Remember Karoline. Karolinenhof is named after her. This charming area in Berlin carries a story that began in 1785. A farmer named Kersten founded a farm here. He named it after his wife, Karoline. Kersten leased 72 hectares of land from the Schmöckwitz community.
Time marched on. The 1880s brought new life to Karolinenhof. An excursion restaurant called “Seeschlösschen Carolinenhof” opened its doors. A laundry service also set up shop nearby. You can still see both buildings on Rehfeldtstrasse today.
Fast forward to 1895. A Berlin banker named Albert Schappach stepped onto the scene. He founded the Terraingesellschaft Carolinenhof. Schappach envisioned and created a villa colony in this area. He built his own villa with a horse stable on Schappachstrasse 16. Until the 1990s, this villa served as a kindergarten. Another building from that era, Schappachstrasse 27, still stands. Both buildings are now listed as historical monuments.
By 1901, Karolinenhof had grown. Thirteen houses stood along what is now Schappachstrasse, Rehfeldtstrasse and Vetschauer Allee. After World War I, the population continued to increase.
Imagine a ride on the Schmöckwitz–Grünauer Uferbahn. Plans for this railway began in 1902. It became a reality in 1912. The Uferbahn connected Karolinenhof to the Berlin suburban trains via Grünau. The train used to travel from Grünau. It went through Vetschauer Allee and Schappachstrasse. It ran parallel to Karolinenhofweg behind the gardens towards Adlergestell. Karolinenhof developed differently than expected. The tram line was moved from Schappachstrasse to Vetschauer Allee in 1925. Watersports clubs settled along the Dahme River.
The end of World War II brought a somber chapter. In May 1945, the Waldfriedhof Karolinenhof was created as an emergency cemetery. It was located in the forest southwest of the Adlergestell and Vetschauer Allee intersection. About 100 residents of Karolinenhof found their final resting place here by the end of 1946. Houses along Karolinenhofweg often had flooded basements. This was due to the high water table and marshy ground. After World War II, a pond was created on the Fechtwiese on Rehfeldstrasse.
In 1960, Karolinenhof was home to about 2,000 people. They lived in 650 houses.
During the 1980s, Karolinenhof was a popular destination for government boat trips in the GDR. Houseboats now occupy the former Honeckersteg at the western end of the village. Until the 1990s, Karolinenhof had many amenities. There were three grocery stores, a fruit and vegetable shop and a drugstore. You could find a post office, baker, hairdresser and kindergarten. Today, only one independent kindergarten remains.
Looking ahead to 2025, there are plans to revitalize the village pond. The Dorfteich on Vetschauer Allee will get a ventilation system. This aims to create an ecologically valuable body of water. It will promote biodiversity. The project hopes to reduce the current siltation, which is up to 1.45 meters deep. It also aims to prevent further decomposition processes.
Even the street names tell stories. Streets in the historical center are named after local figures like Karoline, Schappach and Rehfeldt. Rohrwallallee is named after the islands. Other streets bear names of places in the Spreewald forest. Examples include Lübbenauer Weg, Vetschauer Allee and Krugauer Steig.
Getting around Karolinenhof is easy. The tram line 68 connects it to the Grünau S-Bahn station and the Köpenick S-Bahn station. There are three stops within the village. These are Schappachstrasse, Lübbenauer Weg and Vetschauer Allee/Adlergestell. At night, the N68 night bus replaces the tram. It connects to the nearest train station in Grünau and Adlershof beyond.
Karolinenhof is more than just a place. It is a tapestry woven with history and community.