Museum
CastleBerlin-Biesdorf
Biesdorf Castle
Biesdorf Palace is located in the Biesdorf district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin.
It was built in 1868 as a late-classical tower villa on the grounds of a manor for Hans-Hermann von Rüxleben. The merchant Günther von Bültzingslöwen acquired the Biesdorf estate and palace in 1887, but suffered great losses in the sugar crisis. Werner von Siemens, who had been connected to him since his school days, had learned surveying from his father, and had been recommended by him for Prussian engineering, gave him a loan and finally took over the approximately 600-hectare estate on February 17, 1887. In 1889, he transferred it to his son Wilhelm von Siemens. The latter had the palace park expanded to 14 hectares between 1891 and 1898 and designed as a landscape park by garden architect Albert Brodersen. In 1897, the distillery, which had been established in 1864 but was now disused, was reopened with equipment from Siemens' own production.
The palace, to which the architects Martin Gropius, Heino Schmieden, and later Theodor Astfalck gave its once distinctive appearance, passed into the possession of the City of Berlin in 1927 along with the entire estate and has since been subject to constant neglect. A fire in 1945 destroyed the upper floor, which has not yet been rebuilt. Since 1979, the old manor house, the palace park, and the historic Biesdorf village center have been listed as historical monuments.
The facade design, unique for the Berlin area, in colored Roman cement mortar (artificial stone facade, executed by master stucco plasterer H. Beyerhaus, Berlin, as "my first facade in cement casting") is considered a special protected asset.
Biesdorf Palace was used as a leisure facility in the past and has been used as a socio-cultural center since 1994.
The palace park also houses an open-air stage, the so-called Parkbühne Biesdorf. In addition, the Biesdorf Blossom Festival takes place in the palace park every spring.
In 2010 and 2012, Biesdorf Palace Park received the British Green Flag Award, rarely awarded in Germany, as an award for its parkland.
The Future of the Palace+
In 2000, the initiative "Immediate Program for the Rescue of Biesdorf Palace" raised construction services and in-kind donations of around 154,000 Marks from sponsors.
Also in 2000, citizens founded the association "East-West Encounter Center Biesdorf Palace Foundation," which advocates for the reconstruction of the palace in its historical appearance, as it existed until April 1945. At least 8.5 million Euros are estimated for this.
Between 2002 and 2007, the dilapidated exterior shell was restored in accordance with monument protection regulations by the "East-West Encounter Center Biesdorf Palace Foundation e. V." with funding from the German Class Lottery Foundation, the Berlin State Monuments Office, the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district, and numerous private sponsors for approximately 1.75 million Euros. Planning and construction management were carried out by the Office for Architecture, Urban Planning and Monument Preservation (BASD) Berlin; the project-leading architect was Raphael Abrell.
On March 29, 2007, it was announced that the German Class Lottery Foundation intends to contribute 4.75 million Euros for the reconstruction of the upper floor. The remaining 3.75 million Euros are to be raised through funding from the European Union.
The planned start of construction is September 2013. The client is the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district.
Take Mobile History with you
You are reading this text for free. Premium adds what matters on the road: descriptions read aloud, sites found through your camera, whole regions taken offline.
- Every description, including the ~17,700 Premium sites
- Audio guide: have descriptions read to you on location
- AR finder: see sites through your camera, with distance and bearing
- Unlimited saved sites
14 days free, then from €2.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.wehrbauten.de/thread.php?threadid=526
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 52.5098, 13.5577