Wrangel Castle

Gutshaus Steglitz, also known as Wrangelschlösschen, is a country house built in the Neoclassical style in the Berlin administrative district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. The building, which houses the Schlossparktheater in an annex, is one of the last surviving architectural testimonies of Prussian early classicism and is a listed building.

Originally, Gutshaus Steglitz was a representative building located in the center of the old village of Steglitz. It is situated at the southwestern end of Steglitzer Schloßstraße (house number 48), a well-known and popular shopping street in the district, and gave its name to it. Today, it is located directly next to a large, busy intersection with an access road to the A103 motorway.

The manor house was built according to a design by David Gilly as a manor for Carl Friedrich von Beyme, who later became Minister of Justice for Frederick William III, and was ready for occupancy around 1804.

The building was constructed directly on the old Reichsstraße 1 (today Bundesstraße 1), at a point where it passed through the village center of Steglitz. At the height of today's Wrangelstraße, the Reichsstraße made a distinctive bend. There, on the grounds of an old knight's estate, David Gilly built the predecessor of the Steglitz manor house between 1795 and 1801. Cabinet Councilor Carl Friedrich Beyme, later Grand Chancellor and Minister of Justice, acquired the property when it was still a shell and had the manor house rebuilt under the direction of Heinrich Gentz until 1804.

Due to its builder and owner, the manor house was then given the nickname 'Beyme-Schlösschen'. Beyme became known for giving land to his farmers. After his death, the house and properties were sold and divided into parcels, which were then gradually developed.

The name Wrangelschlösschen goes back to the Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Friedrich Heinrich Ernst Graf von Wrangel, who was involved in suppressing the 1848 Revolution. After 1850, Wrangel often spent his summer holidays in the manor house in Steglitz, which was in fiscal possession. Although it was a manor house, it was popularly referred to as a 'castle' due to its beautiful appearance, which gave rise to the nickname 'Wrangelschlösschen'. An adjacent street was also named 'Wrangelstraße'.

Over the decades, various additions and alterations were made to meet the requirements for the use of the house. These included the establishment of lodging rooms on the upper floor and the conversion of the attic into apartments.

After the Second World War, it was converted into an officers' club for the US military government – called 'Lightning Lounge' – and adapted to the needs of a hotel and restaurant business.

The building was acquired by the State of Berlin in 1958 and is now managed by the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district office. From 1992 to 1995, the manor house was restored in accordance with monument preservation standards at a cost of approximately 16 million DM. All alterations were reversed, so that the manor house is now back in its original condition.

Monument preservation owes significant insights into the building's history to the renovation work, which included extensive building investigations and restoration.