art" and has criticized cultural institutions including the world-famous Bauhaus in Dessau.
Artists, museum directors, theater leaders and cultural organizations warn that these plans could threaten artistic freedom, diversity and public culture. Critics also point to similarities between some of the AfD's rhetoric and language used by opponents of modern art during the Nazi era.
Why has the Bauhaus become a political target? What does the AfD want to change? And what could this mean for Germany's cultural landscape?
In this DW report, we examine the growing debate over art, identity, democracy and freedom of expression in Germany.
CHAPTERS
0:55 AfD: A threat to German Culture?
1:55 A direct target: Bauhaus
3:15 Echoes of Nazi rhetoric
5:00 Culture takes a stand
5:44 Theater: A stage for diversity
CREDITS
Report: Elizabeth Grenier
Camera: Jörg Linke
Editing: Manuela Reuss
Producer: Ruben Kalus
Executive Producers: Melanie von Marschalck, Matthias Frickel
#dwculture #dwcultureexplained
For more visit: dw.com/en/culture/s-1441
Please follow DW's netiquette: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G
Germany's far-right AfD party could soon lead a state government for the first time. In Saxony-Anhalt, the party says it wants to stop funding what it calls "anti-German art" and has criticized cultural institutions including the world-famous Bauhaus in Dessau.
Artists, museum directors, theater leaders and cultural organizations warn that these plans could threaten artistic freedom, diversity and public culture. Critics also point to similarities between some of the AfD's rhetoric and language used by opponents of modern art during the Nazi era.
Why has the Bauhaus become a political target? What does the AfD want to change? And what could this mean for Germany's cultural landscape?
In this DW report, we examine the growing debate over art, identity, democracy and freedom of expression in Germany.
CHAPTERS
0:55 AfD: A threat to German Culture?
1:55 A direct target: Bauhaus
3:15 Echoes of Nazi rhetoric
5:00 Culture takes a stand
5:44 Theater: A stage for diversity
CREDITS
Report: Elizabeth Grenier
Camera: Jörg Linke
Editing: Manuela Reuss
Producer: Ruben Kalus
Executive Producers: Melanie von Marschalck, Matthias Frickel
#dwculture #dwcultureexplained
For more visit: dw.com/en/culture/s-1441
Please follow DW's netiquette: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G
