Ephraim-Palais

– © Wolfgang Scholvien

Berliners have always called this magnificent rococo palais in the Nicolai quarter the prettiest bit of Berlin. Ephraim Palais was constructed between 1762 and 1766 by architect Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs. In 1936 it had to give way to Mühlendamm, and was rebuilt in 1985-87 close to its initial location with original parts of its façade. The palais, named after its original owner, the court jeweller and coin maker Veitel Heine Ephraim, is today property of the City Museum Berlin Foundation. On three floors, the palais hosts changing exhibitions on the topic of Berlin’s art and cultural history, and is the permanent home of the graphics collection of the City Museum.

Particularly worth seeing is the grand staircase of the Ephraim Palais, its elegantly upwards spiralling stairs and the majestic stairwell count among the high points of interior decoration. In one of the rooms on the first floor, a so-called Schlüter ceiling was installed, a copy of one of the magnificent ceilings of the Wartenberg Palais, which was demolished in 1889.