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Date : between 1762 and 1766
| Item 3 on 19
Quarter(s)
Outdoor architecture
Area related
Berlin (Germany)
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| Description |  |
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The residential building of the rich banker and coin merchant Veitel Heine Ephraim, which was built in 1762-65 by Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs on the corner of Molkenmarkt, was regarded as the "most beautiful corner in Berlin" and is the most impressive town residence in the city. The Molkenmarkt, which is today cut off from its urban context by the wide Mühlendamm road, was formerly one of the central squares in Berlin. Ephraim was a Jew, and as the financier of Friedrich the Great during the Seven Years' War he used Friedrich's problems to preserve the rights of Christian merchants in public life and before courts of law.
It was only because of this that he was able to purchase land on or next to Mühlendamm, which had been a domain of the patricians since the Middle ages, and build on it. In 1762 he purchased the building at Poststrasse 16 and had it completely redesigned and given a new facade by Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs, who previously designed the palace church in Buch and the princess palace.
In 1935 the palace had to make way for road widening work, but after protests from the population the facade was removed brick by brick and stored in the district of Wedding, and brought back to Molkenmarkt in 1983. The palace was completely reconstructed up to 1987, although it was now 12 metres further back. The interior rooms were decorated with a simplified rococo ornamentation, and they are now used as exhibition rooms for the city museum.
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