Introduction to Biography of a House in Berlin

My famous grandfather, Fritz Schaper, realized, as he was approaching the age of 50 that he needed a work space that was larger than anything he could reasonably rent. He was also beginning to think that he would like to have a close family around him. One of his good friends was the architect Kayser and he built a house for Fritz that would meet both requirements. This villa in the Tiergarten district of Berlin stood as a remarkable edifice for almost 60 years before falling victim to a bomb at the end of World War II. In 1973 the Französische Gymnasium moved into its ne location on the grounds where the Schaper house once stood. I was a student of the Französische Gymnasium in its former location at the Reichstags Ufer in Berlin. This coincidence led me to believe that it was worthwhile to write a Biography of the House and thus create a memento of the building where the Schaper family was raised through the turbulent first half of the 20th century. This biography can be found in the Memorabilia tab:

Biography of a House in Berlin

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Comments

  1. Janet  May 14, 2016

    Wow, this is a really interesting story about the house that you grew up in, custom built by a famous architect for your Grandfather! I love the picture of the staircase, showing the ornate ceiling carving, and the banister! I wish it was still standing so that we could experience it in person!

    reply
  2. Gwen  June 1, 2017

    The heart of yoyr writing whilst appearing agreeable in the beginning, did not work perfectly with me personally after some time.
    Somewhere throughout the sentences you were able to make me a believer but just for a shhort while.

    I nevertheless have a problem with your jumps in assumptions and one would do well to help fill in all those gaps.
    In the event thst you actually can accomplish that, I will surely be fascinated.

    reply
    • Peter Schaper  June 1, 2017

      Thank you for your comments, they are appreciated! However I do not understand your meaning of “jumps in assumption”. I would like to keep your interest and therefore an explanation, with possibly an example, would be helpful.

      reply

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