By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org The decision comes after a decade of legal wrangling over a restitution claim that is likely to be the last of its kind BERLIN — A German court has ruled that an 85-year-old woman and her son who live in a property sold under duress by its Jewish owners in 1939 must give up their home The ruling earlier this month capped a decade of legal wrangling over the home For many paying attention to the twists and turns the fight over the lakeside property came to symbolize the pain and turmoil of nearly a century of history — as well as the ways in which German families tell themselves complicated stories about their role during the Holocaust It has also surfaced lingering resentments about Germany’s efforts to repay Jews for its crimes against them The Wandlitz estate is likely one of the last property restitution cases to be adjudicated in Germany as virtually all looted or “aryanized” property has already gone through the restitution process or been lost to history The deadline to file property claims passed decades ago located in a bucolic area about 20 miles from central Berlin that functioned in the 1930s as a summer retreat for an orphanage operated by two Jewish women To comply with Nazi laws meant to expropriate Jewish wealth complete with a structure in poor condition to Felix Moegelin in 1939 for 21,100 Reichsmarks Moegelin had to sign the statement “I am Aryan,” while the two women had to sign that they were Jewish according to the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 The original house was torn down and eventually replaced and Moegelin and his family settled in on Wegener Street Donat and Lindenbaum were deported from Berlin by the Nazis in 1943 and murdered They dug in their heels after a lower court ruled last year that they must give up the property or pay for it the property is worth about $1.6 million today the property will be seized by the state and transferred to the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany the legal successor to unclaimed Jewish property in the former East Germany No living heirs to the murdered owners were ever identified “I spent my whole life in the house and looked after my parents,” Gabriele Lieske said after the ruling, according to local media The case drew national attention earlier this year after it was profiled in the prominent German newsmagazine Spiegel just after International Holocaust Remembrance Day It vaulted back into public view this month when the Lieskes ran out of legal runway to appeal their case said media attention to the case was misplaced “What the judge did was completely unremarkable,” he said “This is established principal in law that has been in place since the end of the war A forced sale is not valid and that which was taken must be returned.” speaks at the commemorative event “70 Years of the Luxembourg Agreement” at the Jewish Museum in Berlin (Carsten Koall/picture alliance via Getty Images) Whether and when the Lieskes will move out is not clear The Claims Conference has offered to let Gabriele Lieske remain as a tenant in her childhood home for the rest of her life Nath said in an interview earlier this year that Gabriele Lieske had turned down the offer because it would have come with an obligation to pay rent and her son would not be allowed to live there after her death But no terms of a tenancy have been negotiated “We are certainly willing to work out an arrangement with the family,” he emphasized he noted that German law is clear about whether looted property can be inherited it does not get passed to the heirs of the Aryanizer,” he said earlier this year The Wandlitz case is one of the last of its kind their heirs or the Claims Conference have received compensation or restitution for thousands of properties in Germany according to restitution lawyer Olaf Ossmann “So many families didn’t even start cases in the post-war period” because the legal hurdles and burdens of proof were so daunting where he is president of the Jewish community Ossmann estimates he has handled some 3,000 property cases — some for prominent German Jewish families still gets calls from people who found documents from their parents or grandparents and can’t make sense of them “Fair and just” compensation is not really possible “The proper term I’m using normally is ‘the best you can get for the moment.’” Very little is known about the two Jewish women who ran the children’s home. According to the Stolpersteine (Stumbling Block) memorial project Alice Donat was born in 1898 in Vienna to Robert and Anna Donat She studied education in Berlin and later ran the private kindergarten and Jewish children’s home with Helene Lindenbaum The two women purchased the property in 1932 according to the district court decision handed down in September 2023 an orphan who resided in the home and who survived the Holocaust described Donat as loving and strict; she taught the children to sing and dance to her piano accompaniment Even less is known about Helene Lindenbaum other than that she was born in 1888 in Berlin and was married When the women sold their property in 1939, about half the payment went to cover their mortgage. It is doubtful that they ever benefited from the rest, as the district court pointed out in its decision last year: A 1938 decree from the Reich and Prussian economics minister stressed the need to “secure Jewish