Villa Francke

Villa Francke stands in Potsdam as a protected monument of historicist architecture with Italian Renaissance references. Court architect Reinhold Persius designed the villa in Potsdam.

Built between 1873 and 1874, Villa Francke began as a summer residence for Berlin timber merchant Carl Francke. Its monumental portal marks the villa’s formal entrance. Peter Behrens modernised the building in 1911 and added a tennis facility behind it, while leaving the villa largely unchanged. The interior retains marble fireplaces, stucco ceilings, and inlaid parquet floors. These preserved details connect the villa’s architectural character with its varied use across Potsdam’s history.

The Russian military hospital used it as a laboratory during the DDR era. Exhibitions have taken place in the building since 2018. The surrounding park covers 1.3 hectares around Villa Francke. Its planned restoration includes a rondel, a fountain, and an orchard, following the garden monument’s historical design. Plans also include an underground extension intended to house an art museum. Archaeologists and other specialists are involved in preserving historic elements during the restoration. Villa Francke has also appeared in film productions. Examples include RTL’s reality format The Bachelor and the series Deutschland 89.