Goebbels' Nazi Villa Too Tainted to Keep or Sell

[Social Media]

 

Deep within the thickets of beech trees, where nature has begun to reclaim the land, lies an estate that embodies one of the darkest chapters in history. This villa, located near the tranquil Bogensee lake, just an hour north of Berlin, once belonged to Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi propaganda minister. It is a place steeped in a history so grim that it has become a burden to its current owners, the State of Berlin, who now face an unenviable dilemma: what should be done with this tainted piece of real estate?

 

The villa, which was a gift to Goebbels from a grateful nation just before World War II, has stood silently for decades, deteriorating with each passing year. The estate is not just a single house but part of a sprawling nearly 20-acre campus. It includes dormitories that were later built by the Communist Party to serve as an indoctrination school, adding another layer of historical complexity to the site. This combination of Nazi and Communist legacies makes the property particularly challenging to manage. For Berlin, the estate has become too costly to maintain and too fraught with historical significance to sell.

 

 

The state has reached a point where the financial burden of the property is simply unsustainable. The cost of maintaining the estate, which amounts to around 280,000 euros annually, is a heavy weight on the public purse. The villa's historical taint, however, makes it difficult to find a buyer willing to take on the challenge of restoring or repurposing the estate. Berlin has even resorted to offering the property for free, hoping that someone, somewhere, will be willing to take it off their hands. But even this desperate measure comes with the caveat that the new owner must meet government approval, a safeguard against the estate falling into the wrong hands.

 

 

Stefan Evers, the state’s senator for finance, has openly expressed his frustration with the situation. In a recent speech to Parliament, he laid out the stark choice: "Take it off our hands, or we will tear it down." This plea sparked interest from various potential takers, but none were deemed appropriate. Among those who inquired were a dermatologist interested in turning the villa into a skin-care center and a few bargain hunters looking for a cheap deal. However, these offers were not what the authorities had in mind.

 

 

One of the primary concerns is that the estate could attract the wrong kind of attention. An earlier inquiry from the Reichsbürger movement, a far-right group that denies the legitimacy of the current German state and has members on trial for plotting to overthrow the government, highlighted the potential dangers. The possibility that the villa could become a site of pilgrimage for Nazi sympathizers or extremist groups is a risk the authorities are not willing to take. As Mr. Evers explained, "The history of the place is precisely the reason why Berlin would never hand this building over to private hands where there would be a risk that it could be misused."

 

 

The dilemma surrounding Goebbels' villa is not just a matter of logistics or finance; it touches on a deeper, more complex issue that Germany has been grappling with for decades: how to deal with the physical remnants of its hateful past. After World War II, the prevailing attitude was often to ignore or repurpose these sites without acknowledging their history. This was done in an effort to move on and prevent any glorification of the Nazi era. For instance, Hitler's former apartment in Munich has been converted into a police station, where officers still use his original wooden bookshelves. This repurposing was seen as a way to strip the site of its sinister significance, transforming it into a mundane part of everyday life.

 

 

However, as far-right sentiments have re-emerged in German politics, there has been a shift in how the country views its history. The growing consensus is that these sites should not be ignored or whitewashed but preserved as reminders of the past to ensure that history is not forgotten or repeated. Peter Longerich, a historian and the author of a biography on Goebbels, noted that "The dominant attitude in education for a long time was to, if possible, ignore many things of this period. But nobody has a greater sense of coming to terms with the past than Germans have, so there is an ongoing process." This ongoing process is evident at the Goebbels estate, where the past is both unavoidable and inescapable.

 

The villa itself, once a symbol of power and influence, is now a decaying relic. Overgrown with weeds, its windows covered in cobwebs, and its rooms filled with dust, the estate is a shadow of its former self. Yet, the history that unfolded within its walls is still palpable. This was where Goebbels entertained Nazi leadership, where his six children played by the hearth, and where, in the final days of the war, he and his wife poisoned their children before taking their own lives. The weight of these events hangs heavy over the property, making any attempt at restoration or repurposing a fraught endeavor.

