Lichterfelde () is a locality in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, Germany. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Steglitz, along with

Steglitz Steglitz () is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in Southwestern Berlin, the capital of Germany. is a Slavic name for the European goldfinch, similar to the German . Steglitz was also a borough from 1920 to 2000. It contained th ...

and

Lankwitz Lankwitz () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Berlin. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Steglitz. History The locality was first mentioned in 1239 with the name of ''Lankow ...

. Lichterfelde is home to institutions like the Berlin Botanical Garden and Museum, the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the

German Federal Archives , type = Archive , seal = , seal_size = , seal_caption = , seal_alt = , logo = Bundesarchiv-Logo.svg , logo_size = , logo_caption = , lo ...

and the

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine) is one of Europe's largest university hospitals, affiliated with Humboldt University and Free University Berlin. With numerous Collaborative Research C ...

university hospital's ''Benjamin Franklin Campus''. Many embassies and landmark-protected buildings are located in the affluent mansion settlement in Lichterfelde West.

History

The

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n village ' was founded in the 13th century by Flemish settlers. It witnessed considerable growth in the 19th century when the two "villa colonies" of and were founded: two elegant settlements for wealthy Berliners consisting completely of

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...

s or

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

s. The settlements and the historical villages of ' and ' were united in 1880 under the name ' (Greater Lichterfelde). Berlin Hauptkadettenanstalt 1900

Lichterfelde was chosen as the seat of the Prussian Main

Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

, the

Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt The () in Groß-Lichterfelde near Berlin, was the main military academy training officer corps of the Prussian Army from 1882 to 1920. From 1933 till 1945, the building complex housed the SS Division ''Leibstandarte''. Former students * Ha ...

, in 1882, and the district became the home to many famous families from the

German nobility The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the b ...

due to their connections with the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

. The world's first commercially successful electrified

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

line, the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway, opened between the railway station and the ' in 1881. In 1920 became part of Greater Berlin. Between 1920 and 1933, the former military academy in was used by the Berlin Police. From 1933 to 1945, the grounds of the military academy were the home of the . During this same period, the anti-Nazi resistance group surrounding Count and held their secret meetings inside 's apartment on ', , during the Third Reich. had his house on ' in . From 1945 to 1994 the ' was in use as "Andrews Barracks" by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

's Berlin Brigade. Today it belongs to the

German Federal Archives , type = Archive , seal = , seal_size = , seal_caption = , seal_alt = , logo = Bundesarchiv-Logo.svg , logo_size = , logo_caption = , lo ...

('), headquartered in . Two other kasernes "Roosevelt Barracks" in (former seat of the

's Guards Rifles Battalion) and "

McNair Barracks The McNair Barracks was a US Army installation in Lichterfelde, a locality in southwest Berlin, Germany. The barracks were named after Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair, an American Army officer who served in World War I and World War II an ...

", a former manufacturing plant on ' were nearby. While was in parts badly damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, '' Lichterfelde West'' is still largely intact and today one of the prime residential areas of Berlin. The locality also houses the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum and the ''Campus

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

'', built in 1968 and today part of the

university hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following i ...

Quarters of Lichterfelde

Lichterfelde West

Lichterfelde West was developed as a settlement of mansions and is one of the wealthiest residential areas of Berlin. It is home to the

Berlin Botanical Garden The Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (german: Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin) is a botanical garden in the locality of the borough of , Berlin, Germany. Constructed between 1897 and 1910 under the guidance of arc ...

and embassies. The Teltow Canal geographically separates it from the eastern parts of Lichterfelde. Its 19th-century commercial area is centered around the Lichterfelde West railway station, which also serves nearby

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

in neighboring Dahlem. Most of the commercial and residential buildings in Lichterfelde West are protected landmarks.

Lichterfelde Ost

Lichterfelde Ost, like Lichterfelde West, was also developed as a settlement of mansions, yet many of the estates were damaged in World War II. The Lichterfelde Ost railway station serves as a hub for regional rail and commuter rail and is surrounded by a large commercial area.

Lichterfelde Süd

Lichterfelde Süd was developed in the 1960s and 1970s and is large made up of suburban housing estates, being a significant architectural deviation from the older mansion settlements. The

Otto Lilienthal Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal (23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896) was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the "flying man". He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful flights with gliders, therefore making ...

Memorial Park with the artificial conical hill, from which he started many of his flight attempts, is located in Lichterfelde Süd.

