Wannsee

2025-10-28T16:18:00Z

2003:6:210B:C355:709E:EE57:D85F:CEFD: /* People */

{{hatnote|For the railway station, see [[Berlin-Wannsee railway station|Berlin Wannsee]]. For the lakes, see [[Großer Wannsee]] and [[Kleiner Wannsee]].}}
{{Infobox German place
| name = Wannsee
| name_local =
| image_photo =
| image_caption = The beach of Wannsee (Strandbad Wannsee)
| type = Quarter
| City = Berlin
| image_coa =
| coordinates = {{coord|52|25|00|N|13|09|00|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| state = Berlin
| district =
| borough = Steglitz-Zehlendorf
| divisions = [[Wannsee#Subdivision|5 zones]]
| elevation = 103
| area = 23.7
|pop_ref = <ref>{{Population Germany|key=11|datref=QUELLE}}</ref>
|population = {{Population Germany|key=110607}}
|population_as_of = {{Population Germany|key=11|datref=STAND}}
| postal_code = 14109
| area_code =
| licence = B
| year = 1870
| plantext = Location of Wannsee in Steglitz-Zehlendorf and Berlin
| image_plan = Berlin Steglitz-Zehlendorf Wannsee.svg
| website =
}}
'''Wannsee''' ({{IPA|de|ˈvanˌzeː|-|De-Wannsee.ogg}}) is a locality in the southwestern [[Boroughs of Berlin|Berlin borough]] of [[Steglitz-Zehlendorf]], Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger ''[[Großer Wannsee]]'' (Greater Wannsee) and the ''[[Kleiner Wannsee]]'' (Little Wannsee), located on the [[Havel]] and separated by the Wannsee Bridge. The larger of the two lakes covers an area of {{Convert|2.7|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} and has a maximum depth of {{Convert|9|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

==Geography==
===Overview===
At the western rim of the Wannsee locality the [[Glienicke Bridge]] connects it with the city of [[Potsdam]]. The late [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] [[Glienicke Palace]] as well as the [[Pfaueninsel]] are nearby. Since 1990 these palaces and parks have formed part of the [[Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin]] UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]].

The locality is centred on the ancient village of [[Stolpe (Berlin)|Stolpe]], known to exist in 1299. The locality also includes the districts of Kohlhasenbrück (named after the 1811 novella ''[[Michael Kohlhaas]]'' by [[Heinrich von Kleist]]) and [[Steinstücken]], which in [[Cold War]] days became famous as a tiny [[exclave]] of [[West Berlin]] within the [[East Germany|GDR]].

===Großer and Kleiner Wannsee===
{{main|Großer Wannsee|Kleiner Wannsee}}

Wannsee lake is a bathing and recreation spot for western Berlin. The [[Strandbad Wannsee]], an open-air lido with one of the longest inland beaches in Europe and a [[naturism|nudist]] area, was built in 1929–1930 after a concept by architect [[Richard Ermisch]]. Situated on the eastern shore of the lake it is officially part of the [[Nikolassee]] locality.

==History==
[[File:Jagdschloss Glienicke von Babelsberg aus Juli 2014 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Jagdschloss Glienicke]] at the [[Havel|Havel river]]]]
The history of Wannsee as an attractive suburb of Berlin began when "Great Elector" [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William of Brandenburg]] ordered the construction of a hunting lodge, the [[Jagdschloss Glienicke]]. The castle remained the hunting lodge of the [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern family]] for generations, and was rebuilt and expanded several times. Today, the castle houses an institute for social education.

In 1793, the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] king [[Frederick William II of Prussia|Frederick William II]], a descendant of Frederick William, acquired the island Pfaueninsel (German: "[[Peafowl|Peacock]] Island") in the [[Havel|Havel river]] and had the Pfaueninsel castle built for himself and his mistress [[Wilhelmine, Gräfin von Lichtenau|Wilhelmine Enke]] in 1794–1797. Jagdschloss Glienicke and [[Pfaueninsel|Pfaueninsel castle]] are both part of the UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] [[Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin]].

On 21 November 1811, German writer [[Heinrich von Kleist]] shot himself on the shore of the ''Kleiner Wannsee'' and, at her bidding, his lover, Henriette Vogel. A memorial marks the site.
[[File:Klein-Glienicke Schloss Gartenhof nach Nordwest.jpg|thumb|[[Glienicke Palace]]]]
[[Glienicke Palace]] ([[German language|German]]: ''Schloss Glienicke'') was designed in [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical style]] by [[Karl Friedrich Schinkel]] for Prince [[Carl of Prussia]] in 1826. It used to be the summer palace of the prince. Together with the Russian style ensemble ''Nikolskoe'' around the church [[Ss. Peter and Paul, Wannsee|Ss. Peter and Paul]] (German: St. Peter und Paul) on the top of a hill on the banks of the [[Havel|Havel river]], it also belongs to the UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] [[Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin]].

