Palais Ephraim

The Palais Ephraim, a reconstructed Rococo building, is in Berlin-Mitte, near the Nikolaiviertel. It now houses a museum belonging to the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin.

The history of the Palais is linked to its builder, Veitel Heine Ephraim, a protected Jew and banker under Frederick II. Ephraim, who financed the king's campaigns and was responsible for minting debased coins, known as “Ephraimites,” acquired a townhouse in 1762. He commissioned the chief building director Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs to construct a palace, which was built between 1762 and 1769. The four-story building featured a rounded corner with a balcony and ornamentation. Inside, oval antechambers and an oval staircase shaped the design. After Ephraim's death in 1775, the Palais remained in family ownership until 1823, before being acquired by the city of Berlin in 1843 and used for various municipal offices. Due to street renovations and Nazi urban planning, the Palais was demolished in 1935.