Seaside Resort Architecture

As early as the 19th century, city dwellers discovered their love for the Baltic Sea. Within a few decades, the farming and fishing villages along Usedom’s coast transformed into elegant seaside resorts. It was particularly fashionable among the nobility and the wealthy upper middle class to spend their “summer retreat” on the Baltic Sea. By 1876 at the latest—when the railroad between the capital and Świnoujście began operating—Usedom had become the “Berliners’ beach resort.”

Social Life on the Promenade

“The Ku’damm in front, the Baltic Sea behind…,” joked Kurt Tucholsky. For Berlin’s high society at the end of the 19th century, “seeing and being seen” and “showing off what one had” played a major role even during summer vacations on the Baltic Sea. Even today, you can marvel at magnificent seaside resort architecture at every turn in the imperial resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf, and Bansin, as well as in the Baltic resort of Zinnowitz.

Have you noticed the charming wooden houses along the promenade in Heringsdorf and Bansin? The so-called “Wolgaster wooden houses” are a unique variation of seaside resort architecture. They were mass-produced by the “Wolgaster Actien-Gesellschaft für Holzbearbeitung,” founded in 1865. Using these prefabricated parts, customers could order their own custom model from the catalog based on their taste and budget.

From the World’s Fair to Bansin

There are several Wolgast wooden houses to see on the Bansin promenade. The narrow villa “Ut Kiek” is particularly eye-catching. It was exhibited as a prototype at the World’s Fair in Paris and subsequently rebuilt in Bansin. Right next to it are Villa Vineta, Villa Heimdall, and Café Asgard. In this historic café, you can even tour a Wolgast wooden house from the inside.

• Villa Vineta
• Villa Heimdall
• Ut Kiek
• Café Asgard
• Villa Auguste Viktoria
• Heringsdorf Youth Hostel