Hohenschönhausen Castle

Hohenschönhausen Castle stands in Berlin’s Alt-Hohenschönhausen district as a manor house with a long past. First built between the 13th and 15th centuries, it passed through noble and merchant hands before becoming city property in 1930. From 1945 to 1989 it housed a maternity hospital, and later plans for a local museum were abandoned. In 1998 an association took charge, buying the site in 2008 to restore and revive its cultural role. The castle’s history is marked by figures such as merchant Adam Ebersbach, who bought it in 1736, and banker Henry Suermondt, who acquired it in 1890. The last private owner was inventor Paul Schmidt, who lived there until 1929. Today the Association Hohenschönhausen Castle organises exhibitions, readings and concerts featuring artists like figure-skating champion Christine Errath. Visitors find a restored manor house set in grounds cared for by the association. Inside, rooms reflect its layered past, from the painted vestibule added in the 19th century to later adaptations. The association’s events bring music and literature to the building, linking its heritage with present-day culture.