Time travel at the Kurhaus Binz. Get a sense of what life was like in the glamorous 20s and enjoy all mod cons while finding out more about the seaside resort of Binz and its history.

Binz experienced its first boom around 1900 when Berlin’s bankers invested in an upgrade of the resort. Apart from the landmark Kurhaus, an increasing number of white summer villas were built in the “Sorrento of the North” with ornately decorated balconies, verandas and porches. This “resort architecture” made Binz famous.

In the 1920s industrialists, doctors, lawyers, government officials and artists streamed into Binz. They mixed at fabulous gala evenings in the Kurhaus-Saal or were there to see and be seen on the esplanade – “Binz’s balcony”.

After the Second World War the Kurhaus and villas were initially used as convalescent homes but were still conserved. The opportunity to revive the tradition of the stylish seaside resort came after 1990, when Travel Charme reopened the Kurhaus Binz – looking as beautiful as ever.

Today the hotel once again takes pride of place on the esplanade. It recalls a stylish age and has revived an almost forgotten culture of holidaymaking. It provides luxury accommodation on the Baltic with the traditions of the roaring 20s and all the amenities of the 21st century.

History of the Kurhaus in brief...

Introduction in Seaside resort architecture...

More about the Seaside resort Binz...

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside…The term "Bäderarchitektur" is one you often hear in this area. It means “seaside resort architecture” and the best preserved examples of it along the whole Baltic coast are to be found in Binz.

A whole series of historic buildings are strung like pearls along Prorer Wieck. If you are familiar with the subtle attractions of these wonderful buildings, you can enjoy the beauty of Binz’s esplanade even more on your next stroll. According to art historians, seaside resort architecture is not a style in its own right.

The term actually applies to the period in which it arose and the function of these fine buildings. They include everything built between 1880 and 1914 for holidaymakers seeking recreation in what were then the new seaside resorts. Today, these gorgeous white buildings look as if they were all cast from the same mould, but if you look closer you’ll notice many of the styles hark back to classical architecture in a way that was fashionable at the time: porches reminiscent of ancient temples, pillars alongside Gothic windows, art nouveau decorations (Haus Möwe) as well as hints of the baroque and renaissance.

Binz even has some Alpine touches (the “Swiss houses”) and Nordic style log cabins. Every house is different. Despite this, they also have lots in common. First of all, there is the radiant whiteness: elegant, bright and Mediterranean, while its effects are emphasised by the blue water, the sky and the gleaming beach. Then there is the interior décor of the houses, which is light and playful, due to the material used. On Rügen builders tended to use finely crafted wood or metal for decorative elements and balconies, whereas by comparison balconies and porches on Usedom are almost all made from solid materials and look heavier. In contrast, the wooden elements used in Binz sparkle in the sunlight like tatted lace; they often include the fretwork designs of boat builders, who whiled away the long winters by whittling and chiselling.

In addition, everything faces the sea and the esplanade – even the loggias, balconies, porches and patios that are also characteristic of this style of architecture. Why is this? The answer is that for the first time it was possible to recreate the yearnings people had in those days for the warm south and their attachment to nature, the air, light, sunshine and the sea in the form of buildings. And it is just one reason we still love this architecture today.