Hidden behind the trees stands Villa Schlieffen. Its story begins not with grandeur but with a simple skipper’s house. This unassuming structure stood where Villa Schlieffen now gracefully overlooks the Glienicker Bridge. Built in 1843 by architect Ludwig Persius for Major General Kurd Wolfgang von Schoning the Italian-style villa replaced the earlier building. The name Schoning reflects the Major General’s family origins.
After von Schoning’s death his children sold Villa Schlieffen. It passed into the hands of Moritz Jacoby then his daughter Anna and her husband Hermann Wallich. The Wallich family bankers and early Deutsche Bank directors used it as a summer retreat. Their son Paul Wallich later lived there with his family. Tragically the rising threat of Nazism led to Paul’s suicide in 1938. His family emigrated never to return.
Following World War II the Soviet Red Army occupied Villa Schlieffen using it as a hospital. Later it became home to the Free German Trade Union Federation and a daycare center. Villa Schlieffen’s location directly next to the inner German border made it part of the infamous death strip. This stark reality ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
The daycare continued until 1993. The Wallich family regained ownership in 1995 selling it soon after. Villa Schlieffen fell into disrepair. Plans to demolish it failed due to its historical significance. In 2007 Mathias Dopffner and Leonhard Fischer purchased the villa. They restored it extensively using the in-situ method preserving as much as possible.
The restoration uncovered the villa’s original pathway. Interestingly workers discovered cartridge cases gas masks and Russian liquor bottles remnants of its Soviet military past. A new iron footbridge replaced damaged sections unable to support new ceilings. Villa Schlieffen reopened in 2023. It is now accessible to the public offering a glimpse into its unique history as a military hospital and shooting bunker. A portion of the Dopffner Collection is also displayed. While upper rooms and the staircase remain closed due to safety regulations the lower floor offers a fascinating journey through time. The villa’s fascinating past makes Villa Schlieffen a vital part of Potsdam’s heritage.