Waldschänke Hellerau, Heritage monument in Dresden-Hellerau, Germany

Waldschänke Hellerau is a two-storey, detached rendered building with a sandstone rusticated base at Moritzburger Weg, next to the Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau. Richard Riemerschmid gave it its present form in 1910, adding a semicircular veranda on a sandstone foundation and a covered walkway around the courtyard. It is covered by a two-storey mansard-style hipped roof with bat dormers.

Waldschänke Hellerau was built around 1880 as an excursion inn on the Pillnitz-Moritzburg road. In 1909 Karl Schmidt met here with the mayors of Rähnitz and Klotzsche to agree on founding the garden city of Hellerau. The property was bought in 1906, and in 1910 Richard Riemerschmid remodelled the building with additions and a covered courtyard walkway.

The name refers to a forest tavern that served Reformkost, a diet of whole grains and vegetables, matching the garden-city setting. Guests included Oskar Kokoschka, Gerhart Hauptmann and Franz Kafka, who noted the food in his diary. Since 2013 the Bürgerzentrum Hellerau association has run the building as a community centre.

The venue offers space for small to medium-sized gatherings and comes equipped with facilities suited to different occasions. A covered outdoor area expands event options depending on the season and weather.

Franz Kafka stayed here and noted in his diary that the restaurant served reform food suited to the garden city setting. The building also hosted Oskar Kokoschka and Gerhart Hauptmann.