The villas Cäcilie and Villa Brunhilde
Today’s “Binzer Hof” hotel consists of two buildings: Villa Cäcilie (formerly Villa Agricola, later Goethe House) and Villa Brunhilde. Both villas were built in 1904. They were owned by the Hilgendorf family, who ran both houses as classic lodging houses.
Villa Cäcilie was described in the 1909 Binz Guide as follows: “Villa Cäcilie, owned by W. Hilgendorf, Lottumstraße, quiet location in the immediate vicinity of the beach and pine forest, opposite the baths. Recommends its well and contemporarily furnished rooms with verandas and views of the sea as well as apartments with kitchen.” Villa Brunhilde was advertised as follows: “Lottum-Strasse No. 8, directly by the forest, opposite the men’s and family baths. Modern furnishings, all rooms with balcony. Individual rooms and whole apartments with and without kitchen. Good beds. Manager: Dora Rode. Owner: Fritz Hilgendorf.”
Paul Schmidt acquired Villa Cäcilie in 1920 and renamed it “Haus Goethe” in 1927. An advertisement from 1928 in a Binz travel guide states: “A popular, well-recommended guest house, 1/4 minute from the beach and right next to the forest. Large, sunny, comfortably and modernly furnished rooms with verandas in every price range. First-class catering. Advantageous pension deals.” Paul Schmidt already had a forward-looking idea back then to ensure that his hotel was well utilized in the early and late seasons: The travel guide “Praktische Winke – Ostseebad Binz auf Rügen” from 1925 reports: “Haus Cecilie. Owner Paul Schmidt. Highly recommended house in a quiet location, close to the forest and beach. Excellent catering. Comfortable rooms. Early and late season cooking courses for young ladies of better classes.”
The architecture of Villa Cäcilie is described in more detail in the book “Pommersche Bäderarchitektur”: The main building is designed as a three-storey building with a simple parapet balustrade. Both sides of the building, which have direct access to the street, are fitted with open wooden loggias, whereby the same stylistic elements are used in different ways. The round tower emphasizing the corner location is glazed and emphasizes the character of a fortress.
Decay in the GDR era
From 1945, a school was initially set up in Villa Cäcilie. In 1953, the school was moved to Haus Karin in Bahnhofstraße, which had been converted for this purpose. After the school was closed, Villa Brunhilde and Villa Cäcilie were sold one after the other and connected by a reception building. They were used as the company holiday home “Haus der DSF” of VEB Spezialbau Potsdam. Between 1945 and 1990, both villas lost their historic decorative elements. The loggias on the side facing Goethestraße were also demolished. The entrance was preserved and has since served as the entrance to the restaurant.
A new beginning after reunification
After 1990, the Krönert family acquired the two lodging houses and completely renovated the entire property. Since the opening on May 5, 1991, they have been running them as a hotel under the name “Binzer Hof”. The Binzer Hof is one of the first properties to be renovated in Binz after reunification. After the Krönert family had managed the hotel for two generations, it was taken over by Baltic Seaside Properties in 2025. The company specializes in the refurbishment and operation of vacation properties on the Baltic Sea. The hotel will continue to operate with the existing team.
You can find more information about listed villas in Binz here:
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