Joerger Bankers' Villa Ensemble – WannseeFORUM Foundation
All institutions participating in Open Monument Day during this special pandemic year had to find their own way within the framework of hygiene regulations. Villa Joerger had the great advantage of being part of an ensemble that also includes a garden, which is likewise a listed monument.
The welcoming remarks and introduction to the program were held in the villa's "heart"—the semicircular portico with its tuff stone columns facing the lake—while the approximately 60 guests sat on benches in the garden below, maintaining a safe distance. Following the welcome addresses by the foundation's chairman, Heinz Blumensath, and the educational center's management team, Dr. Roman Fröhlich and Christiane Roos, the former director of the wannseeFORUM, Gabriele Naundorf, focused her presentation on the history of the banker Carl Joerger and his family.
It was an upper-middle-class family who – despite the anti-Semitic currents that flared up again at the end of the 19th century – quite naturally commissioned the Jewish architects Breslauer and Salinger to build their summer house in 1906.
In her presentation, Ms. Naundorf highlighted several architectural elements of this "outstanding example of high-quality country house architecture" (as stated when the "Joerger Bankers' Villa Ensemble" was listed as a historical monument in 1995). She was also responsible for initiating and overseeing the historically accurate restoration of the ensemble starting in 2004. Visitors were then able to take a closer look in small groups through guided tours.
It was fortunate that we were able to combine this afternoon of visiting monuments with a concert by the saxophone quartet "Düsenfischers Handarbeitszirkel".
The sun was shining, the lake was sparkling, the Bankiersvilla Joerger ensemble was at its best, the concert also created a connection to the cultural education of the foundation – it was simply wonderful.
„Think_monument sustainably“ was the motto of this year’s Open Monument Day. It perfectly captures the essence of the wannseeFORUM Foundation’s mission – because what could be more sustainable than continuous youth education! The fact that this work takes place in such a location allows young people from diverse backgrounds to experience not only a wealth of political and cultural content, but also „beauty“ – an architectural masterpiece in a meticulously designed park.
Text: Uta Denzin-von Broich-Oppert