Faded elegance whispers from these walls. The Villa Bergmann stands here a testament to Berlin’s rich history. This is no ordinary building. Let me tell you its story.
The Villa Bergmann is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a window into a bygone era. The villa’s story is intertwined with the lives of prominent figures and historical events.
The Weisse Villa, or White Villa, is among the oldest privately owned buildings in Grunewald. In 1898, Carl Poppele secured permission to construct the villa. The coach house complete with greenhouse and garage followed in 1911.
Ownership changed hands several times. In 1933, the Mannheim family, industrialists by trade, acquired the villa. However, their ownership was short-lived.
In 1939, the Nazis likely expropriated the Villa Bergmann. Publisher H. Wichmann became the new owner. After World War II, Ida Lissauer, nee Landsberger, was declared the legal successor to the Mannheim family. She was living in Haifa, Israel. The property was returned to her.
In 1956, Lissauer sold the villa to businessman Hans-Joachim Brauer. Then, in 1970, engineer Günther Hans Kiss acquired it. Kiss renovated the villa, installing a reinforced concrete spiral staircase. He used it as his company’s office: Consulting Engineers Planning and Construction Office.
In 1982, the Volkswagen Foundation stepped in. They acquired the Weisse Villa. Then, they transferred ownership to the Wissenschaftskolleg.
Today, the Weisse Villa houses the library, Fellow Services, and guestrooms of the Wissenschaftskolleg. The Volkswagen Foundation played a vital role in establishing the Wissenschaftskolleg in 1981. The foundation gifted the villa on the Kolleg’s twentieth anniversary. The keys were formally presented on June 18, 1982, attended by the West German president.
Just half a kilometer away from the Wissenschaftskolleg’s main building stands Villa Walther. In the Villa Walther, there are twenty-eight apartments for Wiko Fellows and their families. This villa was built in 1912-13. It exemplifies late-Wilhelmine villa architecture.
The story goes that an affluent Russian aristocrat commissioned Royal Building Councilor Wilhelm Walther to build Villa Walther. The First World War broke out. The Russian nobleman defaulted on payments. Walther declared bankruptcy.
Walther wanted to use the Koenigsallee villa as a calling card for potential clients. This explains the villa’s vast dimensions and lavishly ornamented facade. It is adorned with reliefs and gable mosaics as well as citations from Greek and Roman antiquity.
In 1918, after Walther’s bankruptcy, the villa was acquired by a factory owner. It became a residential building with rental apartments. In 1938, the Third Reich acquired the building under the Reich Finance Ministry. As of 1939, the Reich School of Finance was housed there. A bomb destroyed sixty percent of the building’s fabric in the Second World War.
After the war, the intact parts were divided into apartments. The Federal Republic of Germany became the legal successor. In 1980, the federal state of Berlin acquired the property. The surviving portions were restored and additions were made according to the original plans. In 1988, the building was restored to its present state and largely rented to the Wissenschaftskolleg.
The Villa Bergmann stands as a silent observer. It has witnessed changing times. Its walls hold stories of families, businesses, war, and restitution. Today, it serves as a place of learning and scholarship. It connects the past with the present. As you stand before it, remember the layers of history. Reflect on the resilience of Berlin itself.