1936
......the "Schildkröte" was opened by Mrs. Lotti at Kurfürstendamm 212. According to the nephew of the first owner, the name of this restaurant goes back to her great passion for turtles. The complete furnishings and equipment of the restaurant still date from the opening year.
1945
...despite heavy bomb attacks in Berlin, the house at Kurfürstendamm 212 was only slightly damaged, so that the "Schildkröte" has been preserved in its original form. During this time, Franz Josef Strauß, Hänschen Rosenthal, Dalida, Hans Albers and the stars of the Circus "Krone", performed in the "Schildkröte". The small playful lamps and the cozy, homey atmosphere of the restaurant still date
from that time.
1965
...in this time the "Schildkröte" is a popular meeting place of the Berlin society. Gene Hackman, however, "got lost" in the "Schildkröte". In 1965, he was in Berlin to shoot the film "TDer Spion, der aus der Kälte kam" and stayed at the noble "Kempinski". After an exhausting day of shooting, he expressed the modest wish for 1 liter of fresh milk. But they could not fulfill his wish at the Kempinski. So he went in search of it himself and ended up at the "Schildkröte" - where he was certainly helped.
1977
...the Mei couple took over the "Schildkröte". The stained glass window next to the entrance door was removed and reinstalled at the rear end wall of the restaurant and equipped with a back glass lighting. Since then, guests sit in the entrance area and can look out on the street and, most importantly, are seen. In the 80s, there was the legendary artists' table, which was founded and organized by Loni Heuser and Edith Schollwer.
Prominence
Many celebrities, politicians, artists and actors were and still are guests in the Schildkröte. Countless pictures, photos and autographs on the walls remind of great personalities, such as:
Otto Krembach,
Sepp Herberger
Prinz Wilhelm Karl von Preussen,
Hans Albers, Hans Rosenthal,
Johannes Heesters, Harald Juhnke,
Friedrich Schönfelder, Peer Schmidt,
Wolfgang Völz, Amanda Lear,
Simone Thomalla, Claus Biederstaedt,
Klaus Dahlen, Wolfgang Gruner,
Klaus Wilke, Edith Schollwer,
Jochen Busse, Markus Majowski,
Herbert Weißbach, Georg Thomalla,
Brigitte Grothum, Anita Kupsch,
Goetz Kronberger, Frank Zander,
Bert Breel, Elisabeth Volkmann,
Karin Baal, Julia Biedermann,
Harald Dietl, Heino,
Götz George, Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
und, und, und …