Lichterfelde West is part of Lichterfelde

Lichterfelde (Berlin)

Lichterfelde is a locality in the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin, Germany. Until 2001 it was part, with Steglitz and Lankwitz of the former Steglitz borough.-History:...

 in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf

Steglitz-Zehlendorf

Steglitz-Zehlendorf is the sixth borough of Berlin, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Steglitz and Zehlendorf.-Demographics:...

 borough of Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. It was developed from 1860 through 1900 by a wealthy businessman Carstenn from Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

 and is a remarkable example of 19th-century Villenkolonie

Villa

A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...

, a German concept of settlements completely made up of mansion houses or villas. Lichterfelde West became part of Greater Berlin in 1920.

Overview

It is still largely intact and has a station on the S-Bahn

Berlin S-Bahn

The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...

 (15 minutes' train ride from Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag , and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park...

).

Although some houses were destroyed in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and many have been converted into rentals, the quarter has kept its 19th-century charm and pleases with a large assortment of villas in an often extravagant mix of architectural styles. It still features its original tree-lined and cobbled streets, small squares and working gas lights.

Lichterfelde West was also home to the Prussian Main Cadet School, which was disbanded in 1920 by the Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...

, and the Prussian and later German Royal Guard.

Today "Li-We", as it is sometimes called, is home to many diplomats and, next to Grunewald and Dahlem, one of the most sought-after residential areas of the German capital.

Walks

For a twenty-minute stroll leave Lichterfelde West train station direction South, cross Curtius Strasse into Baseler Strasse. Follow until you reach Karlsplatz, turn left along the square, cross Ring Strasse into Kadettenweg. Follow Kadettenweg, and pass by the Cadet Corps memorial until you reach Weddigenweg. Turn right, after two hundred yards turn right again into Paulinen Strasse for a short stop at the so called "Carstenn Castles", small villas built in Tudor-castle style. Turn back and turn right again into Weddigenweg, across Baseler Strasse, until you reach Kommandanten Strasse. Turn right, follow Kommandanten Strasse (dir. North), cross Ring Strasse, still follow Kommandanten Strasse, pass by the "Rother Stift", a former retirement home for dowagers, until you reach Kadettenweg (North end). Follow Kadettenweg Strasse for a few hundred yards, turn right into Curtius Strasse, pass by the "Litehouse" coffee shop cum restaurant (terrace very recommendable in summer) and back to the train station.

Other places of interest

• Botanical Garden
  Botanical Garden in Berlin
  Botanical Garden in Berlin is considered one of the most important gardens in the world, with area of 43 hectares and around 22,000 different plant species.The garden is located in the Dahlem neighborhood of the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf...
  
   (Unter Den Eichen)
• Prussian Cadet School (Finckensteinallee), today home to a branch of the Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive)
• Barracks of the Royal Guard (Gardeschützenweg), today seat of the Bundesnachrichtendienst
  Bundesnachrichtendienst
  The Bundesnachrichtendienst [ˌbʊndəsˈnaːχʁɪçtnˌdiːnst] is the foreign intelligence agency of Germany, directly subordinated to the Chancellor's Office. Its headquarters are in Pullach near Munich, and Berlin . The BND has 300 locations in Germany and foreign countries...
  
  (German Intelligence Agency)

External links