assets” to prevent Jews from fleeing Germany with their money were to be deported to Theresienstadt in 1943; they volunteered to go on the transport to Auschwitz with the two children from the orphanage Donat stayed with the two boys; they were deported together to Auschwitz in March 1943 Alice Donat and Erwin Berger were murdered in the gas chamber; Emanuel was selected for slave labor and survived placed outside Anna Donat’s Berlin home shows when she was deported to Auschwitz were deported from Berlin to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in March 1943 and from there to Auschwitz in October 1944 the process of restitution began after unification in 1990 the Claims Conference submitted claims as successor at the end of 1992 In 1998 the Claims Conference finally determined exactly which plot of land had belonged to Donat and Lindenbaum That was when the German government could have informed the Lieskes of the claim “Why it took another 17 or 18 years for them to inform the family The Lieskes first learned from the government about the Claims Conference application in 2015 Gabriele Lieske told Spiegel magazine she’d rather die than leave the property but a twist of fate — one that ignored the family’s own history of having sheltered Jewish relatives during the war years Those relatives were Felix Moegelin’s niece, Margarete, and her daughter Irene, who was born in 1937. Margarete’s Jewish mother, Felix’s sister-in-law, was murdered in the Holocaust, according to the Yad Vashem database Irene’s father was deported to Minsk and was likely murdered either in a mass shooting or by asphyxiation with motor exhaust fumes her grandparents sheltered Margarete and Irene in Wandlitz Lieske recalled that they “hid from the Nazis with us Irene and I played together in the garden.” The extended family fled together when the Soviets took the area in the spring of 1945 “Aunt Margarete and Irene moved back to Berlin.” Documents at the Arolsen Archive indicate that Margarete and Irene both emigrated to the United States Gabriele Lieske only remembers her aunt and cousin visiting one more time after the Berlin Wall went up in 1961: Margarete and Irene — then with a newborn child — visited Margarete’s sister Ella in Berlin “The fact put forward by the plaintiffs that the buyer hid a Jewish citizen on his property and thus saved her from the Nazis’ attacks has no connection with the purchase contract of February 8 and is therefore irrelevant here,” the court said The neighborhood of the Donat/Lindenbaum estate in Wandlitz Though no one has blamed the Lieske family for what their forefather did saw the legal process as unfair punishment “Can you still blame families if they live in such houses for the umpteenth generation?” asked one reader on the social media platform X “Maybe without knowing how their ancestors got the house?” you also accept the debts,” said one commenter on X which transfers both assets and liabilities to heirs “Of course it’s bad for the current residents of the house but in the end it doesn’t belong to them,” said another Who wants to live in something like that anyway?” (Another Wandlitz property burdened by the Holocaust, the opulent former estate of Third Reich propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, is on the market now. The German government, which owns it, has been unable to find anyone to assume ownership even for free.) Some Spiegel readers suggested that Jews were inappropriately profiting from the Holocaust Ossmann said the tendency of the German public to portray those who benefitted from the looting as the victims had always been a problem German citizens physically attacked journalists who were reporting on a restitution case The reporters barricaded themselves inside a supermarket “to avoid being beaten to death,” Ossmann said The anger and resentment felt by some descendants of “Aryanizers” doesn’t fade But “if you take the perspective of the [original] victim you would easily understand that it didn’t make a difference what you lost first or last if you lost it by sale or confiscation or by whatever means,” he said The Claims Conference uses most proceeds from sales of unclaimed Jewish property to help Holocaust survivors in need with medicine, food and home care. It recently determined that there were 245,000 survivors still alive around the world One German commentator, the columnist Gunnar Schupelius, recently cited them in his assessment of the Wandlitz case “The Lieske family feels that the return is an injustice But what happened is what happened,” he wrote “We who are alive today are not to blame for the genocide of the Jews but we should take care of the survivors and their descendants Taylor urged an interpretation of the case that is divorced from broader debates about the lengths Germany goes to atone for the Holocaust “This is not about compensation from the German government and how much should be given to Holocaust survivors,” he said “It’s about a fundamental principle of German law JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent I accept the Privacy Policy Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A MOTHER and her son have had their home taken away from them after it was found to have been stolen by the Nazis Gabriele Lieske grew up at the home in in Wandlitz in Brandenberg she has been told that the house no longer belongs to her or any members of her family which