Hahn Villa
Today under monument protection standing Villa Hahn is a representative former home in Chemnitz district Helbersdorf . The building, now used for commercial purposes, with today's address at 9 Handelstrasse, was built in 1923 according to plans by the architect Eugen Weber.
history
Around 1900, many wealthy and influential citizens settled in the Kapellenberg district of Chemnitz , the former "Stollberger Viertel", as this area was once called. The Villa Esche and the Villa Oscar Freiherr von Kohorn zu Kornegg are striking examples of this.
The builder of the villa was the manufacturer of circular knitting machines Erich Barth. After a few years the building was sold to the Frank family, a Jewish factory owner. When the National Socialists came to power in 1933, the family emigrated to the USA. The property then briefly passed into the possession of the stocking manufacturer Luis Bahner from Oberlungwitz .
From 1934 to 1945 the villa was owned by Auto Union and served as the home of the Hahn family. Carl Hahn senior was a successful entrepreneur and played a key role in DKW 's rise to the world's leading motorcycle factory. The building was badly damaged by the massive air raid on Chemnitz on March 5, 1945. On May 7, 1945 the Hahn family fled from the advancing Red Army.
After many years of vacancy due to war damage, the building was transferred to public ownership in 1949, but was not used again until 1954 as a facility for children with disabilities, learning problems and social abnormalities.
In the years that followed, more pragmatic maintenance work took place on and in the villa. The most varied of uses since the 1950s left their marks, and many of the original building elements fell victim to various renovation measures.
In 1989 the facility was renamed “Karl-Winter-Kinderheim”. A fire in 1992 led to the closure of the children's home. After the renovation of the building from the end of 1993 to the beginning of 1994, it was transformed into a children's home with a special educational character. From September 2001 the villa housed a Waldorf kindergarten. In June 2003 a roof fire led to the building being completely vacant.
The villa was therefore in a very poor condition when it was acquired by the current owner in August 2003. The primary goal was to fundamentally renovate the building and thereby restore the original appearance of the house. A professional restoration was carried out in coordination with the Saxon State Office for Monument Preservation. In 2010, a number of landscaping measures were carried out in the outdoor area, and finally, in summer 2012, the imposing fountain system was restored. Villa and park are presented as a stylish ensemble.
The professional restoration of the villa building made a major contribution to the preservation of the historical building fabric in Chemnitz, and it represents a piece of the city's history. The villa was included in the list of cultural monuments in Chemnitz-Helbersdorf , which were included in the list of monuments from the State Office for Monument Preservation Saxony as of June 20, 2013.
architecture
The villa building, which is embedded in a park lot, with its sophisticated symmetrical façade design, combines the more functional architectural style that was emerging at the time with the traditional elements of neoclassicism .
During the interior restoration in 2003, all the original fixtures that were still in existence were retained. The foyer and other rooms, especially on the ground floor, convey an impression of the original ambience through the preservation of the fireplace and some stoves.
The former architectural quality of the villa was also visible from the outside. The ornate pilaster strips on the corners of the building and the semicircular bay window with balcony facing the park have been carefully restored. The color scheme of the facade underlines the aesthetic character of the villa.
Namesake
On April 2nd, 2008 the villa building was named "Villa Hahn" after the honorary citizen of the city of Chemnitz and long-time chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen AG, Prof. Dr. Carl Hahn junior . On June 24, 2014, the company located there honored the life's work of Prof. Dr. Carl Hahn with the unveiling of a bust. On October 8, 2014, he visited his former parents' house on the occasion of the interview for the Sunday conversation with Sachsen Fernsehen .
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 48 ′ 44.6 " N , 12 ° 54 ′ 6.7" E