A house in Caputh

1 - The large wooden house sits slightly elevated at the edge of the forest. It has a roof terrace, from which you could once see far across the nearby lake. Today, tall trees block the view. The house is in Caputh, a village in the municipality of Schwielowsee, south of Potsdam in Brandenburg. It was designed by architect Konrad Wachsmann. It is no longer used as a home. But from the autumn of 1929 until the autumn of 1932, it was home to one of the most important scientists who ever lived. His name: Albert Einstein. 2 - Einstein was born in Ulm on March 14, 1879. As a child and teenager, he lived in Munich, Milan and Switzerland. From 1896, he studied in Zurich. In 1905, Einstein presented several scientific papers that established his worldwide reputation. In his "Special Theory of Relativity", for example, he showed that time can pass faster or slower. It depends on the speed at which the observer is moving. 3 - This man's discoveries advanced our understanding of how the universe is structured and what forces act within it. They are, however, very complicated, and only a few people can truly understand them. In 1921, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics. 4 - From 1914 to 1932, Einstein lived and worked in Berlin. He taught at the University of Berlin, one of the most famous universities of its time. Wilhelm von Humboldt founded it in 1809. Since 1949, it has borne his name: Humboldt University of Berlin. Another famous scientist, Max Planck, had recruited Einstein to work in Berlin in 1914. 5 - Albert Einstein loved the area around Berlin and eventually had a summer house built in Caputh, just 40 kilometers from Berlin. He spent much of his time here during the summer months. For him, summer lasted from March to November. He lived here with his wife Elsa, her daughters and a housekeeper. 6 - The famous scientist could not swim, but he enjoyed sailing on the nearby waters. Caputh is well suited for this, as it lies beside two lakes, Lake Templin and Lake Schwielow. The River Havel flows through both lakes. 7 - He welcomed other scientists and writers to his summer house. From his study, he could look out into the garden and across to the lake. He often went barefoot and did not care much about dressing smartly. When he once heard that visitors were coming, his wife asked him to dress nicely. Einstein replied: "If they want to see me, then I must be there. If they want to see my clothes, I’ll gladly show them my wardrobe." 8 - On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor. Einstein had opposed Hitler and National Socialism from an early stage, along with others. In the autumn of 1932, the famous scientist and his wife set off on a trip to the USA. After Hitler came to power, Einstein never returned to Germany. He broke off all contact and left his house in Caputh behind. 9 - In March 1934, the German authorities searched his homes and stripped him of his German citizenship. His writings were publicly burned. His name appeared on lists of "enemies of the German nation". The house in Caputh was confiscated. 10 - The only reason: Albert Einstein was Jewish. By emigrating to the USA, he escaped further persecution. In the years that followed, the Nazis intensified their measures against Jews in Germany and later throughout Europe. On November 9, 1938, for example, synagogues, homes and businesses belonging to Jewish people were destroyed. 11 - In 1939, Hitler and his followers plunged Germany into the terrible Second World War. When the war ended in May 1945, Germany had been defeated and completely destroyed. Millions of people had lost their lives in Europe, including about six million Jews who had been murdered in concentration and extermination camps.

12 - Albert Einstein had become a US citizen a few years earlier, where he continued to research and teach. He died on April 18, 1955.