has left her distraught saying she would "rather die than move." It has been ruled that the property belongs to the Jewish Claims Conference, an organisation formed in 1951 to help give victims of the Holocaust and the Nazis compensation It was discovered that Lieske's grandfather had bought the house from a real estate agent in 1939 it had belonged to two Jewish women Helene Lindenbaum and Alice Donat who were forced to sell their property by the Nazis There are no known descendants of either woman and in place of them the JCC brought forward a claim to the property in 2015 The group made up of 23 Jewish organisations is now the legal successor of Donat and Lindenbaum leaving Gabriele and her 61-year-old son distraught Gabriele told local media outlet Bild: "I have lived here for 82 years, cared for my father and my sick mother. The house is my life. I would rather die than move out of here." "We don't have anywhere else to go we've lost everything," her son added the JCC had filed other claims for the property to be returned - once in 1992 and again in 1998 Thomas Lieske believes that had they been aware of these attempts he and his mother would not be stuck in the situation they find themselves in now "We didn't know anything about that The Barnim office should have informed us that there were claims on the house," he said "Then we could have at least bought it back for the market value at the time That would have been about 400,000 D-Marks (£166,000) "Now it's 1.5 million Euros (£1.2 million) We can't do that." the property was transferred from Luise Moegeling to her daughter Gabriele two years after the first JCC claim was filed "The office should have informed us of the possible claims there too They didn't do that," Thomas said The Barnim district had the transfer deed certified by a notary and nothing was said about any other claims to the home they will not be forced to leave the property despite no longer having a right to it A spokesperson for the JCC told the outlet that Gabriele has a "lifelong right of residence in the single-family home" as offered by the organization during the dispute This "will continue to exist even after the property has been returned," the spokesperson explained "The Claims Conference has committed to selling returned assets in order to use the proceeds to support impoverished and sick survivors of the Shoah around the world." Despite this, Gabriele's lawyer is threatening to take the case to the Federal Constitutional Court Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Berlin’s finance minister says property owned by Hitler’s propaganda minister will be demolished if taker not found Berlin’s government is offering to give away a villa once owned by Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister hoping to end a decades-long debate on whether to repurpose or bulldoze a sprawling disused site in the countryside north of the German capital “I offer to anyone who would like to take over the site to take it over as a gift from the state of Berlin,” Berlin’s finance minister Berlin has repeatedly tried to hand off the site to federal authorities or the state of Brandenburg rather than continue to pay for maintenance and security at the complex which has become overgrown and fallen into disrepair calling for proposals that reflected the site’s history He didn’t say if proposals from private individuals would also be considered Joseph Goebbels pictured with Adolf Hitler and the German film director Leni Riefenstahl. Photograph: Roger-Viollet/REX/Shutterstock“If we fail again, as in the past decades, then Berlin has no other option but to carry out the demolition that we have already prepared for,” Evers said. Goebbels, one of Hitler’s closest allies, had the luxury villa built in 1939 on a wooded site overlooking the Bogensee lake near the town of Wandlitz, about 40km (25 miles) north of Berlin. A retreat from Berlin, where he lived with his wife and six children, Goebbels used the villa and an earlier house on the site to entertain Nazi leaders, artists and actors – and reputedly as a love-nest for secret affairs. the 17-hectare (42-acre) site was used briefly as a hospital then taken over by the youth wing of the East German Communist party including several large accommodation blocks ownership of the site returned to the state of Berlin The site has since become an attraction for day trippers who can pick their way through the overgrown grounds and peer through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa Goebbels moved back to Berlin in the final phase of the second world war He and his wife killed themselves and their children with cyanide capsules in Hitler’s bunker as Soviet troops closed in The family’s opulent home on an island in Berlin was sold at auction in 2011 The Sunday TimesDeep in the forest north of Berlin the estate on the shore of Lake Bogensee was a favourite spot for Joseph Goebbels seducing actresses or churning out his vile tracts Hitler’s propaganda chief went for long walks near his villa “An idyll of loneliness,” he wrote in his diary in November 1936 Almost eight decades since Goebbels and his wife took their lives — and those of their six children — in a Berlin bunker in the last days of the Second World War their former home lies abandoned amid a continuing dispute between rival layers of local government over its fate One of the rooms in Goebbels’s villa in 1939STEFAN