Villa Hügel is a historic residence in the city of Essen. It is a building from the 1870s built by the entrepreneur Alfred Krupp as his main residence. It was the home of the Krupp family until after World War II. With its 269 rooms and the 28-hectare park above Lake Baldeneysee, the villa is now a symbol of Essen and the era of industrialization in Germany and the lifestyle of the upper middle class of this period. The Villa and the park with its numerous paths and sculptures are open to the public. In the so-called "small house" (detached building, which differs from the actual villa) there is also a permanent exhibition on the history of the Krupp family and company, as well as the Krupp Historical Archive, with its vast holdings, point starting point for German and foreign researchers.