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The building was built in 1852 and was originally owned by German industrialist Theodor Hildebrand. In 1895, it was remodeled by architects Reimarus & Hetzel. Estonian consul Voldemar Puhk bought the building in 1920. Until the Soviet invasion of Estonia in 1940, it was the consulate of the Republic of Estonia.
The building was one of only a few in Berlin that took only little damage during World War II. During the following Cold War - while Berlin was not Germany's capital, but a divided city - the British administration of this part of Berlin respected Estonia's original ownership, but rented the building out for other uses.
After the German reunification, with Berlin again being the capital, all diplomatic missions were moved back to Berlin. The original Estonian ownership of the building was restored, and in 2001, the building opened again as the embassy of the Republic of Estonia. |