BERKHOLZThe debate comes amid a rise in the support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) many of whose leaders have been accused of downplaying the country’s Nazi past The party is expected to win the state elections in Thuringia next Sunday and to come second in the vote the same day in neighbouring Saxony • Blow for Scholz as East German voters split left and right owner of the 42-acre site of Goebbels’s villa declared its intention to dispose of the estate — if necessary for free — because its upkeep was costing too much Since then expressions of interest have been flooding in which Goebbels described as “an idyll of loneliness” on the shore of Lake BogenseeALAMY“We have been getting the maddest ideas We are collecting them and one day will invite people to come and pitch them in person,” Borchert told me when we met in his ornate town hall “One suggestion was to set up a BMX cycle track A self-proclaimed “ghost hunter” had also expressed interest “They wanted to take a group in with cameras for a week More conventional proposals include a €300 million (£254 million) plan to build 2,000 homes on the site, which the largely rural area does not need. Some bids are also not what they seem: one innocuous sounding organisation that expressed interest was revealed to be a front for the Reichsbürger movement a shadowy right-wing group that refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the present German state We don’t want to commemorate Goebbels,” Borchert said We don’t want to make it a place of pilgrimage for everyone that likes raising their right arm.” The mayor would like the villa to become a research centre to investigate growing contemporary threats to democracy — a reflection of the links the site also has with another totalitarian regime, that of the former East Germany (GDR) within which it found itself after the Second World War Still standing in the grounds are two massive three and four-storey blocks built in the 1950s as the Central School of the Freie Deutsche Jugend (FDJ) the youth wing of the ruling Communist Party “Probably nowhere is it possible to remember the Nazi dictatorship and the unjust regime of the GDR so close together,” said Borchert A meeting of the FDJ (Free German Youth) at the villa in 1947GETTY IMAGESGoebbels acquired the site and a small house that originally stood on it in 1936 as a 39th birthday “gift” from the city The house became the propaganda chief’s “love nest” “But then Hitler put his foot down,” said Berkholz Goebbels’s philandering was becoming public knowledge and damaging the Nazis’ attempts to pose as defenders of traditional family values Two years later he was ordered to break off the relationship Goebbels had already decided to build the much larger villa where he entertained big names from the film industry The ceremonial hall in the main buildingJOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGESOne of its more extraordinary features was a massive window on the terrace facing the lake that lowered down below the ground at the touch of a button powered by an electric motor built by Siemens As the Allied bombing of Berlin became more intense Goebbels moved into the villa full-time with Magda and their children who were taken to the local school in a horse-drawn carriage He also increasingly worked from there: Martin Bormann East German authorities appeared to show little interest in the estate’s dark past when they built their complex there With room for 500 students drawn from around the world it became a centre for their own propaganda efforts the complex was used for a few years as accommodation by the Internationaler Bund leaving the city of Berlin to pay more than €230,000 a year in security and basic maintenance costs Its government has had enough of the drain on its resources and has suggested pulling down all the buildings and turning the site back into forest Some have suggested rewilding the site or turning it into housesJOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGESBut that would require the consent of the councils of Wandlitz and of the broader district of Barnin Both authorities were appalled at the idea of rewilding the site and in February slapped a preservation order on it to retaliate by announcing he was ready simply to give it away Bochert is now planning to commission expert studies to look at possible uses The discussions over the site’s fate reflects problems faced by Germans in dealing with other visible symbols of the Nazi past other buildings have proved more problematic that the villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee where the Nazis agreed in 1942 on the mass deportation and extermination of the Jews The entrance to the main buildingJOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGESThe continuing rise of the AfD, with its equivocal attitude to the past, threatens to complicate the issue. Björn Höcke, the party’s leader in Thuringia was convicted and fined in July after using a banned Nazi phrase at a rally — for the second time in three months — and has denounced a memorial built in Berlin to the victims of the Holocaust as a “monument of shame” “Historical revisionism and downplaying or denying the Holocaust play a central role in the AfD,” says Jens-Christian Wagner a historian who heads the foundation that now runs Buchenwald it tries to “build a narrative of national greatness and a glorious