Liebermann Villa at Wannsee

“My Castle by the Lake”

Painter Max Liebermann's villa and garden

In 1909, Max Liebermann commissioned architect Paul Baumgarten (1873 – 1946) to build a country house in neo-classical style at the Grosser Wannsee, and placed the building in an architectonic garden setting. He drew up the basic concept for the site himself and developed it into a modern garden together with Alfred Lichtwark (1852-1914), the director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

To the front of the house is a large garden bordered by a high hedge of lime trees and planted with fruit and vegetables as well as herbaceous plants. The central path runs directly to the house, providing a link to the interior rooms.

A terrace on the lakeside of the house offers an open view across lush flowerbeds to the lake panorama. To the right, a straight path runs down to the shore through a birch grove; to the left are three long hedge gardens.

The garden provided the artist with key motifs for his late work: he captured the paradise which he had created for himself and his family – “My Castle by the Lake" in more than 200 oil paintings, pastels and graphics.

Today, the garden has been restored as originally designed by Max Liebermann – an artist’s garden, composed with an eye for colour and light.