What is a Baumarkt?
The word baumarkt is German for "hardware store" or "do-it-yourself (DIY) shop." It can also refer to a large building supplies retail business that offers all kinds of construction materials and tools. This is sometimes called a "construction market." Some well-known baumarkt chains include the HORNBACH Group and the toom Baumarkt Praktiker GmbH, which operates both hardware stores and clover garden centers.
The baumarkt is the ideal place for all kinds of DIYers to get the supplies they need for home improvement projects. The concept is especially popular in Germany and Austria, where there are hundreds of these stores. They offer everything from drywall to shingles and concrete blocks to paint, allowing customers to choose their own combinations of materials for their projects.
The idea behind the baumarkt is that it is possible to do most home improvement projects without hiring an expert contractor or spending a lot of money. The baumarkt stores provide a wide range of products and the staff can help customers find exactly what they need. These stores often have special sales, offering discounts on certain items or entire purchases.
In addition to offering building supplies, baumarkt stores often have a variety of other goods. These might include kitchen appliances, gardening equipment, cleaning and disinfecting products, and pet food or supplies. Many baumarkts also carry books on home improvement, decorating and other subjects.
While baumarkts are primarily located in urban areas, they do operate in some rural areas as well. There are also a number of independent, family-owned baumarkts that do not belong to any chain.
Some of the most notable baumarkts were established in 1919 by Walter Gropius. His goal was to create a school that approached art comprehensively, rather than having one school for painting, another for sculpture, and yet another for architecture. This was a radical approach at the time and his vision was to make modern art a part of everyday life.
When Gropius resigned from the Bauhaus in 1928, he was succeeded by Hannes Meyer. Meyer focused on the school's two largest building commissions, which are still in existence: five apartment buildings in Weimar and a school building for the Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft, or German Trade Union School, in Dessau. He also introduced new methods of construction and design, promoting the use of off-the-shelf components to reduce costs. Under his leadership, the Bauhaus turned its first profit in 1929.
Many of the students and teachers at the Bauhaus had to leave the school due to Nazi oppression, but their methods and pedagogy spread like wildfire all over the world throughout the 20th century. Today, the main building of the former Bauhaus in Weimar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered a landmark of modern architecture. The Bauhaus style can be seen in office buildings, schools, homes and museums around the globe. Some of the most famous baumarkt-designed buildings are in Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and London.