Hoerder Villa (Catholic High School)

The Hoerder Villa is one of the most expensive and grandest villas in the former West End neighborhood. Its front facade is painted yellow and burgundy, making it a striking sight. It was built for Fritz Hoerder, a magnate in the spirits and yeast industries. The villa was designed by Berlin architect N. Widman in 1896, at a time when many other luxury buildings were being constructed in the area. Its construction was completed a year later following revisions by the Gerard architectural firm of Berlin. In 1906, a winter garden was also built on the villa’s grounds. The building’s distinctive style reflects the spirit of picturesque architecture, in which the facades are designed to harmonize with the interior. Together, these elements create a fairy-tale-like composition. The villa’s style is eclectic, featuring elements of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. After Fritz Hoerder’s death, the building was purchased by Frintz Renter (a Szczecin-based pharmacist) in 1939. After the war, the villa came under the ownership of the city, which established a Military Court there. Its existence is linked to the grim history of this luxurious neighborhood. Incompetent authorities, seeking to settle accounts with the past, wrongfully sentenced many people here to death. The building is asymmetrical and features small stepped towers and one large, imposing tower with a Neo-Baroque cupola. The windows are framed with acanthus leaves. A grand door bearing the symbol of a dog leads into the villa, a reference to the tradition of Pompeii, where an image of a dog with the inscription “Beware of the Dog” was found beneath the city’s rubble. Also noteworthy are the painting of the Prussian eagle, the faux fireplace, and the grand wooden staircase with balustrades. Beside them are other paintings depicting an oak tree, the sun, a hen, a cat, and an owl. The dining room, like in most villas from that period, is crowned with a decorative ceiling.