Walter Gropius (*1883 in Berlin; † 1969 in Boston) is considered to be the founder of the Bauhaus. In 1903, he began architectural studies in Munich and Berlin – however, he gave up in 1908. Subsequently, he joined the team of the very famous architect and industrial designer Peter Behrens. In 1910, Gropius became self-employed and started of as an architect and industrial designer as well. He then worked for the German Werkbund and created, being a form designer, wallpapers, serial furniture, car bodies and even a diesel locomotive. Together with Adolf Meyer, he eventually built the Fagus factory, which nowadays belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage in Alfred an der Leine and thus paved his way into architecture. During World War I, Gropius got severely injured along the Western front.
1919, Gropius became the successor of Henry van de Velde as the director of the Grand Ducal-Saxon Academy of Fine Arts in Weimar. He ran this school, which he named “the State Bauhaus in Weimar”, until 1928. Gropius very intensively dealt with the topic of mass residential buildings and even designed various residential projects. From 1928 onwards, he worked as a self-employed architect in Berlin. After the National Socialists had attacked the Bauhaus, he first emigrated to England in 1934 and later on moved to the USA in 1937.