“Imagine a clandestine meeting.” That’s the air Villa Starck exudes. Villa Starck is located in Potsdam’s Nauener Vorstadt. It stands as a silent witness to a tumultuous past. Let’s step back in time to uncover the story of Villa Starck.
In 1921 Hermann C. Starck an industrialist began building this villa. He chose a spot on a hill. It overlooked the Jungfernsee toward Berlin. Villa Starck wasn’t just a home. It included living areas. There was a grand hall plus rooms for staff and entertaining. The land itself had a history. It belonged to Friedrich Wilhelm Borchardt a royal supplier from Berlin. His gourmet shop and restaurant remain a Berlin highlight.
Hermann C. Starck was a protege of Walther Rathenau. At 29 he founded a company. It traded essential chemicals ores and metals. These materials fueled the arms industry. During World War II his firm aided the Nazi war machine. Sadly it also employed forced laborers. Yet Starck also shielded his Jewish wife Klara Sarkadi and their two children. In June 1945 Russian forces arrested Starck at Villa Starck. He was labeled a war criminal. In 1950 he faced trial. He was convicted for supporting Nazism. Starck was sentenced to 20 years. His assets were seized. But just a year later he received a pardon. He retreated to West Germany.
After the war Villa Starck likely served the Russian occupying forces. From 1952 a state-owned property management firm oversaw it. In 1958 the Office for товар traffic control took over. The Nedlitz customs administration became the user. The government installed a pontoon barrier. It controlled ship traffic on the Jungfernsee’s narrowest point. Supporting structures arose. These included a three-story barrack for staff. There was also a kennel for dogs. A ship landing and a warehouse completed the additions.
Later Villa Starck was returned to Starck’s children. These were Gerhard C. Starck and Dr. Barbara Mez-Starck. After they passed away the property sold to private owners. As per their wills the proceeds benefited two foundations. These foundations support talented Jewish people in Germany. They also promote scientific research. From 2006 to 2008 Pott Architects Berlin restored Villa Starck. They used the original design. The barrack and kennels were removed. New constructions augmented the villa.
Today Villa Starck stands elegantly restored. It combines its rich past with modern life. Its story reflects Potsdam’s complex history. It mirrors Germany’s journey through war division and renewal. Villa Starck is more than bricks and mortar. Villa Starck is a chronicle etched in stone.