Landhaus Michaelsen, Heritage building in Blankenese, Germany

Landhaus Michaelsen is a white-rendered villa at Grotiusweg 79 in Blankenese, Hamburg, built in 1922/23 by Karl Schneider as an early work of rationalist modernism. Its L-shaped composition joins a main house, a four-storey tower and terraced wings, with hipped and flat roofs and rounded end bays. The curved panoramic window in the east wing was considered a sensation when the house was new.

The house was built in 1923 by architect Karl Schneider for the Michaelsen family, following the modern design ideas of its time. In the 1950s, publisher Axel Springer bought the property, after which some changes were made to the building.

Since 1986 the villa has housed the Puppenmuseum Falkenstein, the doll museum run by gallery owner Elke Dröscher, who took on restoration and upkeep in exchange for a 75-year use permit. The name Falkenstein comes from the museum, not from the house, which is still known by the name of its first owners, Hermann and Elise "Ite" Michaelsen.

The house at Grotiusweg 79 is a private museum, so visits depend on opening hours; the grounds and the white facade with dark window frames are best seen in daylight. The site lies between the Elbe riverbank and Sven-Simon-Park, and the slope was reshaped to fit the building into the terrain.

The east wing has a curved panoramic window that was unusual for a home built in 1923 and can still be seen today. It shows that Karl Schneider was already experimenting with glass-making possibilities at a time when most residential buildings still used flat panes.