Dessau is a city in east central Germany on the Mulde River, in Saxony-Anhalt, near Leipzig. The city is an important rail center. Manufactures include sugar, chemicals, textiles, and iron products. Dessau also has a considerable trade in grain and garden produce. The city became commercially important at the end of the 17th century. From 1603 to 1918 it was the capital of the dukes of Anhalt. In 1626, during the Thirty Years' War, the Austrian commander Albrecht Wenzel von Wallenstein won a decisive victory over the Protestant forces in the vicinity. Dessau was the seat of the Bauhaus art school from 1925 to 1932. During World War II (1939-1945), it was the site of the Junkers aircraft plant and suffered heavy Allied bombings. The damaged areas have been rebuilt in modern style.