 

Even if the financial challenges of restoring the property could be overcome, there is the issue of how to handle its historical legacy. Thomas Weber, a professor of history and international affairs, points out the delicate balance required in such restorations: "If they look too beautiful, you re-aestheticize their reign. But if you leave them but somehow destroy how they functioned at the time, then people will not understand, either." This paradox is at the heart of the challenge faced by those who must decide the fate of Goebbels' villa.

 

The estate is more than just the main villa. Over the years, other buildings were added, including several structures used as a Communist international youth college after the fall of the Nazi regime. These buildings, though often overshadowed by the villa's Nazi past, carry their own painful history. The dual legacy of the estate—Nazi and Communist—makes it even more difficult to find a new purpose for the site. As Gerwin Strobl, a modern history instructor at Cardiff University, noted, "It covers two German dictatorships in succession. That also explains why it is also so difficult to find a use for it. But buildings by themselves aren’t evil."

 

For some, the estate holds personal memories that complicate the historical narrative. On a recent Friday, Marita and Frank Bernhardt, a couple in their 60s, visited the site where they first met as students in 1978. For Marita, learning of the villa’s Nazi past only after reunification left a bitter aftertaste, but the place still holds sentimental value for her. Despite the dark history associated with the site, it was also the place where she and her husband fell in love.

 

In the midst of this complex history, there are those who see potential for the estate to serve a new purpose, one that confronts its past head-on. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, proposed converting the villa into an education center dedicated to countering all forms of hate. "It is an important message to anyone," Rabbi Margolin said. "That even the darkest place in the world can become a source of light." While Mr. Evers acknowledges the worthiness of such a project, the main obstacle remains financing. Walter Reich, former director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, argues that it is Germany's responsibility to help fund such initiatives as part of the burden of its history.

 

As time continues to erode the villa, and as the ash and alder trees slowly overtake the property, the question of what to do with Goebbels' estate remains unanswered. Oliver Borchert, the mayor of Wandlitz, has spent years fending off interest from extreme right-wing groups, including the coup-plotting Reichsbürger movement. For Borchert, the property needs more than just maintenance; it requires a transformation that acknowledges and reflects the dark history it embodies. "You have to find a use that can stand against and reflect the shadows of the house and its history," he said.

 

The future of Joseph Goebbels' villa is uncertain. Whether it will be preserved, repurposed, or ultimately demolished, the estate stands as a stark reminder of Germany’s troubled past. It is a symbol of the ongoing struggle to confront and come to terms with a history that is both inescapable and unmasterable. The fate of this haunted place is more than just a matter of bricks and mortar; it is a reflection of how a nation deals with the darkest chapters of its history and the legacy that it leaves behind for future generations.

 

Credit: NYT  2024-08-17

 

 

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[Tug]

Bulldoze it and turn the area into a peace park

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, Tug said:

Bulldoze it and turn the area into a peace park

Agree, the gas chambers of Auschwitz and the others serve as all we need for remembering the horrors of their crimes.

[herfiehandbag]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

and where, in the final days of the war, he and his wife poisoned their children before taking their own lives.

No, that happened in Hitler's bunker.

 

It should be dynamited.

[pacovl46]

Just turn it into public housing or a hotel that will make money. 

[Rimmer]

There is always someone somewhere that will buy a house even if it has a very bad history, If they cant sell it probably the asking price is too high, if they really cant move it, pull it down and plant trees on it to blend with the surrounding area. 

 

Another house with a bad history from WW2 is in Poland, it was occupied by Amon Goeth the commandant of Plaszow Camp during WW2, (Shindlers List)  It lay empty for many years until someone came along and purchased it, renovated it from top to bottom and now presumably lives in it despite its terrible previous occupant.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

Level it and use the ground as a waste disposal site.

 

Don’t leave sites that can be of any use at all to neo-Nazi revisionists.

 

The bastards leveled cities, don’t bat an eyelid over wiping them off the map. 
 

 

[BusyB]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Level it and use the ground as a waste disposal site.

