Villa Folke Bernadotte, Protected villa in Lichterfelde Ost, Berlin, Germany
Villa Folke Bernadotte is a two-storey villa at Jungfernstieg 19 in Lichterfelde Ost, built in 1885–1886 to designs by Reinhold Richard Hintz for the builder Emil Drenker. A side coach house added in 1916 behind the villa later served as a garage. Since 2006 the Mittelhof e. V. association has run a children's, youth and cultural centre in the listed building.
Between 1928 and 1945, physicist Manfred von Ardenne operated an electron physics laboratory in the villa, advancing television technology research. After World War II, the building was repurposed into a space for youth and community activities.
The villa is named after Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish UN mediator assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948; the district of Steglitz gave it this name in 1958. Since 2006 the Mittelhof e.V. association has run a children's, youth and cultural centre here, with studios, meeting rooms and a neighbourhood cafe open to local residents.
The grounds are accessible during daytime hours and feature event spaces along with a cafe area for refreshment. Visitors should check in advance which areas are available, as the site hosts private gatherings and seminars.
The villa survived Allied air raids and the Battle of Berlin undamaged, while the residential building on the neighbouring plot was destroyed. It was then used as a jazz club by US Army soldiers until 1958, when it passed to the Steglitz district and was named after Folke Bernadotte.
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