Koenig's Ornithological Museum

After several research expeditions Alexander Koenig's collections had considerably increased in number and volume and did no longer fit into the villa. In 1898 he ordered a two-storeyed annex to his villa, 22 m long and 12 m wide, to become his Ornithological Museum. The plans for the museum were designed by architect Otto Penner, who also had shaped the Villa Leopold Koenig (today: Villa Hammerschmidt) in its known form. The new building was put back against the villa for a few meters but connected with it by a common entrance. To the right of the portal a lion sculpture was erected, a copy after Christian Daniel Rauch casted in his workshop in Berlin. The new building was taller than the villa and was crowned by a circulating sandstone balustrade with attached imperior eagles.
 
The Ornithological Museum was completed in 1900. The building accomodated the entire bird collections as well as apartments for servants and other personnel. The model for the new museum and its collection design was the Rothschild Museum at Tring that at that time had set scientific standards which Alexander Koenig adopted in his new private museum.