Foundation Head Office in Potsdam

TMV

Unlike most other political foundations, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom does not have its headquarters in Berlin, but in Potsdam at Griebnitzsee. The executive office, the central departments and the administration of the Department of Education and International Affairs are based in the historic Truman House and the new building in Potsdam-Babelsberg.

The property was built in 1891 as Villa Erlenkamp for the Berlin publisher Carl Müller-Grote, who printed the works of Theodor Fontane, among others. Early on, the house became a meeting place for influential personalities. During the Potsdam Conference in 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman resided at the villa, which has since been called the Truman House. The U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes and Defence Advisor William D. Leahy also lived there. In 1998 the Truman House became the property of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and was renovated until 2001. Since April 2001, the Foundation has had its headquarters here.