Built in 1768 by a wealthy leather manufacturer, Dammsmühle Castle has a storied past. After falling into disrepair, it was sold at auction in 1894 and rebuilt in a neo-Baroque style.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In 1915, Harry Goodwin Hart, the British head of what would later be known as Unilever, snapped up the elegant residence, where he hosted entrepreneurs, artists and actors.
However, after Hart fled Germany with his Jewish wife in 1938, Dammsmühle was appropriated by none other than Heinrich Himmler, the notorious chief of the SS, Hitler’s special police force.
After the fall of the Nazis, Dammsmühle was taken over by the Soviet Army and used as a military hospital, before being repurposed in 1953 as a Stasi training ground. As a result, the elegant home became known as the ‘Stasi Castle’. The Soviets abandoned the estate in 1989, after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
This photo was taken in February 1990 and gives us a glimpse of how the interior looked in its heyday, from grand chandeliers to ornate wood panelling.
The castle became a popular filming location in the 1990s, drawing visitors from across Germany as a result. However, interest gradually waned and businesses were reportedly put off from operating in the castle by its Nazi past.
As we can see from this photo taken in July 2018, the intervening years haven’t been kind to the mansion.
In 1997, Dammsmühle was finally returned to the heirs of Harry Goodwin Hart as part of a Holocaust restitution movement. The property then passed between the municipality and private owners, whose grand plans inevitably fell through as the castle descended further and further into disrepair.
As we can see from the smashed windows, crumbling plaster, fallen ceilings and graffiti, the formerly grand building presents a massive challenge to anyone wanting to return it to its former glory.
Thankfully, there is a glimmer of hope for Dammsmühle. In 2018, the old manor house and its 69-acre park were reportedly bought by a private consortium, which includes celebrity restauranteur Roland Mary. The group plans to transform the estate into a luxury hotel with a spa and restaurants.
While work has progressed slowly, recent images show that the peeling exterior is now covered in gleaming white plaster. Let’s hope this is the start of the castle’s fairytale ending after decades of neglect and failed pipe dreams.