history to create an identity,” he told me in an interview this spring in which he expressed concern about the AfD coming to power in Thuringia “But even Höcke won’t claim that the Holocaust was glorious You have to try to minimise the Holocaust.” once home to one of the Holocaust’s leading architects Peering through the dusty window on a recent visit it was possible to see the empty rooms within said the building was actually well preserved changed the locks and got the heating system working again The same went for some of the East German-era buildings “You know its history and who walked through these rooms before you,” he said “But it’s not something that sends a shiver down your spine.” Published: Invalid Date A VILLA on the shore of Lake Bogensee in a forest north of Berlin hides a terrible dark past The abandoned Villa Bogensee in the town of Wandlitz once owned by infamous Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels serves a terrible reminder to Germany's Nazi past the villa has since become a macabre attraction for day trippers and urban explorers who pick their way through the overgrown grounds and look through the floor-to-ceiling windows The deserted property features chandeliers day room windows and a bunker in the backyard However the evil property has caused a debate over its future Owned by the City of Berlin the government hopes to offload the tainted home and 20 acres for free after plans to develop it or sell the cursed property fell through Despite the City of Berlin's plans to give it away not everyone is happy with the government's decision he has received a flood of expressions of interest for the disused money-pit Speaking to The Times, Borchet said: "We have been getting the maddest ideas. "One suggestion was to set up a BMX cycle track He added a ghost hunter had also expressed history in the property He said: "They wanted to take a group in with cameras for a week, like in a horror movie More conventional proposals included a £254million plan to build 2,000 homes on the site The villa however has also attracted a dark element One organisation that expressed interest in Goebbel's property was a front for the Reichsbürger movement JOSEPH Goebbels was a prominent Nazi politician and the Minister of Propaganda in Adolf Hitler's government Goebbels was one of Hitler's closest associates and played a key role in promoting Nazi ideology and propaganda before and during World War II with a background in literature and philosophy and he used his skills in writing and oratory to craft and disseminate Nazi propaganda he controlled all forms of media in Nazi Germany He was instrumental in spreading anti-Semitic propaganda which fueled hatred against Jews and other minority groups Goebbels was known for his fervent and fanatical loyalty to Hitler and was a skilled public speaker He was responsible for organizing large-scale events such as rallies and spectacles that glorified the Nazi regime and its ideologies One of his most famous quotes reflects his belief in the power of propaganda: "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventually come to believe it." Goebbels remained a staunch supporter of the Nazi cause His death marked the end of one of the most notorious propagandists in history Borchet doesn't want to see the villa demolished He said: "We don’t want to turn it into a museum "We don’t want to make it a place of pilgrimage for everyone that likes raising their right arm." the state's finance Minister Stefan Evers told parliament he was offering the property for free then Berlin has no other option but to carry out the demolition that we have already prepared for Speaking to the New York Times, Evers said: "The history of the place is precisely the reason why Berlin would never hand this building over to private hands where there would be a risk that it could be misused." It currently costs the City of Berlin more than £190 million in maintenance and security The proposal for the project issued earlier this year by the LKC Bogensee initiative included turning the former country retreat of Hitler's propaganda chief into an environmentally friendly village complete with yoga studios and workshops for artisans.  is located in a forest next to the Bogensee But officials rejected the proposal after it came out that one of the founding members of the initiative had links to the far-right Reich Citizen's movement or Reichsbürgerbewegung Read more: Why Coca-Cola invented Fanta in Nazi Germany The Reich Citizen movement rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state and is often connected to far-right and antisemitic positions It has an estimated 19,000 members across the country In an email to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper,  Schneider wrote that he supports "the Kingdom of Germany in the search and development of real estate." The LKC Bogensee initiative has claimed on its website that it wasn't aware of Schneider's connections and all anti-democratic groups and views." German authorities have previously said that buildings linked to prominent Nazi figures should be torn down to keep away neo-Nazis and keep down maintenance costs Last year, Austrian authorities announced they would be turning Hitler's birthplace into a police station Whether you’re looking for a spacious family home or a place with an easy commute here are the best suburbs and cities near Berlin By Victoria