Berlin Government Plans To Sell Villa Once Owned By Hitler's Close Ally

Ever wondered what happened to all the properties of dictator Adolf Hitler in Germany? Well, it was said that he and his ministers owned various properties throughout the German nation, but they lost everything after the Battle of World War II. Recently, the German government has been offering to give away a villa once owned by Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. The current government aims to sort out the years-long debate over whether to reconstruct or bulldoze an unused site. The site is located in the northern countryside of Berlin and has been abandoned for many years.

As reported by DPA, the government in Berlin has been constantly trying to give the property to the federal authorities or to the state of Brandenburg, where the villa actually lies. They are mainly trying to do this so that they do not have to continue to pay for the maintenance and security of the property, which has fallen into ruin and disrepair. According to a report by dpa, Stefan Evers, who is Berlin’s finance minister, said, “I offer to anyone who would like to take over the site, to take it over as a gift from the state of Berlin.”

The Berlin government has recently renewed the offers to sell Joseph Goebbels villa and has called for proposals from people who are interested in understanding the site’s history. But his proposal involved no invitations for private buyers. The Berlin government still aims to sell the villa to the federal authorities or the state of Brandenburg. Evers also said, “If we fail again, as in the past decades, then Berlin has no other option but to carry out the demolition that we have already prepared for.”

Talking about the villa, Joseph Goebbels built the luxurious property in 1939 on a wooden site that gave views of Bogensee Lake near the town of Wandlitz. He used to live with his wife and six children. At times, the villa and an earlier house on the site were used to entertain Nazi leaders, artists, and actors. After the war, it was used as a hospital and later taken over by the youth wing of the East German communist party. In 1990, the Berlin government took over but found it of no use.