Early Use and Prominence
Around 1899, the house was the residence of the district court president Karl Schneider. Its prominent location made it known beyond the region – colored postcards still bear witness to this today.
Owned by the Rudolph Family
In 1909, Wilhelm Rudolph, the maternal grandfather, acquired the building, later also the entire property. The coach houses were converted into garages, and the property was enclosed with a representative wall facing Lutherstrasse. In the 1920s, a private gas pump was installed for company vehicles.
The company Rudolph & Co., at times “Riemer and Rudolph”, produced bricks in its own brickworks and later also sold tiles and other building materials. The cellars of the house served as a sample exhibition.
Family Life and Business
Under One Roof
The estate offered space for both: business and extended family. After the death of his first wife, Wilhelm Rudolph remarried. An extension was built, and vehicles were always kept on reserve – a testament to entrepreneurial foresight.
During this time, the family continued to grow, and the house was characterized by life, movement – and a penchant for physical exercise, such as through its own parallel bars and horizontal bar in the garden.
The Beginnings – Creation of the Villa
At the end of the 19th century, a representative villa in the Neo-Renaissance style was built at the corner of Collegienstrasse / Lutherstrasse. The client was Gustav Schultz, owner of a hardware store. The building permit was granted as early as 1886, with the execution overseen by master builder Emil Bethke.
Located opposite the Luther Oak, the building with its characteristic corner turret was not only architecturally impressive but quickly became a popular photo motif. The estate included a utility building with a horse stable, coach houses, and servant quarters.
War and Post-War Period
Ursula Rudolph married the engineer Adolf Meybohm, who managed the assembly plant in Greifswald Ladebow for the aircraft manufacturer ARADO. After World War II, the family returned to Wittenberg and lived with the children in the sample cellar of the house.
The political upheavals of the post-war period eventually led to their escape after the 1953 uprising.
Interim Use
and New Beginnings
New Use
by the Johanniter
We are very pleased that this house is fulfilling such a valuable task in its new chapter – and hope it will be filled with life for many years to come.
With kind regards,
the children of Ursula Rudolph:
– Christian Meybohm (*1939)
– Rudolph Meybohm (*1941)
– Jutta Ahrend, née Meybohm (*1936)
– Irene Scholz, née Meybohm (*1945)