Pearce and large family homes are out of the question are some great hidden gems that offer affordable housing and more spacious living options these commuter towns have an easier (albeit slower) pace of life within easy reach of the action Discover the magic of Berlin’s suburbs by reading the following sections: Spotahome takes the hassle out of househunting by doing the hard work for you and book rental properties all from the comfort of your own home Take the stress out of househunting in Berlin with Spotahome Berlin is Germany’s vibrant capital Known for its tumultuous past, the city has since transformed itself into a global hub of creativity Given that the rental market in the capital has exploded in recent years, moving to the outskirts of the city might be a good option for those seeking a suitable home on a budget The small cities and charming villages near Berlin provide a great alternative to the dense inner-city housing offering more space for those seeking a home with a garden or a place for their growing family to enjoy Berlin’s excellent public transport network also makes it possible to commute into the city from dozens or even hundreds of kilometers away living in the suburbs allows residents to enjoy the best of both worlds Although property prices in the suburbs are lower than in the city they have also felt the pinch of an increasingly competitive housing market finding accommodation within budget can be a challenge – but not impossible There are several ways to find a place to live in the suburbs some people use a local estate agent (Makler) online property portals are also popular to find housing some online advertisements are listed as provisionsfreie (i.e. You can find rental accommodation on the following websites: When searching for properties to rent, it is important to keep in mind that scams do exist. Be cautious and vet advertisements and agents carefully, especially when you don’t speak German fluently or are contacting people online One of the big draws of the suburbs is the size of the homes You are much more likely to find houses with gardens or larger apartments in cities near Berlin Population growth has also resulted in the development of more apartment blocks across the region These can offer lower rents with close proximity to parks or nature reserves Similar to the rest of Germany, Berlin’s suburbia has a large percentage of renters. In 2023, more than half of the country’s population (52.4%) lived in rented accommodation This was the highest share in the European Union (EU) Although rental rates have increased as the region’s population grows rentals are still more affordable rentals in cities near Berlin than in the capital itself Rent in the suburbs can be separated into the following categories: If you compare these costs to those in Mitte where rents regularly exceed €1,900 for a similarly sized apartment you can see why many people choose to expand their housing search beyond the city limits For potential buyers in Germany, there’s both good news and bad news. After a decade-long house price boom, real estate prices are in freefall (2024) The housing market is struggling as higher mortgage interest rates and rising inflation have increased affordability constraints Conversely, Berlin is the most affordable city in Germany If you’re employed, you should be able to get a mortgage with no additional requirements – regardless of your nationality. That being said, while there are no restrictions for expats looking to purchase a home there is also no need to jump into it straight away buying property makes more sense if you are already familiar with the area or are moving to be close to family you might want to consider renting when you first arrive so that you can explore the different cities near Berlin you can be sure to buy property in a suburb where you will enjoy living for the long term Real estate guide: buying a house in Germany The German capital is entirely surrounded by the Brandenburg region That means that many villages and commuter cities near Berlin are part of the same government district Fortunately, public transport links are plentiful between Berlin and the suburbs outlined below commute time has a large impact on rental prices with the cheapest housing often being found where commutes are the longest Natural beauty is plentiful outside Berlin these areas tend to attract people who are drawn to nature or those seeking a quieter environment Although nightlife is harder to come by outside of Berlin are well-known for their events and cultural scene Keep reading for a closer look at some of the top cities near Berlin Well known for its many popular attractions, Bernau has several museums and is the host of the annual Hussite Festival (Hussitenfest) which celebrates the town’s medieval history Its fascinating past is still present in its impressive 8-meter-high defense walls that surround the town and its small alleyways that take visitors back in time only one original city gate – the Steintor – still remains and now serves as a local museum Bernau features a mix of modern high-rise housing estates and historic half-timbered buildings from the early 19th century Residents enjoy this scenic town for its quiet streets and pleasant neighborhoods Hohen Neuendorf is not an old town but a pleasant one This city near Berlin was developed as a commuter town in the early 20th century tranquil setting and