Sights

monument - the memorial plaque which is located in Schütte-Lanz-Straße 25, Berlin-Lichterfelde, was built in memory of Otto Lilienthal - a German pioneer of human aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make successful gliding flights. *

Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum The Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (german: Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin) is a botanical garden in the locality of the borough of , Berlin, Germany. Constructed between 1897 and 1910 under the guidance of ar ...

*Lichterfelde Manor - historic

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...

of the former village Lichterfelde * Lichterfelde West - a villa colony from the 19th century *Lichterfelde village church - Church from the 14th century *

- former

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

installation in Lichterfelde, today a residential building File:Gedenktafel Schütte-Lanz-Str 25 (Lichf) Otto Lilienthal.JPG, Gedenktafel Schütte-Lanz-Str 25 (Lichf) Otto Lilienthal File:2006-07-07 Botanischer Garten Italienischer Garten.jpg,

File:B-Lichterfelde Hindenburgdamm Gutshaus.jpg, Lichterfelde Manor (Gutshaus Lichterfelde) File:Gedenktafel Wismarer Str 26 (Lichf) KZ Aussenlager Lichterfelde.JPG, Memorial plaque,

KZ Aussenlager Lichterfelde KZ, K-Z, Kz, or kz may refer to: Arts and media * '' K-Z'', a 1972 Italian documentary film * ''Kz'' (film), a 2006 documentary film * '' Kuhns Zeitschrift'', the former colloquial name for the linguistics journal ''Historische Sprachforschung'' P ...

, Wismarer Straße 26 File:Berlin-Zehlendorf Telefunken-Werk Goerzallee.JPG, Telefunken Headquarters, later

File:Lichterfelde Bahnhof Lichterfelde-West.JPG, Berlin-Lichterfelde West station File:Lichterfelde Baseler Straße 2-4 West-Bazar.JPG, West Bazar File:Wikipedia for Peace 2017 Photo Tour, 2017 (DSC06504).jpg, Embassy of Ethiopia

Important people

Sons and daughters of the district

Maximilian Beyer Maximilian Beyer (born 28 December 1993) is a German racing cyclist, who currently rides for German amateur team Berliner TSC. He rode at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Major results ;2010 : 3rd Team pursuit, UCI Junior Track ...

, Catholic pastor * Hasso von Boehmer, Lieutenant Colonel in the General Staff, murdered resistance fighter on July 20, 1944 *

Bully Buhlan Bully Buhlan (3 February 1924 – 7 November 1982) was a German musician and actor.Barnett p.180 Filmography References Bibliography * Barnett, David. ''A History of the Berliner Ensemble''. Cambridge University Press, 2015. External links * ...

, singer *

Fler Patrick Losenský (born 3 April 1982), known professionally as Fler, is a German rapper and the CEO of Maskulin Music Group. Career 2000–2006: Beginnings Fler was first recognized in the rap scene through collaborations with Bushido. T ...

, rapper * Peter Fox, musician * Götz George, actor *

Peter Huchel Peter Huchel (April 3, 1903 – April 30, 1981), born Hellmut Huchel, was a German poet and editor. Life Huchel was born in Lichterfelde (now part of Berlin). From 1923 to 1926, Huchel studied literature and philosophy in Berlin, Freiburg and V ...

, writer *

Rolf Johannesson __NOTOC__ Rolf Johannesson (22 July 1900 – 6 December 1989) was a German admiral during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He joined the post-war Bundesmarine in 1957 and retired in 1961 as ...

, Rear Admiral of the German Navy * Max Kaus, painter and graphic artist * Julius Posener, architectural historian * Samra, rapper * Nils Seethaler, Anthropologist *

Gerd Tellenbach Gerd Tellenbach (17 September 1903 – 12 June 1999) was a German historian and scholar of medieval social and religious history, particularly of the Papacy and German church during the Investiture Controversy and reform movements of the eleventh ...

, historian *

Bettina Wegner Bettina Wegner (born 4 November 1947 in West- Berlin) is a German singer-songwriter. She is best known for her song "Sind so kleine Hände", written as "Kinder (Children)", also sung by Joan Baez, Dean Reed and others. Biography Wegner was bor ...

, songwriter and poet

Celebrities at the Lichterfelde park cemetery

The following personalities were buried in the Parkfriedhof Lichterfelde among many others:

References

External links

* * Picture of the ancient Coat of Arms of Lichterfelde
Life in Andrews Barracks in 1969
{{Authority control Populated places established in the 1300s Localities of Berlin *