Two times three makes four, Widdewiddewitt and three makes 70: ‘Villa Kunterbunt’ nursery celebrates its 70th anniversary

The “Villa Kunterbunt” nursery in the Finow district of Eberswalde celebrated its 70th anniversary as a nursery on 9 September 2026 with a colourful family festival. Children and families, former staff members, supporters and numerous guests came together to look back on the centre’s eventful history and look ahead to the future together.

“Give children love, more love and even more love, and good manners will follow all by themselves,” Astrid Lindgren once said. Her children’s book character Pippi Longstocking has captivated generations with her unconventional nature, and her Villa Kunterbunt has long since become just as legendary. The town of Eberswalde runs its own ‘Villa Kunterbunt’ at 6 Kleines Berg, which currently has 86 places. The building has been used as a nursery for 70 years now and has borne the name of Pippi’s famous home since 1997. Children, parents and the teaching staff had decided on this together. The renaming was celebrated with a big summer party, which also marked the start of a tradition that continues to this day.

Mayor Götz Herrmann also offered his congratulations on the anniversary and recognised the nursery’s importance to the town:

“70 years of Villa Kunterbunt! That’s seven decades in which generations of children have played, learnt, explored, made friends and discovered the world here. The villa has changed, grown and constantly reinvented itself. What has remained, however, is its most important mission: to give children the space to develop their own ideas and discover the world with curiosity. True to the motto of Villa Kunterbunt’s most famous resident: ‘I’ve never tried that before, so I’m absolutely certain I can do it!’”

Afterwards, wooden building blocks were presented to Villa Kunterbunt as an anniversary gift. The highlight of the programme was organised by the children themselves: with a short stage performance, they showed who has been at the heart of the centre for the past 70 years.

Excitement built in the late afternoon as the winners of the Villa Kunterbunt quiz were drawn. Until the end of the celebrations at 6 pm, there was plenty of time for socialising, chatting and shared experiences.

A villa with an eventful history

The history of the house dates back to around 1890. Commissioned by the brickworks owner, Mr Kleine, the villa was originally built as a residential property. After the brickworks closed down, Hirsch-Kupfer-Messingwerke AG took over the properties. Whilst the brickworks facilities were demolished, the residential buildings were preserved.

In 1917, the villa was converted into the director’s residence. The director of Hirsch-Kupfer-Messingwerke AG, Mr Schulte, lived there until around 1943. After the Second World War, the building served temporarily as a military hospital for the Soviet Army. Until 1947, the Schmidtke couple – a doctor and his wife well known in Finow – lived and practised there. Thereafter, and until 1950, the villa was used as a dormitory for apprentices at the Finow rolling mill.

The foundation stone for today’s nursery was laid as early as 1951. On 1 January, the town of Finow’s first crèche opened in the ‘Kupferhaus’ on Altenhofer Straße, initially with 21 places. In March 1956, the crèche moved into the ‘Kleines Berg’ villa.

Over the decades, the facility grew steadily. In 1963, the conversion of the former caretaker’s flat increased the capacity to 61 places; in 1987, this was further expanded to 70 places. With the admission of nursery school children and, later, after-school care children, the crèche developed into a childcare centre.

Since the 1990s, the villa has gradually transformed into a modern educational centre. With the support of parents, businesses, clubs, sponsors and public institutions, a children’s kitchen, a children’s art studio, a sensory room, ‘Takka-Tukka-Land’ and a learning workshop with a garden and pond were created, amongst other things. Numerous play and activity areas were also added. In 2012, the building underwent extensive renovation. It was dried out and insulated, the roof was replaced, and the façade was re-plastered and given a colourful make-over. Stairs, emergency doors and escape routes were modernised, whilst the outdoor area was further developed and made more accessible for the children.

There is plenty to discover around ‘Villa Kunterbunt’: a scooter and Bobby Car track, a sand and mud play area, raised beds, an insect hotel, a football pitch and various activities encourage children to play and explore. Since 2017, the stilt house ‘Villa Klitzeklein’ has also been part of the outdoor grounds. Its construction was made possible thanks to the commitment of numerous sponsors, parents and grandparents.

Villa Kunterbunt has been awarded the title ‘Haus der kleinen Forscher’ (Little Scientists’ House) on several occasions for its numerous educational projects.

Hollahi-hollaho-holla-hopsasa!