The villa was used as an SS guesthouse starting in 1941 before the conference took place.
Only one copy of the conference minutes, known as the Wannsee Protocol, survived the war.
The property was acquired by the Nordhav Foundation, an SS-controlled entity, prior to the conference.
Following the war, the building served as a school for the Allied forces before becoming a youth hostel.
The permanent exhibition does not focus solely on the meeting itself but provides the historical context of the entire Holocaust.
The site includes a library with over 60,000 volumes dedicated to the study of the Nazi era.
The House of the Wannsee Conference is the site of the 1942 meeting where high-ranking Nazi officials coordinated the implementation of the 'Final Solution' to exterminate European Jews. Located in a villa originally built for industrialist Ernst Marlier in 1914, the building currently serves as a memorial and educational museum. The permanent exhibition, titled 'The Wannsee Conference and the Genocide of the European Jews,' documents the history and consequences of the conference through original documents and photographs. The site functions as a place of historical research, archives, and scholarly seminars. The grounds include a memorial garden and remain a center for studying National Socialist crimes. It is located on the western edge of Berlin in the Wannsee district, overlooking the lake.
The exterior architecture facing the lake garden provides a somber perspective of the villa's historical setting.
Download the digital exhibition guide in advance to deepen your understanding of the documents.
Plan extra time to explore the documentation center library located on-site.
Reflect on the garden grounds after visiting the exhibition, as the setting contrasts sharply with the history discussed inside.
Do not treat the visit as a leisure activity; the subject matter is heavy and requires significant emotional preparation.
Open daily throughout the year, including weekends and public holidays, with no regular seasonal closures.
Maintain a respectful, quiet demeanor throughout the memorial and refrain from taking photographs in the permanent exhibition areas.
