House of the Wannsee Conference

The House of the Wannsee Conference stands on the shore of Lake Wannsee in south-west Berlin. It is a former villa built in 1915 for the industrialist Ernst Marlier. Between 1941 and 1945 the house served as an SS guesthouse and meeting place. The villa is famous for hosting the Wannsee Conference on 20 January 1942. This meeting of senior Nazi officials decided on the systematic deportation and murder of Europe’s Jews. The permanent exhibition centres on the conference room, where the decisions were taken. Visitors today walk through the villa’s rooms and see the original conference table and documents. The exhibition uses photographs, minutes and survivor accounts to explain the meeting’s planning and consequences. Outside, the house overlooks the frozen lake in winter or the gardens in summer.