Timeline
"The reason Berlin knows so little about Buch is because of the helter-skelter way our city has expanded. Most people in the socially dominant West have never heard of Buch or only know of it as a place on the map."
Adolf Wermuth 1922
Mayor of Berlin 1912 - 1920
We are grateful to Mr. Rainer Schütte for friendly support.
1342
Buch was first mentioned in 1342. Up to the 17th century it was the home of a succession of members of the landed gentry of Bredow, Wiltberg and Röbell and Schmetstorp. In 1669 Baron von Pölnitz acquired the estate. Some of the streets in Buch still carry the names of these former nobles.
1724
In 1724, the secret budgetary council of VIERECK bought the property from the Polnitz estate. It was responsible for the construction of the Baroque church from 1731 to 1736 and conversion of the country house in the baroque style into a castle. Shortly after this the orangery was constructed. The Viereck era of the von VOSS family followed in 1761 and they allowed further conversion of the castle in 1881.
1898
In 1898 the City of Berlin bought the complete property with the castle, the park, estate and agricultural land for 3.5 million Reichsmarks. On the large open areas the city created what was at that time the most up to date city water supply system; it was proposed by Rudolph Virchow and installed by the head of city planning James Hobrecht.
1900
Between 1900 and 1920 five hospital complexes were built on other sites for "Insanity", Breast Disease" and "Elderly", planned and built by the Berlin city head of town planning, Ludwig HOFFMANN. At that time it was the largest hospital complex in Europe with 5,000 patient beds.
More about the history of the complexes
1930
In 1930 the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research moved into a new laboratory building, set up right next to the Buch clinics. The institute, which was found in 1914, formed the nucleus of the medical biological Institute of the GDR Academy of Sciences in 1947. In 1963 Hoffmann's clinic complex became the Buch Clinic.
Photo: Brain researcher Oskar Vogt (1870-1959)
1964
From 1898 to 1920 the castle served as the summer home of the mayors of Berlin. The castle and estate survived the war without major damage. However, indifference and arbitrary decisions by the authorities led to the demolition of the orangery (1955) and castle (1964). This meant that valuable historic monuments and important historic points of reference for Buch were lost.
1970
The development of Buch into a major hospital complex is closely associated with its expansion as a place to live. One- and multiple-family accommodation and then large housing developments were set up in the 1970s and 1980s and the village became part of the city.
1981
In 1981, the Buch estate became a complex of studios and workshops for artists and was given up in 2002 by the Berlin Senate on economic grounds.
News Buch Berlin
Stopping stomach cancer before it starts
A team headed by Michael Sigal’s lab has revealed how Helicobacter pylori reprograms the stomach lining at the cellular level, allowing cancer to develop. The findings, published “Nature Communicatio...
more ...How calcium channels in muscle cells open together
Using cryo-electron microscopy, the Kudryashev lab has revealed how muscle cell calcium channels open synchronously. The findings, published in “Nature Communications,” may explain a mechanism behind...
more ...Award for entrepreneurial spirit: Christian Hackenberger receives the UNIPRENEURS Prize
Prof. Dr. Christian Hackenberger of the Leibniz Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) at the Campus Berlin-Buch and Humboldt University of Berlin has been awarded the UNIPRENEURS Prize...
more ...Events Buch Berlin
11.10.2026, 15:00
Einladung zur Festlichen Bläsermusik
mit dem Karower Posaunenchor
more ...15.10.2026, 15:00
Forschung in echt: Austausch macht Schule – Vertrauen stärken, Urteilskraft fördern
Wie können wir junge Menschen darin stärken, wissenschaftliche Informationen kritisch einzuordnen und fundierte Entscheidungen zu treffen? Am Beispiel der HPV-Impfung haben wir in dem Projekt Besuch...
more ...15.10.2026, 17:00
Talk im Cube: Entrepreneurship Programs & Business Plan Development for Life Scientists
Join us for this edition of Talk in the Cube to explore - how life scientists can leverage entrepreneurship programs and - robust business plans that address market opportunities, regulatory requireme...
more ...
