Do you notice the charming yellow brick facade? It belongs to Villa Folke Bernadotte. This historic villa has witnessed scientific breakthroughs and served as a haven for children.
Villa Folke Bernadotte stands here in Lichterfelde. It is more than just a beautiful building. It is a testament to Berlin’s rich history. The villa was built between 1885 and 1886. Reinhold Richard Hintze designed it for Emil Drenker.
Emil Lüdecke, a former pharmacist, was the first resident. He used it as a summer residence for eleven years. In 1916, a coach house was added. It was later converted into a garage.
Manfred von Ardenne used the Villa Folke Bernadotte as a laboratory from 1928 to 1945. He made significant inventions in television technology here. He achieved the world’s first electronic image dissection and reproduction. This involved scanning with a photocell. The image was then displayed on a cathode ray tube.
Remarkably, Villa Folke Bernadotte survived World War II unscathed. The neighboring building was destroyed. After the war, US Army soldiers used the villa as a jazz club.
In 1958, it was handed over to the district of Steglitz. It became a recreational facility for children and youths. The villa was named after Folke Bernadotte. He was a Swedish UN envoy.
Since 2006, Mittelhof e. V. has been in charge of the Villa Folke Bernadotte. They run a children’s, youth, and cultural center here.
Look at the two round towers that frame the building. Note the intricate details made of light-colored stone. The coach house, now part of the complex, features a small corner tower. It has a pyramid roof. It once housed a garage, stable, laundry room, and coal storage.
Today, Villa Folke Bernadotte is a vibrant community hub. It serves as a meeting place and a reminder of a philanthropist. It connects the past with the present. It offers a space for learning, creativity, and community engagement. This place is for everyone.