History
July 2020
Die Berliner Villa d'Este
Bürgerpalais · Tanzlokal · NS-Kunsthalle
by Claudia Molnar
A house through the ages. Like an architectural contemporary witness, the Berlin »Villa d’Este« reveals a lot about the historical developments of the three German eras »Wilhelmine Empire«, »Weimar Republic« and »National Socialism«: At the end of the 19th century – when the financially and socially aspiring bourgeoisie loved to show their position by residing in opulent buildings – the Berlin master mason and real estate speculator Wilhelm Koch had built a town palace for himself and his family. Just around the railway station »Bahnhof Zoo«, amid a large plot, the Neo-Baroque building arose. In 1919, after the death of the owner’s family, the building was sold. In the Roaring Twenties, the house became a place where intellectuals and bohemians met. At first, the chic Artists Club »Bühne und Film 1919« moved in, attracting stars and starlets who filled the house and garden. Then, in 1927, the elegant restaurant and dancing hall »Villa d’Este« opened its doors. And from that moment on the building was called »Villa d’Este«. During the »Third Reich« finally the last chapter: following a new large extension, the house became a place for National Socialist art exhibitions and cultural institutions. This book tells a story about the construction of the house, its numerous reconstructions, its history and anecdotes of its owners and dwellers, the political and social context. Last but not least, it sheds light on the so far unknown period during which a department of the »Reichspropagandaministerium« (Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda) was located there. Many, partly unpublished photos, illustrate this story. At the time of the Allied air raid in November 1943, the ensemble of buildings was almost completely destroyed. Today, the »Amerika Haus« stands on the property.
