Ephraim-Palais

The building of the Ephraim-Palais is particularly interesting for coin enthusiasts. Built in 1766, it was owned by Veitel Heine Ephraim, jeweller to the Prussian Court and Mint Master.

“The building has an eventful history. It is completed in 1766 by the architect Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs for the affluent Veitel-Heine Ephraim, jeweller to the Prussian Court and Mint Master. In Nazi Germany, the palace, which is part of the Jewish history of Berlin, undergoes building works. It is adapted to be a base for regional management and other National Socialist administration. Miraculously, the façade and other parts of this beautiful building survive the war. After the Berlin wall is built, the West Berlin Senate plan to use parts of the Ephraim-Palais for the Berlin Museum.

However, since the blueprints are located in East Berlin, the plan never comes to pass. In the 1980s, when both sides of Berlin are preparing to celebrate the city’s 750-year anniversary, the palace gives up some building components, and in return receives the archive of the Royal Porcelain Factory from the East Berlin municipal authorities. Between 1985 and 1987 the palace is rebuilt following its original blueprints in the newly developed Nikolaiviertel (or Nicholas’ Quarter). The interior is based on the Rococo elements of the façade, and is designed in a more simplified form. The eye-catcher is the spiral staircase: from above, you might believe it is a gigantic shell. The richly decorated ceiling designed by Andreas Schlüter on the first floor is another wonder. The palace, with its tasteful rooms, breathes with the spirit of the time and is the perfect location to explore the alternating exhibitions art and culture in Berlin.” (Source)