easy access to the city center making this a popular choice for workers headed to an inner-city office every day Most of the housing in Hohen Neuendorf is relatively new Once home to the world’s first radio station Nauen is a quiet satellite in Berlin’s orbit Said to be one of the most beautiful in Brandenburg the old town is a popular choice for families who seek larger gardens and quiet streets With wind turbines scattered around the town’s edge Nauen is set near many areas of natural beauty Expats looking for social entertainment may want to look elsewhere This village does not have many cultural events or substantial nightlife Oranienburg’s pleasant streets hide the town’s dark past having been a concentration camp for both Nazis and Soviets Now a pretty city near Berlin, locals enjoy a pleasant and relaxed lifestyle. Tourists often visit the area for its memorials and the 350-year-old baroque Oranienburg Palace (Schloss Oranienburg) The former Prussian palace with its large open park is home to a museum and a cultural center Oranienburg is a good choice if you prefer a village setting and don’t blame a place for its historical past The capital of Brandenburg, Potsdam, is a tourist destination in its own right. The city near Berlin is home to several palaces, including Sanssouci Palace (Schloss Sanssouci) which was once the summer home of Frederick the Great (former King of Prussia) Potsdam has many businesses, including a major film studio and 30 research facilities. It is also home to the Berlin Brandenberg International School the historic town center dissolves into fairly typical Berlin suburbs With many cultural offerings within Potsdam’s borders you don’t necessarily have to head to the capital to socialize and find entertainment so it may not be the best option if you are looking to save money by living outside Berlin with low housing costs and a convivial atmosphere The satellite city was established 800 years ago and now has a population of 27,000 Rathenow is a sleepy area compared to Berlin The area is popular with families who appreciate having more space and access to nearby parks and lakes Strausberg offers authentic small-town German life within easy commuting distance of the capital this city near Berlin is located just 30 kilometers from the Polish border.Sports enthusiasts will particularly enjoy Strausberg because of its many sporting facilities and traditions thin town is a popular option for hybrid workers who want the price and quality of life from the countryside but still need to commute to the big city Teltow is located on the outskirts of Berlin This German suburb has followed the city through its many trials and tribulations and served as a border between West Berlin and East Germany and new developments continue to spring up to provide affordable housing for workers flocking to the German capital Its location provides easy access to higher education institutes in both Berlin and Potsdam Teltow primarily offers apartments and townhouses If you’re hoping for a single-family house the town does boast plenty of parks and outdoor spaces you can visit Developed as a vacation resort in the early 20th century This small town with a little over 21,000 inhabitants is located in a nature reserve between two lakes making it an ideal choice for those who love the outdoors a small compound was built nearby to house high-ranking officials of the East German government away from the rest of the population While the building has been out of use for a long time the natural beauty that drew officials to Wandlitz can still be found today The villages and cities near Berlin are all fairly safe and can be a good choice if you need more space or crave a quieter environment Reported crime rates are also generally lower than in the German capital this does not necessarily mean that these areas are to be avoided Zeuthen is mostly made up of family homes with gardens The town is a short distance away from Berlin Mitte and has easy access to Schönefeld airport Whether you’re renting on a budget or buying a spacious family home you’ll want to be sure you end up in a place that suits you best It is important that you consider your housing requirements and commuting plans before you settle on an area if you know you need to work on-site in central Berlin most days per week moving to a suburb may not make sense at all trading in some of Berlin’s excitement for quieter suburban living could be the perfect fit Here are a few tips to keep in mind when looking for a city near Berlin to call your home: Victoria is an American writer (and mom) living in the UK she focuses on local content for employment law and business culture articles The TimesA German family has been ordered to give up the home it has occupied for four generations after investigators discovered that it had been bought from two Jewish women in 1939 under the Nazi regime’s “Arianisation” laws A court ruled that the €1.5 million lakeside property in Wandlitz a popular day-trip destination in the countryside near Berlin should be handed over to the Claims Conference a New York-based organisation that provides financial assistance to Holocaust survivors Although there have been about 4,600 similar restitutions in the past predominantly in the two or three decades after 1945 Some experts believe it may be the last of its kind The house in Wandlitz was originally owned by Alice Donat and Helene