Previous names: The name “Villa Nixe” has been retained since the building opened.

Architecture: The “Nixe” is significantly smaller than the neighboring houses, including in terms of land area. It is not possible to clearly classify the architectural style. Large mirrors, heavy curtains, and two enormous tapestries once adorned the stairwell. The doors, which are rounded at the top, have been restored.

Year of construction: 1903

History/owners until 1945: A Mr. Montanus, later also titled captain, had the house built in 1903. It was listed in the housing registers from 1904 to 1919, but without any details of the rooms and, from 1909, with the note “private.” In 1920, a chamberlain from Riepenhausen was named as the owner. In the following years, the house disappeared from the housing register. It was not until 1935 that it reappeared as the “Fremdenheim Nixe” with nine beds, owned by Mrs. von Zink, also known as Baroness Wurmb von Zink.

GDR era: The house was occupied by refugees and, after expropriation, handed over to the municipality. The spa administration used the “Nixe” for some time to accommodate seasonal musicians. From the end of the 1960s, tenants lived in the house permanently.

After 1990: After the house was returned, it was sold to Thomas Hummels, who had the house, which had been vacant since 1997, renovated. What was left of the old building fabric was preserved, and some parts were restored, e.g., the doors in the tower, which are adapted to the round wall line. A new dormitory building just behind the old villa ensured the economic viability of the accommodation business. Since 2008, the villa has been welcoming guests again as the nixe boutique hotel. In 2018, the house was sold to the Schewe family of hoteliers in Binz.

Current use: Boutique hotel & spa with suites and restaurant

Interesting facts/anecdotes: One of the building’s special features is the tower. It does not contain any rooms, but rather a staircase that is open from bottom to top, allowing visitors to see from the ground floor to the roof beams.

Photos: Lutz Grünke, Klaus Boy collection, Binzer Bucht Tourismus collection, Binzer Bucht Tourismus/Konrad Nickel, Binzer Bucht Tourismus/Christian Thiele

Text: Klaus Boy, Binzer Bucht Tourismus