Villa Bogensee

Villa Bogensee
Waldhof am Bogensee
Villa Bogensee (2008)
Map
EtymologyLake Bogensee
General information
Town or cityWandlitz
CountryGermany
Coordinates52°46′27″N 13°31′35″E / 52.7742°N 13.5263°E / 52.7742; 13.5263
Completed1939
ClientJoseph Goebbels
OwnerCity of Berlin
Technical details
Floor area1,600 square metres (17,000 sq ft)
This article is part of
a series about
Joseph Goebbels
Personal
Minister of Propaganda
Chancellor of Germany
Legacy
Joseph Goebbels's signature

Villa Bogensee (German: Waldhof am Bogensee) is a residential building located by Lake Bogensee, near the town of Wandlitz, Germany, some 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Berlin.[1]

It was constructed in 1939 as a country retreat for Joseph Goebbels.[1] He entertained family as well as political connections there, and reputedly used it as a 'love nest' with his mistresses.[2]

The c. 1,600 square metres (17,000 sq ft), 70-room building is situated on a 17 hectares (42 acres) plot which was gifted to Goebbels by the City of Berlin in 1936.[2][3][4]

Berlin city council has attempted unsuccessfully to give away the building for free to anyone prepared to take on its restoration and upkeep, to avoid having to demolish it, at an estimated cost of EUR 50 million.[4][5] It is costing the council c. EUR 280,000 in annual maintenance costs.[6] The council will vet interested parties, however, to prevent the property ending up in the hands of right wing groups.[4]

In early 2024, fake news appeared on social media falsely claiming that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, had acquired the building.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Berlin wants to give away Joseph Goebbels' countryside villa". The Guardian. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "For sale: the villa where Goebbels seduced his Nazi starlets". The Telegraph. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Berlin's impossible task: Getting rid of Goebbels' villa". Le Monde. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Germany: Berlin offers up Goebbels' villa for free". Deutsche Welle. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Joseph Goebbels' unwanted lakeside villa set to be given away for free". The Telegraph. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  6. ^ "A Nazi Villa So Tainted Berlin Can't Give It Away". New York Times. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.