The Onion Palace - A villa build by Martin Dülfer

Villa Dülfer was built in 1908 by the Dülfer family and soon became known as the “Onion Palace” due to its distinctive domed turrets. The original owner, Martin Dülfer, was a pioneer of Jugendstil architecture in Germany and one of its most influential figures. The neoclassical residence with Neo-Renaissance elements was constructed on a square floor plan, with a single main storey, a basement and a broken hipped roof. The onion-shaped domes flanking the building gave rise to its nickname. 

A columned portico with a balcony defines the entrance, while the façades are adorned with architectural details such as cornices, pilasters and decorative window frames. Above the balcony rises a curved gable richly decorated with stucco work and a central cartouche. 

During the Nazi period, the villa is said to have housed high-ranking party officials. After the war, it served variously as a school, headquarters of the local scout troop and residential housing. In the 1990s, the building began to fall into disrepair. In 2007, it was purchased by private owners who restored it to its former glory. 

The villa stands in the eastern part of Barlinek, at ul. Strzelecka 23, surrounded by mature trees that gradually merge into a grove stretching beyond the town's edge.

Around 1920, Baron von Klitzing is believed to have acquired the property for his elder sister Käthe zu Rantzau (née Katharina Ursula von Klitzing), who moved here with her daughter following the death of her husband, Baron Ernst Christian Detlev zu Rantzau. The baroness was a highly respected figure in the town, and residents would bow and greet her as she walked through the streets.

At that time, Baron von Klitzing also purchased the hill on which the villa stands and the adjoining Klinkenberg. A handwritten note from the baron to the local authorities refers to the property as the “Klitzingsche Villa”, while old postcards also use the name “Villa by the Lake”. The original name, “Villa Dülfer”, recalls its first owner and architect.