Groups of large, turn-of-the-century villas with gravel drives and high gates that allowed only a glimpse of a world framed by curly wrought iron, of sunlit lawns screened by abundant pines. It was the heartland of Berlin’s aristocracy. Back in their heyday, in the 1900s, there would have been carriages in the drives and families photographed on the front steps, plump men in swallowtail coats and ladies in wide hats, flanked by their servants. There would be dances that went on until dawn, with fairy lights strung in the trees and views across the lakes. All the big house owners were rich industrialists, lawyers and bankers; patriarchs with wide moustaches who were a picture of confident prosperity. Many of them were Jewish, and they had plenty of good taste to go with their money. They hung their halls with fine art and their gardens were garnished with statuary. But in 1933 everything changed. Most of the owners were moved out of their villas as fast as it took to pack a suitcase. Some of the new residents reported finding the coffee pots still warm.
