Hammerschmidt Villa
This article is about the primary official seat of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany during the Cold War. For the present-day primary official seat, see Schloss Bellevue.
Villa Hammerschmidt is a villa located in the German city of Bonn that served as the primary official seat and primary official residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1950 until 1994. President Richard von Weizsäcker made Schloss Bellevue in Berlin his primary official seat and residence in 1994. Since 1994, the Hammerschmidt Villa has served as a secondary official seat and secondary official residence for the President. In German, the Villa is also called the "White House of Bonn", because of its vague resemblance to the official residence of the President of the United States.
The villa is situated in the heart of the former government quarter of Bonn, bordering the river Rhine to the north and opposite the zoological Museum Koenig to the south. It is also adjacent to the secondary official seat and secondary official residence of the Chancellor, the Palais Schaumburg, to the west.
The upper floor of the building houses a private apartment for the German President, while the ground floor consists of state rooms which are used for ceremonial purposes.
Villa Hammerschmidt was built by August Dieckhoff in 1860 in Neo-classical style, as a stately home for a wealthy industrialist. It was redecorated in 1868 by the architect Otto Penner.
Since its construction Villa Hammerschmidt has been owned by:
- 1860 – 1868: Albrecht Troost
- 1868 – 1899: Leopold Koenig (his son Alexander Koenig was the founder of the "Zoologisches Reichsmuseum Alexander Koenig" just opposite Villa Hammerschmidt)
- 1899 – 1928: Rudolf Hammerschmidt
- 1928 – 1945: Sold at auction and broken up into several flats
- 1945 – 1949: Requisitioned by the British occupation forces in Germany following World War II
- since 1950: The German state
External links
Media related to Villa Hammerschmidt at Wikimedia Commons
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50°43′22″N 7°07′03″E / 50.72278°N 7.11750°E
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