Former names: Blockhaus Villa, Villa Kohtz

Today: Villa Kohtz

Architecture: In the book “Country Houses & Villas by the Sea – Rügen & Hiddensee” (by Barbara Finke and Beatrice Pippia), the house is described as follows: … From 1883 onwards, Prince Wilhelm zu Putbus (1833-1907) sold (addendum: on Putbuser Straße) the first plots of land, initially to fishermen and locals, and later also to outside investors. For this reason, the oldest lodging houses in the Baltic resort are located along Putbuser Straße today. … These are usually two-story buildings with a white, simple wooden loggia front. Among these buildings, the small, prestigious wooden villa with its dark façade and pointed tower must have been the eye-catcher of the street even back then. In early guest registers, it appears as the “log cabin villa” owned by the widow Arend. The fact that the house was not given a name and was simply referred to as a log cabin villa clearly shows how unique it was even at that time. Historical postcards show that no structural changes have been made to the villa since its construction. With its flat, widely projecting gabled roofs, the folkloric wooden decorations on the balcony balustrades and the window frames, the villa has the attributes of a Swiss house. The elegant entrance area with its small-paned glazing and the imposing tower seem to have been modeled on English designs. However, the main appeal lies not in the formal design elements of the building, but in its color scheme. It is the light-dark contrasts of the white-painted decorative elements against the dark wall surface that give the building its decorative exterior.

Year of construction: 1896

History/owners until 1945: The house was mentioned by name in the 1898 travel guide “Die Insel Rügen” (The Island of Rügen) by Edwin Müller (published by Barthol und Co.). In 1905, tenant Arendt offered the log cabin villa with 8 rooms for rent. A short time later (1909), Arendt’s widow ran the villa. This is what the 1911 Binz guidebook (Ostseebad Binz Insel Rügen – the “Nordic Sorrento”) said: Pension Blockhaus Putbuserstraße, not far from the beach, opposite a beautiful beech forest, in a convenient location with a large, beautiful garden and friendly rooms with large verandas. – Rooms with breakfast from 4.50 marks, families by arrangement. Good home cooking. Tourist accommodation. Owner: Mrs. Arendt.

The book “Landhäuser & Villen am Meer – Rügen & Hiddensee” (Country Houses & Villas by the Sea – Rügen & Hiddensee) (by Barbara Finke and Beatrice Pippia) goes on to say: In the 1920s, the widow Arend sold her villa to the Berlin painter Leopold Kohtz, who spent his summers here with his family. Like the widow Arend, Kohtz rented out some of the rooms in the house to holiday guests.

With the sale, the house was given a name for the first time, namely Villa Kohtz. Leopold Kohtz’s recommendation of his villa was evident in the advertisement in the 1925 travel guide “Praktische Winke – Ostseebad Binz auf Rügen” (Practical Tips – Baltic Sea Resort Binz on Rügen): Villa Kohtz. Detached house. Formerly owned by the Prince of Putbus, close to the beach, idyllically located by the high forest, in the middle of the garden. With all conveniences, elegant furnishings, enclosed and open verandas, stoves, bathrooms, available for rent as a whole or in parts. L. Kohtz, Putbuserstr. 14

GDR era: After 1945, the owners fled to the West and the building became a rental property (source: “Wooden Houses from Wolgast – Icons of Seaside Resort Architecture” Part II by Hans-Ulrich Bauer).

After 1990: After reunification, the son of the former owner regained possession of the property and lived in the house with his family until his death (source: “Wooden Houses from Wolgast – Icons of Seaside Resort Architecture” Part II by Hans-Ulrich Bauer). In 2012, the Breuer family from Binz bought Villa Kohtz and renovated it. The Ostsee-Zeitung newspaper reported on March 12, 2012: “Beauty treatment for historic gem: Listed Villa Kohtz is being renovated and will get a modern pavilion. The log cabin is to be inaugurated in June and will become home to a family from Binz.”

Current use: Private residence

Interesting facts/anecdotes: The Berlin painter Leopold Kohtz was also mentioned in the Binz History Museum in the small railway station at that time. A photo of him in front of his shop in Binz showed this.

Photos: Collection of Binzer Bucht Tourismus, Hans-Ulrich Bauer – from the book “Holzhäuser aus Wolgast: Ikonen der Bäderarchitektur” (Wooden Houses from Wolgast: Icons of Seaside Resort Architecture), Binzer Bucht Tourismus

Text: Binzer Bucht Tourismus