Villa Schlieffen

Villa Schlieffen stands on the eastern slope of Pfingstberg in Potsdam, within a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built between 1848 and 1869, it forms an architectural ensemble with Villa Henckel, Villa Quandt, and Villa Lepsius.

The building replaced older wine steward houses and originally included a tea and viewing pavilion. The Hohenzollern family acquired it in 1879, while the Schlieffen family lived there until 1932. After 1945, Soviet forces added double doors and sports equipment, then converted cellar rooms partly into a shooting bunker. Restoration began after 1996, preserving the building through an in situ conservation method. Workers uncovered the historic path and found cartridge cases, gas masks, and Russian liquor bottles.

You can see the surviving military alterations, although missing escape routes keep the upper rooms closed. An iron footbridge now spans the basement and ground floor, where new ceilings were not approved. A portion of the Döpfner collection occupies the villa, alongside changing installations.