Früher: Villa Bella Vista

Former names: Villa Bella Vista

Today: Villa Undine

Architecture: In the book “Pommersche Bäderarchitektur” (Pomeranian Spa Architecture) by Wolfgang Schneider & Torsten Seegert, the house is described as follows: This building stands out from most of the other buildings on the beach promenade thanks to a number of details. The villa, which is set back relatively far from the promenade on the property, was constructed as a wooden building. … In terms of the number of floors and thus the height of the building, “Undine” also stands out from many other buildings on the promenade due to its two stories. The floor plan and elevation of this house, which is painted predominantly red in contrast to most other villas, do not follow any particular regularity. The appearance of the building is characterized by two high triangular gables with a protruding gable roof, white-painted half-timbered struts, and a polygonal tower with a curved dome.

Year of construction: 1885

History/owners until 1945: The book “Landhäuser & Villen am Meer – Rügen & Hiddensee” (Country Houses & Villas by the Sea – Rügen & Hiddensee) (by Barbara Finke & Beatrice Pippia) states: A countess from Münster had her summer residence built on this northern section of the promenade in 1885. The countess named her villa Bella Vista – rightly so, as the villa stood alone on the wide dune area with no neighboring buildings. Good relations with the Putbus royal family will have made it possible to purchase a plot of land on the beach promenade as early as 1885. The lands around Binz belonged to the principality and were generally not for sale. It was not until the founding of the “Aktiengesellschaft Ostseebad Binz” (Binz Baltic Sea Resort Joint Stock Company) in 1888 that regulated land sales began. …

The Countess of Münster opted for a prestigious villa with a tower and bell-shaped roof. … Like most Wolgasthäuser, Villa Undine was not originally painted, but only oiled to make it more weather-resistant. To the benefit of the houses, the “Aktiengesellschaft für Holzbearbeitung” (Woodworking Corporation), as the Kraeft company later called itself, continued to use pitch pine wood, which was commonly used in shipbuilding. Thanks to the use of this very hard, hearty wood from the American swamp pine, which is hardly available today, the Wolgasthäuser houses have been well preserved. Photos of the villa shortly after completion show that the timber construction company not only supplied the house, but also the fence surrounding the property and a pavilion in the same style. …

The layout of the villa, which was typical at the time, with the kitchen and staff rooms in the brick basement and the living and sleeping quarters on the upper floors, suggests that the villa was not intended as a guest house.

It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the villa was offered as a family villa for summer guests. In 1901, the Countess of Münster sold the villa to a Mrs. Höpfner, who initially rented out the house as a whole, but later offered eight rooms individually. In 1904, Mrs. Höpfner changed the name of the house to “Undine,” the name of a female, virginal water spirit. The 1905 Binz guidebook listed the property as follows: Villa Undine (owner Mrs. Höpfner), also available for rent as a family villa, 8 rooms.

Shortly thereafter, the Kunigk couple, both doctors from Berlin, purchased the villa and, according to the 1909 Binz guidebook, offered it as follows: Villa Undine. Magnificent location in the center of the beach promenade. Spacious, sunny, in a beautiful garden. 12 rooms furnished to the highest standard, kitchen, electric lighting. Individual apartments, also available for rent as a family villa. (Owner: Dr. Kunigk). In the 1920s, the Kunigk family also temporarily owned the adjacent Villa Ruscha.

In the following years, Villa Undine appeared repeatedly in various travel guides. In 1925, an advertisement in “Praktische Winke – Ostseebad Binz auf Rügen” (Practical Tips – Baltic Sea Resort Binz on Rügen) read: Villa Undine directly on the beach, located right next to the spa house. First-class house. Self-contained, elegantly furnished floor with kitchen and single rooms. Owner: OTTO SAUER. Telephone 74. A year later, it was already described as follows: … Self-contained, elegantly furnished floor with kitchen, glass veranda, and stoves…

After Otto Sauer, the Hattenhauer family took over as owners. At the end of the 1930s, the Neuruppin hotelier Hattenhauer bought Villa Undine together with the neighboring Hotel Bellevue. At that time, the villa was still surrounded by a large garden with old trees (from the book “Country Houses & Villas by the Sea – Rügen & Hiddensee” (by Barbara Finke & Beatrice Pippia).

GDR era: Shortly after the war, the villa was taken over by the Red Army. In 1951, IG Wismut claimed the house and used it as its headquarters. The “Rose” campaign led to its expropriation. It then belonged to the Ministry of the Interior and, from the early/mid-1960s, to the GDR travel agency.

The book “Country Houses & Villas by the Sea – Rügen & Hiddensee” (by Barbara Finke & Beatrice Pippia) states, among other things, the following:

At that time, the villa was still surrounded by a large garden with old trees. This was partially cleared in the 1970s. There were plans to demolish the house as well, but fortunately this did not happen.

After 1990: In 1991/92, it was returned to the Hattenhauer family, who then had it lovingly renovated in line with conservation guidelines in the mid-1990s. The villa now once again accommodates vacationers in its apartments.

Current use: Privately run apartment building for vacation use

Interesting facts/anecdotes: Villa Undine is also known as the “Wolgasthaus.” Shipbuilder Heinrich Kraeft founded his company in Wolgast in 1868. Among other things, prefabricated houses were built at the shipyard for Rügen and Usedom. The shipyard remained in operation with changing owners until 1926.

High-quality woods from overseas, such as American and Canadian softwoods, but also tropical hardwoods, were used for the prefabricated houses, which were offered via catalog. Art historians suspect that the so-called Norwegian “dragon houses” served as a model. The enthusiasm for Norway in Germany at the end of the 19th century was triggered by reports of Kaiser Wilhelm’s voyages to the North. The construction of such houses thus references the Nordic-Viking shipbuilding and stave church tradition. There are a total of three “Wolgast houses” on Rügen, two in Binz (Undine and Liliput) and one in Göhren.

Photos: From the book “Holzhäuser aus Wolgast” (Wooden Houses from Wolgast) by Hans-Ulrich Bauer/Reproduction “Moderne Holzbauten” (Modern Wooden Buildings) by Hermann Rückwardt, Binzer Bucht Tourismus collection, Lutz Grünke, Binzer Bucht Tourismus/Christian Thiele

Text: Klaus Boy, Binzer Bucht Tourismus