Previous names: Formerly known as Kaufhaus Otto Tonak

Architecture: In the book “Pommersche Bäderarchitektur” (Pomeranian Spa Architecture) by Wolfgang Schneider & Torsten Seegert, the building is described as follows: … This is a three-story plaster building with a knee wall, designed as a corner building. The corner tower has polygonal features and is broken up by round-arched windows. The corner tower is topped by a characteristic onion dome with a curved outer shape. The side facing Paulstraße has a six-axis structure with reinforced concrete in the form of an iron porch, while the side facing Hauptstraße (formerly Wilhelmstraße) has a three-axis structure. The classic plaster decoration in the form of rustication with corner blocks and an emphasis on the elements of window gables/cornices/framed window reveals contributes to the harmonization of the heavy building masses. …

Year of construction: 1907

History/owners until 1945: According to the local chronicle, Otto Tonak, a merchant, opened Binz’s first manufactured goods and ready-to-wear clothing store on March 6, 1906, initially on Bahnhofstraße. On November 12, 1906, he submitted the building application for his Villa Mignon on Wilhelmstraße, which he had built in the same year after receiving the building permit on February 11, 1907.

In the 1909 Binz guide, his store was described as follows: Otto Tonak Department Store. Wilhelm-Str. corner of Paul-Str., telephone no. 222, largest store in the industry on the square recommends the largest selection of sports and lawn tennis suits, white trousers, jackets in lustre, raffia and loden, sports caps and hats, umbrellas, canes, stockings, cravats, shirts and waistcoats. Women’s blouses and skirt suits in silk, wool, muslin, and washable fabric. Sheets, suits, bonnets, coats in all sizes and price ranges. Swimwear, men’s and women’s underwear, including the most elegant styles in high-quality, durable fabrics. Year-round business. No seasonal prices.

In addition to his commercial activities, he was also involved in tourism. Rooms were also available for rent at Villa Mignon. In 1911, Otto Tonak recommended his house as follows: Villa Mignon Wilhelmstraße corner of Paulstraße, telephone 222, recommended 20 elegantly furnished rooms, as well as 2 kitchens. Electric light. House servant at the train station and steamboat. Owner Otto Tonak (from the Binz guide “Nordisches Sorrent” 1911). It can be assumed that this remained the case in subsequent years.

GDR era: The accommodation directory “Ostseebad Binz Insel Rügen” from the summer of 1950 described the offer as follows: Fremdenheim Mignon, owner Behrendt, 10 beds. Later, there were rental apartments on the upper floors and a textile shop on the ground floor, first run by the HO, then by Konsum.

After 1990: In the mid-1990s, the building was completely renovated. Today, the villa contains apartments and a textile shop on the ground floor – in keeping with the old days.

Current use: Residential building and shop

Interesting facts/anecdotes: One possible explanation for the name of the house is intriguing. Perhaps Otto Tonak was interested in literature, music, and culture. Mignon is the name of a story by Gerhart Hauptmann, an opera by Ambroise Thomas (premiered in Paris in 1866), and a character from Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship. Or perhaps he followed the French translation – Mignon means “cute” or “pretty.”

Photos: Boy Collection, Binzer Bucht Tourismus Collection, Lutz Grünke, Binzer Bucht Tourismus/Christian Thiele

Text: Klaus Boy, Binzer Bucht Tourismus