A luxurious villa that once belonged to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is on the verge of being demolished as the state is unable to sell it and is unwilling to continue financing its upkeep.
The 1,600 square metres, 70-room building is situated by Lake Bogensee, some 40 kilometres north of Berlin. It was constructed in 1939 as a country retreat for Joseph Goebbels.
It is owned by the state of Berlin but it has been empty for more than twenty years.
The state is wary of selling the building to owners who may want to use it for Nazi nostalgia.
Plans for a state institution to move into the building, such as for the police force to establish a training centre there, have been dismissed, as no institution has shown any interest in relocating.
The maintenance costs are also too high, leaving no other alternative but to tear it down.
Demolition will also be expensive: authorities expect an amount of up to tens of millions of euros.The European Jewish Association had previously said it would be interested in turning the building into an education centre about how propaganda led to the Holocaust, and had asked the state of Berlin to share the costs.
