Villa Seligmann

Villa Seligmann stands in Hanover’s densely built villa district, near the Eilenriede and surrounded by a park-like garden. Hermann Schaedtler designed the two-storey residence in neo-baroque style for Siegmund Seligmann between 1903 and 1906. Sandstone blocks, a high mansard roof and richly detailed interiors define its architecture.

Julius Trip planned the grounds with groups of trees and a fountain combining Moorish and Art Nouveau ornaments. Belgian Crown Prince Albert stayed here during the Kaiser Maneuver in 1907. After the Seligmann family donated the property to Hanover in 1931, it served as a Kestner Museum depot and later housed Wehrmacht offices. Air raids left the building almost unscathed, and the State Nutrition Office occupied it after 1945. From 1962, music institutions used the rooms for teaching and cultural work.

The Siegmund Seligmann Foundation acquired the villa in 2012, and the European Center for Jewish Music operates here. Concerts and exhibitions explore Jewish music, culture and heritage, including the rescue of Nathan Saretzki’s Oberkantor collection. The garden fountain remains a striking meeting point of Moorish ornament and Jugendstil craftsmanship.