Villa Kohtz

Villa Kohtz

Ostseebad Binz
Putbuser Straße 11

Former house names: Blockhaus-Villa, Villa Kohtz
Today: Villa Kohtz

Architecture: In the book “Landhäuser & Villen am Meer – Rügen & Hiddensee” (by Barbara Finke and Beatrice Pippia), the house is described as follows: … From 1883, Prince Wilhelm zu Putbus (1833-1907) sold the first plots of land here (Putbuser Straße) initially to fishermen and locals, and later to foreign investors. For this reason, the oldest lodging houses in the seaside resort are located along Putbuser Straße today… usually two-storey buildings with a white, simply designed wooden loggia front. Among these buildings, the small, representative wooden villa with its dark façade and pointed tower must have been an eye-catcher on the street even back then. In early guest directories, it appears as the “Blockhaus-Villa” (log cabin villa) owned by the Arend widow. The fact that the house was not given a name and was only referred to as the Blockhaus-Villa makes its uniqueness clear even at that time. Historical postcards show that no structural changes have been made to the villa since its construction. With the flat, widely cantilevered gable roofs, the folkloric wooden decorations on the balcony balustrades and the window surrounds, the villa has the attributes of a Swiss chalet. The elegant entrance area with its detailed glazing and the impressive tower seem to have been inspired by English designs. However, the main attraction is not the formal design elements of the building, but its color scheme. It is the light-dark contrasts of the white-painted decorative elements against the dark wall that give the building its decorative exterior.

Built in: 1896

History/owner until 1945: The house was mentioned by name in the 1898 travel guide “Die Insel Rügen” by Edwin Müller (published by Barthol und Co.). In 1905, tenant Arendt offered the log cabin villa with 8 rooms. A short time later (1909), widow Arendt ran the villa. This is how it was described in the 1911 Binz guide (Baltic seaside resort of Binz on the island of Rügen – the “Nordic Sorrento”): Pension Blockhaus Putbuserstraße, not far from the beach, with a beautiful beech forest opposite, in a convenient location with a large, beautiful garden and friendly rooms with large verandas. – Rooms with board from 4.50 marks, families by agreement. Good home cooking. Tourist accommodation. Owner: Mrs. Arendt.

The book “Landhäuser & Villen am Meer – Rügen & Hiddensee” (by Barbara Finke and Beatrice Pippia) continues: In the 1920s, the widow Arend sold her villa to the Berlin painter Leopold Kohtz, who spent his summers here with his family. Like Mrs. Arend, Kohtz rented out some of the rooms of the house to vacationers.

With the sale, the house was given a name for the first time: Villa Kohtz. An advertisement in the 1925 travel guide “Praktische Winke – Ostseebad Binz auf Rügen” shows how Leopold Kohtz recommended his villa: Villa Kohtz. Detached house. Formerly owned by the Prince of Putbus, near the beach, idyllically situated by the high forest, in the middle of the garden. With all conveniences, elegant furnishings, closed and open porches, stoves, bathrooms, for rent in whole or divided. L. Kohtz, Putbuserstr. 14

GDR period: After 1945, the owners fled to the West and the building became an apartment building (source: “Holzhäuser aus Wolgast – Ikonen der Bäderarchitektur” Teil II by Hans-Ulrich Bauer).

After 1990: After the fall of the Wall, the son of the former owner got the property back and lived in the house with his family until his death (source: “Holzhäuser aus Wolgast – Ikonen der Bäderarchitektur” Part II by Hans-Ulrich Bauer). In 2012, the Breuer family from Binz bought and renovated Villa Kohtz. The Ostsee-Zeitung newspaper reported on March 12, 2012: A beauty treatment for a historical gem: the listed villa “Kohtz” is being renovated and will get a modern pavilion. The log cabin is to be inaugurated in June and will become a home for the Binz family.

Present use: private residence

Interesting facts/anecdotes: Even in the historic Binz Museum in the Kleinbahnhof, the Berlin painter Leopold Kohtz was mentioned. A photo with him in front of his shop in Binz showed this.

Photos: Binzer Bucht Tourismus collection, Hans-Ulrich Bauer – from the book “Holzhäuser aus Wolgast: Ikonen der Baderarchitektur”, Binzer Bucht Tourismus

Text: Binzer Bucht Tourismus