The garden dreams of Max Liebermann

Max Liebermann (1847-1935) captured the garden of his villa on Berlin’s Wannsee on canvas in numerous paintings. But this garden, like many others, is suffering from climate change. Now the painter’s garden is to be made fit for the future with the help of donations.

Around 1900, it became fashionable among Berlin’s upper middle classes to own country houses. In July 1909, Max Liebermann got hold of one of the last waterfront properties in the Alsen villa colony on Wannsee. He created a retreat for himself and his family on two plots of land at Große Seestraße 24 (now Colomierstraße 3). There, away from the bustling and noisy city of Berlin, he built a villa and a magnificent garden with great attention to detail. Letters that he wrote to his friend Alfred Lichtwark (1852-1914), the garden reformer and then director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle, bear witness to Liebermann’s in-depth and precise thoughts on the design of the residential building and the garden. On July 26, 1909, he reported to Lichtwark that the façade “looks too much like a farmhouse” and then went on to say “I want a country house built by a city dweller. As everywhere, the simplest is the most difficult” [sic]. The villa was designed by the architect Paul Otto Baumgarten, who was also responsible for the neighboring Villa Hamspohn. On the street side, the villa is marked by two colossal shell limestone columns, while the garden side, which faces the lake, is dominated by a gable-crowned central risalit. The garden was designed by Albert Brodersen. The residence was ready for occupancy in the spring of 1910 and the design of the garden was also largely completed. From 1910 until Max Liebermann’s death in 1935, the Liebermanns spent their summer holidays in their “Schloss am See”.

Due to the outbreak of the First World War, Liebermann was no longer able to take his annual painting trips to the Netherlands and his garden retreat increasingly became his place of inspiration. His summer sojourns between 1910 and 1934 resulted in over 200 oil paintings and numerous works on paper. In his works, the artist depicted his garden in all its colorful glory, preserving its appearance for posterity. After Liebermann’s death in February 1935, the house underwent an eventful history, the sad climax of which was its forced sale in 1940. The National Socialists forced Liebermann’s widow, Martha, to sell the property to the German Reichspost. The latter set up a “training camp” in the villa for its “female followers”. As a result, the Liebermanns’ garden was almost completely destroyed and merged with the neighboring Villa Hamspohn. After 1945, the villa, together with the neighboring Villa Hampsohn, served as a surgical ward for the Wannsee Municipal Hospital. Liebermann’s daughter Käthe got the property back in 1951. She concluded a rental agreement with the hospital. Her daughter Maria inherited the house after her mother’s death in 1952 and sold it to the state of Berlin in 1958. The hospital was to use the building until 1969. The building then stood empty for two years until the German Underwater Club leased it as a clubhouse. When it was founded in 1995, the Max Liebermann Society began its efforts to preserve the artist’s summer retreat and establish a Liebermann Museum there. At the same time, however, the city had prematurely extended the lease with the diving enthusiasts for twenty years. In 1997, after a long struggle and the commitment of numerous citizens, it was possible to realize a museum use for the building. The Berlin Senate agreed to this in time for Liebermann’s 150th birthday. However, no financial resources were pledged. Many private individuals and institutions stepped in when restoration and conversion work began on the villa in 2002. From 2004, the original garden was restored. In a total of four construction phases, which were carried out until 2014, the garden was rebuilt true to the original. Some of the original features, such as retaining walls, steps, the lime hedge in the front garden and the remains of the hornbeam hedge, were used. Historical photographs, letters, plans and Liebermann’s paintings were also used in the reconstruction.
The Liebermanns’ garden has various sections that were used in different ways. In addition to the kitchen garden with fruit and vegetable garden, which was laid out in the front part of the garden facing the street, there is a birch grove at the back, hedge gardens containing a square of lime trees, an oval garden and a rose garden. Liebermann had the garden laid out as a reform garden. North German farm gardens served as a model for the kitchen garden. A central path divides the flower and vegetable beds and is lined with lush flower borders. This design creates a direct line of sight through the house to the Wannsee, which still exists today. Behind the house is the lake, to which the garden slopes down in terraces. Next to the terrace, which served the family as an extension of the living room, flowerbeds and hedge gardens were laid out. A small birch grove flanks the spring meadow on the south side, which is covered in early bloomers from March and offers a view of the lake. At Liebermann’s request, the birch grove was preserved. However, the old birch trees had to be replaced by new ones twenty years ago. Three hedge gardens rounded off the garden design. Hedge gardens were an important design tool for the garden reformers. The idea behind this design element was to create additional architectural spaces.

As the historic garden, like many other gardens, is affected by climate change, the Max Liebermann Society has launched the campaign “Garden. Donate. Future” campaign to collect donations. The garden is to be made fit for the future in several major projects. In addition to private donors, the German Foundation for Monument Protection is also involved. A total of four projects will be implemented with the donations. Due to the increasingly dry summers in Berlin, the lawn and plants need to be watered regularly. So far, pop-up sprinklers have been used for this purpose. However, these have the disadvantage that the water evaporates quickly and also reaches places that do not need watering, such as the paths. The irrigation system should therefore be changed to make it more sustainable. Drip irrigation will be installed in some sections of the garden. Another problem in the garden is the box tree moth and fungal infestations on the box trees. However, as box trees are a central design element in Liebermann’s garden, ways were sought to replace the infested plants. In consultation with research centers, it was decided to replace the affected boxwood borders with boxwood-like species. Another central design element in the painter’s garden are roses, which shine in red, pink and white flower dresses. On the summer flower terrace, red geraniums complete the overall picture. As these plantings are monocultures, the soil has to be replaced after 15 years. The fourth and final project is the repair of the paths and the upgrading of the flower beds. Over a million visitors come to Max Liebermann’s garden every year, which means that the paths are exposed to a great deal of wear and tear. The paths are therefore to be resurfaced and the paved areas overhauled. The work in the Maker’s garden, which he captured in numerous paintings and works on paper, is to be completed this year so that many more visitors can immerse themselves in the paintings of the famous Berlin Impressionist.