The Ephraim-Palais in Berlin's Mitte district is a listed landmark and is one of the city's most beautiful art buildings.

Ephraim-Palais: Where Berlin’s history and beauty meet.

The façade with its columns, pilasters and railings crowned by putti and the oval staircase with spiral staircases leading upwards are striking. The Stadtmuseum Berlin presents special exhibitions on wide-ranging topics of Berlin history and culture. The "Salon Ephraim" and the museum laboratory offer events, workshops and opportunities for the whole family. The Ephraim Palace also has a very interesting history, about which you can read more below.

Ephraim Palais in Berlin

Location & Sights nearby

Since the Palais was built in the Berlin-Mitte district, you, as a visitor to Berlin, should not miss to visit this building. You can combine a visit with a visit to the Nikolaiviertel (the oldest part of Berlin), Alexanderplatz and Museum Island. If you are interested, you can also explore the nearby Berlin Dungeon or Sea Life Berlin.

Brief history of the Ephraim Palais

Ephraim himself a wealthy merchant had lent money to the Crown Prince, later King Frederick II, (former king of Prussia) and thus belonged to the King's privileged protective Jews. He co-financed the king's campaigns and on his order he reduced the quality of the silver coins and assumed responsibility for them. This action did not go unnoticed by the population and the citizens reacted with mocking verses like: "Outside silver, inside tin / outside Friedrich, inside Ephraim", these coins were also called Ephraimites. He acquired an enormous fortune as a mint tenant, court jeweller, collector of war contributions and many other businesses. Ephraim greatly promoted the economic development of Berlin through manufactories and manufacturing sites.
The oldest pharmacy in Berlin used to stand on the Poststraße property at the corner of Mühlendamm. In 1762 Veitel Heine Ephraim bought the town house from a Berlin family in order to be able to represent his position accordingly.  He had it completely redesigned. He commissioned the architect Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs with the conversions. Ephraim himself lived in the palace until his death in 1775, but it remained in the family until 1823.

The city of Berlin acquired the house in 1843. The police officers and the residents' registration office were accommodated there. The architect Hermann Blankenstein extended the attic from 1892 to 1895. In 1888, the Mühlendamm was raised by 1.20 metres, which meant that the shops on the ground floor were lost. In 1935 a ramp became necessary for the Spree crossing. The plans of the National Socialists to create a Gauforum in front of the town house led to the demolition of the Ephraim Palace. The property served as an access road for a makeshift bridge.

It is astonishing that the façade and individual components were stored in what later became West Berlin and thus survived the Second World War. Later it was considered to rebuild the palace, which unfortunately could not be converted at that time. The facade and components were stored in one part of the city of Berlin (West Berlin) and the construction documents were in the other part of the city of Berlin (East Berlin) and the estimated costs (approx. 30 million marks) were too high. When the construction of the Nikolaiviertel in East Berlin began, the West Berlin House of Representatives decided in 1982 to make the components available. In return, the GDR handed over the Royal Porcelain Manufactory. Many other cultural assets were exchanged at that time. From 1985 to 1987, the Ephraim Palace was rebuilt using the preserved façade parts. After four years of construction, the palace was reopened on 19 May 1987.

Address, opening hours ...

Address: Poststraße 15, 10178 Berlin
Opening times: Tues and Thurs-Sun 10 AM - 6 PM, Wed 12 PM- 8 PM
Admission: 7 Euros, concessions 6 Euros, every 1st Wednesday of the month admission free
Connection: U Station Klosterstraße (U2) U Station Märkisches Museum (U2), bus:. Nikolaiviertel (248, M48, N42), Berliner Rathaus (248, M48, N40, N42, N65, N8), Spandauerstr / Marienkirche (100, 200, M48, N2, N40, N42, N5, N65, N8, TXL)

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Picturesource: By Beek100 (Own work) , via Wikimedia Commons

Ephraim-Palais: Where Berlin’s history and beauty meet.