''Nikolskoe,'' consisting of the church, a cottage, a school and a cemetery, was established from 1813 to 1837 at the suggestion by a [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia)|Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna]], the daughter of [[Frederick William III of Prussia|King Frederick William III of Prussia]]. Her brother Prince Carl, constructor of Glienicke Palace, was buried in the church after his death. Today the church is especially popular for weddings and the cottage is housing a restaurant.

The [[Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee]], the second oldest [[yacht club]] in Germany, was established in October 1867 on a small wooden shack by River [[Havel]]. In 1877 it moved to its present location at the edge of the lake.

In 1909, [[Max Liebermann]], head of the [[Berlin Secession]], had a villa built at the western shore of the Wannsee. His widow was forced to sell it to the ''[[Reichspost|Deutsche Reichspost]]'' in 1940. Today, the property is a museum in honor of the painter. Especially worth seeing is the garden, which was a popular Liebermann motif.

[[File:Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz 02-2014.jpg|thumb|Wannsee Villa at 56–58 Am Grossen Wannsee, where the [[Wannsee Conference]] was held]]

In 1928, a large [[shooting range]] was established in the [[Berlin-Düppel|Düppel]] woods near the Berlin city limits. It was the site of the [[Shooting at the 1936 Summer Olympics|shooting events]] of the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]. A golf course hosted the running section of the [[Modern pentathlon at the 1936 Summer Olympics|modern pentathlon]] at the same games. After [[World War II]], it was used by the [[US Army]] as the "Rose Range" firing compound. In 1994, the shooting range was returned to Germany by the Allies, and is today used by the [[Deutsche Versuchs- und Prüfanstalt für Jagd- und Sportwaffen|DEVA institute]].

On 20 January 1942, senior Nazi officials met at the [[Wannsee Villa]] (built 1914–1915) to ensure the cooperation of the major government organizations in "the organizational, logistical and material steps for a [[Final Solution|final solution]] of the Jewish question in Europe" - the extermination of the Jews of Europe.<ref>{{cite news |author=Bennhold, Katrin |title=80 Years Ago the Nazis Planned the 'Final Solution.' It Took 90 Minutes. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 20, 2022 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/world/europe/lake-wannsee-conference-final-solution-holocaust.html |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref> The event, presided over by [[Reinhard Heydrich]] and conducted by [[Adolf Eichmann]], has since become known as the [[Wannsee Conference]]. Today, the building serves as a memorial and education centre.

==Transport==
Wannsee is served by the [[Berlin S-Bahn]] lines [[S1 (Berlin)|S1]], as terminus, and [[S7 (Berlin)|S7]], at the [[Berlin-Wannsee railway station]]. It is also a stop of some long-distance trains as well as of [[RegionalExpress]] and [[RegionalBahn]] trains of [[Deutsche Bahn]] and [[Transdev Germany]]. Wannsee is also linked to [[Kladow]] by [[Ferry transport in Berlin|Berlin ferry line]] F10.

==Education==
The ''[[Japanische Internationale Schule zu Berlin]]'', a [[Nihonjin gakko|Japanese international school]], is in Wannsee.<ref>[http://www.jap-schule-berlin.de/ Home page]. ''[[Japanische Internationale Schule zu Berlin]]''. Retrieved on 2 January 2014</ref>

The [[American Academy in Berlin]] is located on Lake Wannsee.

== People ==
[[File:Liebermann-Villa B-Wannsee 02-2014.jpg|thumb|right|The Liebermann Villa]]
[[File:Siemens6.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Siemens-Villa'', today: Immanuel-hospility]]
* [[Philipp Franck]], painter
* [[Götz George]], actor, childhood in Wannsee
* [[Otto Erich Hartleben]], writer
* [[Max Liebermann]], painter
* [[Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg]], resistance fighter, Tristanstraße 8–10
* [[Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg]], resistance fighter
* [[Arthur Scherbius]], inventor, lived from 1924–1929 in Wannsee
* [[Arnold von Siemens]] (1853-1918), entrepreneur
* [[Hermann von Siemens]] (1885-1986), entrepreneur
* [[André Butzer]] (* 1973), painter, lives in Wannsee

==See also==
{{Portal|Germany}}
* [[Liebermann-Villa]]
* [[Isted Lion#Berlin|Isted Lion of Berlin]]
* [[Wannsee Conference]]
* [[American Academy in Berlin]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category|Berlin-Wannsee|Wannsee}}
* [http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf 1936 Summer Olympics official report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709225735/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf |date=2007-07-09 }} Volume 2. pp. 817–36.
* [http://www.ghwk.de/engl/exhibit-garden/garden.htm Special Exhibit – The Residential Villa Areas in Wannsee, 1870 – 1945]
* {{Lakes Germany 2004|Großer Wannsee|Berlin|page=16}}

{{Boroughs of Berlin}}
{{1936 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues modern pentathlon}}
{{Olympic venues shooting}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Localities of Berlin]]
[[Category:Steglitz-Zehlendorf|*]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic modern pentathlon venues]]
[[Category:Olympic shooting venues]]
[[Category:Wannsee Conference attendees|*]]
[[Category:The Holocaust]]

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