The Knobloch/Knoblauch Haus Museum

This is one of a series of pages on the history of the Knoblock surname, the earliest persons with the name, and the history of several Knoblock families. This page provides a short history of the Knobloch/ Knoblauch family of Berlin. -- John Knoblock

In one of the older sections of Berlin, the Nikolaiviertal, there survives the Knobloch/ Knoblauch house from the 18^th century which has been turned into a museum. The Nikolai quarter is located in former East Berlin in the Mitte (center) section of the city. The Berlin family who lived there originated in the Sudetenland, moved to Berlin in the 18^th century as a consequence of religious persecution in the Habsburg empire, and prospered in the professions during the 19^th century. The founder of the Berlin family was Johann Christian Knobloch who built the original house. In 1806 the original facade was replaced by a new facade in the classical style. In 1836, the interior of the house was renovated.

The upper floors of the house were occupied by the members of the family until 1929 when it was sold to the city of Berlin. In 1984 renovation of the house began as part of the general reconstruction of the Nikolai-Viertel. On February 17, 1989, the Knobloch Haus opened as a branch of the Märkischen Museum.

Photographs from 1900 show the interior decoration of the house. Until 1945 the family maintained a shop selling silk ribbons on the ground floor of the house. This was then converted into the Schütze Wine Restaurant. After the house became a museum, the interiors were completely renovated, with the details of the original decorations restored, and period furniture added. A few objects are original to the house.


View of Parlor from about 1900.	View of Silk Ribbon Shop


Restoration of Living Room	Detail of Moldings

Of the members of the Berlin Knoblauch family, perhaps the most interesting is Eduard Knoblauch (1801-1865), who was the first private architect in Germany. After having private lessons in drawing and qualifying as a surveyor, he began his studies at the School of Architecture and the Royal Academy of Art. In 1824, on his initiative, the Architects Union was founded. In 1845 he was elected to the Academy of Art, being its youngest member. Like all the architects of his time, he was deeply influenced by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. In addition to designing private houses, he also designed the first Russian Embassy in Berlin and several other important buildings. His most important work was the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Straße which was begun in 1858 and finished after his death, being consecrated in 1866. The synagogue survived the Kristallnacht (November 10, 1938) attack of the SA thugs thanks to the bravery of officer Wilhelm Krützfeld, but was destroyed by bombs in 1943. In 1988 the synagogue was partially restored as the Centrum Judaicum dedicated to historical research of the Jews in Germany. On September 5, 1991, exactly 125 years after its consecration, services were again held there.

A portrait by Wilhelm Wach of Emilie Henriette Kniebel Knobloch (1798 - 1821) is reproduced on the official poster of the Museum. The Museum has special exhibits which change from time to time. The current exhibition is announced on the Web Page of the Museum listed below.

Web Site: Knoblauch-Haus/Knobloch-Haus Museum
Address: Poststraße 23,10178 Berlin.
Telefon / phone: 49-(0)30-2380900.
Öffnungszeiten/open: Di-So 9-17 Uhr Tue-Sun.
U-Bahn Klosterstraße, Bus 142, 257.

Hannelore Bolz, Annette Bossmann, Rolf Bullerjahn, and Karla Viehmann, Das Knoblauchhaus (Berlin, 1992)
Richard Knoblauch, 175 Jahre Knoblauchsches Haus: Aus der Chronik eines alten Berliner Bürgerhauses (Berlin, 1934).
Richard Knoblauch, Stammtafel der Familie Knoblauch (München, 1930).
Eva Börsch-Supan, Berliner Baukunst nach Schinkel, 1840-1870 (München, 1977).
Eva Börsch-Supan, Synagogen in Berlin. Katalog des Berlin-Museums (Berlin, 1983).
P. Wallé, Eduard Knoblauch: Ein Abriß seines Lebens (Berlin, 1902).