 

Don’t leave sites that can be of any use at all to neo-Nazi revisionists.

 

The bastards leveled cities, don’t bat an eyelid over wiping them off the map. 
 

 

 

Best suggestion I've heard for it.

 

There's a time and place for memorials, museums and memorial parks of one kind or another. Germany is rightly dotted with them.

 

But just imagine if this place became say a hotel ... how long before the usual suspects book permanent suites?

 

No, waste disposal. Apt and relatively easy.

[riclag]

11 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Agree, the gas chambers of Auschwitz and the others serve as all we need for remembering the horrors of their crimes.

Absolutely ! All History must be preserved  , despite the human atrocities associated with it.  History serves as a reminder ! It should be used to showcase what could happen to further ,sick ideologies that want to repeat transgressions against a persecuted race . Imop
“The fate of this haunted place is more than just a matter of bricks and mortar; it is a reflection of how a nation deals with the darkest chapters of its history and the legacy that it leaves behind for future generations”.

 

“The future of Joseph Goebbels' villa is uncertain. Whet her it will be preserved, repurposed, or ultimately demolished, the estate stands as a stark reminder of Germany’s troubled past. It is a symbol of the ongoing struggle to confront and come to terms with a history that is both inescapable and unmasterable. The fate of this haunted place is more than just a matter of bricks and mortar; it is a reflection of how a nation deals with the darkest chapters of its history and the legacy that it leaves behind for future generations”.

 

 

[transam]

3 minutes ago, riclag said:

Absolutely ! All History must be preserved  , despite the human atrocities associated with it.  History serves as a reminder ! It should be used to showcase what could happen to further ,sick ideologies that want to repeat transgressions against a persecuted race . Imop
“The fate of this haunted place is more than just a matter of bricks and mortar; it is a reflection of how a nation deals with the darkest chapters of its history and the legacy that it leaves behind for future generations”.

 

 

“The future of Joseph Goebbels' villa is uncertain. Whet her it will be preserved, repurposed, or ultimately demolished, the estate stands as a stark reminder of Germany’s troubled past. It is a symbol of the ongoing struggle to confront and come to terms with a history that is both inescapable and unmasterable. The fate of this haunted place is more than just a matter of bricks and mortar; it is a reflection of how a nation deals with the darkest chapters of its history and the legacy that it leaves behind for future generations”.

 

 

Why preserve the history of a mass murderer......

Either destroy it or turn it into a private dwelling, not a thing to commemorate what the owner did...

 

Move on.......

[riclag]

1 minute ago, transam said:

Why preserve the history of a mass murderer......

Either destroy it or turn it into a private dwelling, not a thing to commemorate what the owner did...

 

Move on.......

I said why

[Tailwagsdog]

An orphanage maybe or use it as a hostel for illegal immigrants, ha ha Muslims & African illegals will scare off the nazi ghosts that haunt the space .....

[Patong2021]

Return it to its natural state. Demolish it, and replant to give it back to nature from which it was ripped.

Sadly, the structure contains some building materials that are hazardous such as asbestos and lead. The Communist regime which built the extensions wasn't much for environmental protection, so lead paint is prevalent as is lead solder  in the plumbing.  This place cannot be repurposed. It is obsolete and the cost of bring it up to building code is too much. 

 

Edited August 17 by Patong2021

[radiochaser]

On 8/17/2024 at 7:07 AM, Tug said:

Bulldoze it and turn the area into a peace park

No!
I think they should blow it up, then turn it into a peace park.   
Blowing it up with something like a few hundred pounds of C4 would be much more exciting.  

But, probably someone would think that is too extreme.  

 

Oh... had to add that I see someone else also thinks it should be blown up.   

Edited August 19 by radiochaser

[tgw]

make it an international centre for combat against propaganda, for promotion of truth and for fact-checking with funding from every country counting itself as belonging to the Free World.

 

put statues of Goebbels and other notorious liars with murderous consequences in a pit where visitors can throw rotten eggs and tomatoes on them.

 

and build a golf course around it.

Edited August 19 by tgw