Wilmina Berlin

Who knew a former prison could be so glam? This historic hotel is in a prime West Berlin location, right by Lietzenseepark and a short walk away from Charlottenburg’s best art galleries. Offering a slice of peace away from a famously party-heavy city, Wilmina is a friendly, family-run hotel with 44 individually designed rooms and suites, a roof terrace above the penthouse, plus a library, fireplace lounge, bar, spa, pool and gym. 

The hotel itself is split into two, the main building and the newly-built apartments. The former prison itself is a striking building, with large brick walls that stand proudly above you as you enter a wildflower-adorned courtyard. I couldn’t help but be impressed by how welcoming they’d made the former lock-up.

Why stay at Wilmina Berlin? 

It’s no surprise that this is the passion project of an architect. Owners Grüntuch Ernst Architects bought the formerly derelict building in 2011, which originally housed a women’s prison, where female resistance fighters were held during World War I, and an old courthouse. It officially became the Charlottenburg Women’s Prison in 1946, then a juvenile detention centre, and finally closed in the mid-80s. 

However, once developers snapped up the hotel, it became an 11-year renovation project that saw builders connect prison cells to form guest rooms, extend the high, barred cell windows to let in more light, and landscape the gardens and roofs. By 2022, its transformation was complete, and the public was free to enter. 

A new addition to the grounds was the apartment building. The Carlotta was built on the adjacent vacant lot in Pestalozzistraße, which became a luxurious pad away from the main hotel, offering a range of spaces for temporary living. These self-contained apartments allow guests to roam around the hotel and make use of its amenities, as well as have the privacy of a separate living space. 

What are the rooms like at Wilmina?

The main building has 44 guest rooms styled with minimalist white walls and pale wood furnishings. While you’re still aware of them being former prison cells, you’re somewhat duped by the framed pressed flowers, reading desks and large windows overlooking the garden, so you kind of forget about its former residents. 

Upon arrival, I was led past the former prison building and into a car park (housing some very swish vehicles) to the new building where I would be residing. The sheer scale of the space was immediately impressive, with concrete walls, floors, and ceilings in white hues, soft furnishings, and glowing yellow light fixtures that created a plush feel. 

The main feature of the room was space. The sheer amount of it was staggering. One wall was almost entirely a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the communal garden, which flooded in natural light. 

Walking in, you’ve got more built-in wardrobes than many actual houses possess to the left, on the right a neat bathroom with a large walk-in shower and straight ahead a 60 square meter living/dining area provides plenty of space for living and entertaining. It made me somewhat sorrowful for not having enough friends to fill it up. At the end, the tapered bedroom had a king-sized COCO-MAT bed and more wardrobe space, plus a dressing gown and slippers to remind me to use the on-site pool and sauna facilities. 

What are the best restaurants at Wilmina?

The hotel has a few places to grab a bite to eat. Surrounded by even more greenery, the Lovie restaurant, run by chef Sophia Rudolph, offers contemporary German cuisine with seasonal and regional products of the highest quality. Meanwhile, at the adjacent bar, mixologist Nils Lutterbach builds on this purist and understated quality with his carefully crafted cocktail menu. 

I liked that the breakfast was a self-service, relaxed set-up, where you could request eggs any way you wanted and browse a decent selection of continental;l offerings. But the real gem here is Wilmina Brot, which supplies the fresh natural sourdough bread alongside pastries, sweet treats and coffee. I cannot stress how nice it was to grab some jam and various spreads to use on a fresh loaf from this spot. Paired with a latte, you’ve got the perfect brekkie in my opinion. 

While I didn’t get the chance to experience any for myself, there’s a very high concentration of Asian restaurants and supermarkets in this area. I’d love to come back another time and try the neighbouring Ben Thanh for dinner, it always seemed busy. 

What is the service like at Wilimina?

I arrived fairly late at the hotel as I’d been at a festival during the day. And no, I was in a state when I got there. But I was pretty tired out from the day, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff on the front desk, who helped me with my bags, guided me through the hotel and gave me a full rundown of the way everything worked from the moment I walked in. They were also very attentive when it came to asking for directions and where I could grab groceries to fill my massive kitchen. 

What is the pool like at Wilmina?

As if the hotel itself wasn’t relaxing enough, there are amenities designed to heighten your sense of detachment from the bustle of everyday life. The 10 metre-long pool provides the perfect setting for morning laps (if you’re an early riser like myself), and follow with a steam in the sauna. As a nice add-on, it’s free of charge, just book it at reception beforehand. One thing I couldn’t bring myself to do was the ice bath. But if you fancy channelling your inner Wim Hioff, it’s there for you. It’s probably a nice way to round off a session at the 24-hour gym.

What’s the area like around Wilmina?

The hotel is on an urban stretch of Kantstrasse in West Berlin. It’s very close to Charlottenburg, where you’ll find all of the city’s top art galleries, such as the multidisciplinary C/O Berlin and Contemporary Fine Arts for modern art. The renowned Deutsche Oper is a 20-minute walk away, as is the Schaubühne, which hosts avant-garde theatre in German and with the occasional English subtitled show too. 

If you want more downtime, there’s the nearby Lietzensee park 10 minutes away, and the beautiful Charlottenburg Palace a little further.  I found travelling to be very easy here too. Charlottenburg station (S-Bahn) is a seven-minute walk away. The general vibe around here is very chilled out, so navigating it shouldn’t be much of a problem if you’ve never visited before. 

Why should you book a stay at Wilmina?

The overall experience was really relaxing. Which is a surprise given the hedonistic image of Berlin. While some may be spooked by the building's past, I must say it’s been given a really charming revamp. Almost like they’re reclaiming the history and turning it into something welcoming for a new kind of visitor. While my apartment was rather pricey (From

€241.50 per room/nightly), the rooms in the main building start at €181.50 per room/nightly, which isn’t too bad when split between two.

DETAILS

Address: Kantstrasse 79, 10627 Berlin

Price: Prices start at €175 per night

Closest transport: A 7-ish minute walk to Charlottenburg and Sophie-Charlotte-Platz

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