Before you stands Villa Stern a relic of Potsdam’s past. This isn’t just any house. It is the sole surviving villa from Neubabelsberg’s founding years. Built in 1874 by architects Ende and Böckmann it underwent transformations. In 1920 Berlin architect Max Landsberg gave it its current form. The then owners Siegbert Samuel and Johanna Margarete Stern commissioned the work.
Notice the bay windows crowned with Corinthian columns. See the palm tree frieze? These details are unique. They speak to the opulence of the era. Siegbert Stern owned Villa Stern from 1918 until his death in 1935. His widow Margarete Stern née Lippmann fled Nazi persecution. She escaped to Holland. Sadly she and a daughter with her husband perished in Auschwitz in 1944.
A cruel irony. The 1938 decree forcing Jewish people to sell their property affected the Sterns. Villa Stern was sold in 1940 for 100000 Reichsmarks. The mortgage was paid off. Margarete Stern received nothing.
After the Potsdam Conference Soviet soldiers occupied Villa Stern. The German Democratic Republic seized it in 1953. In 1962 the border between Potsdam and West Berlin was secured. The villa’s lakeside land was separated. After reunification the villa was returned to its heirs.
A poignant touch. In 2022 artist Gunter Demnig placed a Stolperstein in front of Villa Stern. It commemorates Margarete Stern a victim of the Holocaust. Villa Stern stands as a testament. It speaks of a family’s tragedy. It reflects a pivotal period in German history. It survives a testament to resilience amidst adversity.