Früher: Villa Seeblick

Previous names: Villa Seeblick, St. Hubertus, Villa Rheingold

Today: Villa Charlotte

Architecture: In the book “Pommersche Bäderarchitektur” (Pomeranian Spa Architecture) by Wolfgang Schneider & Torsten Seegert, the house is described as follows: Nestled between the “Bon Séjour” and “Dünenhaus” houses, which are similar in basic construction, this two-story building embodies a fundamentally different style: The basic cube with its steeply sloping roof structure on all sides and the dormers protruding from it is more reminiscent of a Wilhelminian-style city house than a typical seaside villa. It is the numerous additional elements that give it its typical seaside style: On the rear side of the building, in the southern section, there is a tower structure that rises one full story above the building. At the top, this tower is crowned by a wide, surrounding cornice, which is connected to the actual spire. The tower is topped by a towering flagpole. … The changes to the building have significantly and extensively altered its appearance: The ground floor has been extended by a massive addition that protrudes far from the former building front and extends across the entire width. Above this addition, the original two-story loggia has also given way to a modified design that extends across the entire width as a highly structured ensemble with different glass elements. The arched windows of the dormers have been preserved, but the missing bars of the windows arranged in the pointed dormers suggest a renovation that was not particularly conscious of tradition. The old side loggia has been completely sacrificed to the extended front. The tower remained unchanged in its basic structure, but no longer has a flagpole.

Year of construction: Around 1896

History/owners until 1945: It can be assumed that Lieutenant Colonel Tripcke was the builder and thus the first owner. The villa was listed in travel guides and local maps from 1902 onwards. In the 1905 travel guide “Binz Ostseebad Insel Rügen” (Binz Baltic Sea Resort on the Island of Rügen), Villa Seeblick was listed in the accommodation directory as follows: Villa Seeblick (owner Lieutenant Colonel Tripcke, castellan Peters), 14 rooms (no kitchen). Four years later (according to the 1909 Binz travel guide), the castellan, i.e., the administrator, changed from Peters to Weithaas. Lieutenant Colonel Tripcke remained the owner.

Around 1912, the name of the villa changed to “St. Hubertus am Strande.” This was usually accompanied by a change of ownership. This cannot currently be verified. The villa name “St. Hubertus” appeared on the 1925 map of the Baltic resort of Binz without being listed in the housing register. In 1933, the Grieben travel guide, volume 65, which included Hiddensee, Stralsund, Greifswald, Stettin, and information for motorists (29th edition), stated: Wine bars: …St. Hubertus, beach promenade…

At the beginning of the 1920s, gastronomic offerings in the villa were also mentioned, including “Berliner Schlemmerkeller” and “Bräustüble.” The gastronomic use with various names continued until the mid-1990s.

The guesthouse was given another name in the mid/late 1930s: “Hotel Rheingold.” Rheingold, part of the tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” is an opera by Richard Wagner. It could be that the new owner had a special affinity for opera or was also a Richard Wagner lover. In any case, this villa name was used well into the GDR era. A restaurant with a Rheingold bar was also part of the lodging house’s offerings. Charlotte Steppuhn was named as the last owner.

GDR era: In the summer of 1950, the accommodation directory for the Baltic resort of Binz on the island of Rügen listed: Rheingold, owned by v. Webern, 12 beds. The relationship between Mr. or Mrs. v. Webern and Charlotte Steppuhn is currently unknown. Charlotte Steppuhn was expropriated as the last owner as part of the 1953 campaign.

The villa was then used as a residential building. The ground floor housed a range of restaurants, from a milk bar to Café Grand.

After 1990: Charlotte Steppuhn died in September 1990. Her sole heir is the “Charlotte Steppuhn Foundation, Children’s Aid Organization,” which she established in August 1986 and which regained ownership of the villa after 1990. The foundation sold Villa Rheingold to a private individual. From 1990 to 1995, a Mr. Ließmann ran the “Grand Restaurant” as a tenant. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue using it due to major water damage. Since then, the villa has stood empty. “Rheingold” was the last unrenovated house on the Binz beach promenade. The Berlin-based Primus AG bought the villa. In 2017, it was demolished and the villa was completely renovated. A new building with nine residential units was constructed, which were sold in 2019/20. Since 2021, the apartments have been offered for holiday use. The house is now called Villa Charlotte, a tribute to its owner Charlotte Steppuhn.

Current use: Vacation homes and apartments

Interesting facts/anecdotes: The pilasters on the promenade side of the villa, the relief-like reinforcement on a wall that mimics the appearance of a column, were salvaged from the old building and integrated into the new house. The beautifully crafted animal heads can still be seen at the top of the pilasters.

Photos: Binzer Bucht Tourismus collection, Lutz Grünke, Stephan Zobler