Kunstgewerbeschule, "School of Arts and Crafts", or "Vocational arts school", was a type of school of applied arts that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. After World War II, most of them either merged into local or regional universities, or closed. The last of them, the Kunstgewerbe-und Handwerkerschule in Magdeburg, which was then in the former East Germany, closed in 1963.
Students generally started at these schools from the ages of 16 to 20 years old, although sometimes as young as 14, and undertook a four-year course, in which they were given a general education and also learnt specific arts and craft skills such as weaving, metalwork, painting, sculpting, etc.
Amongst others, the following Kunstgewerbeschule opened (in date order):
A separate school, on a neighbouring site, the Großherzoglich-Sächsische Kunstschule Weimar (Weimar Saxon Grand Ducal Art School), was founded in 1860 and 1910 it became a higher education institute named the Großherzoglich Sächsische Hochschule für Bildende Kunst (Grand Ducal School for Fine Arts).
In 1919 the buildings of the former Kunstgewerbeschule and the Hochschule für Bildende Kunst merged to become the famous Bauhaus art school. The buildings, designed and built by Henry van de Velde between 1904 and 1911, are now part of the Bauhaus World Heritage site.
The Bauhaus in Weimar closed in 1925 and reopened in Dessau in 1926. The buildings were used by successor arts related educational institutions.
Note also, that there were other art and design schools in Weimar, including the Fürstliche freie Zeichenschule Weimar (Weimar Princely Free Drawing School), which existed from 1776-1930, and the Staatliche Bauschule Weimar (State Architecture / Building Trades School). After various mergers, restructurings and renamings, the present day Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, founded in 1996 after German reunification, operates on the former Bauhaus site, teaching art and design related courses.