Villa Ruhleben

Prerow is a lively Baltic Sea resort on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, a stretch of coast in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern known for its pine forests, wide sandy beaches and old bathing-resort architecture. Villa Ruhleben sits on a small rise between the Darß forest and the sea, five minutes' walk from a fine sandy beach with a sailing and surf school. The nearby national park is good for long walks or cycling out to the wild Weststrand, and the new Prerow pier is a short walk along the beach or the Prerow stream. The village centre has restaurants, the region's famous fish rolls, ice cream and local crafts, and the villages of Wieck and Born, on the Bodden lagoon, are a little further south.

Built around 1890, the villa is a protected heritage building and one of the defining examples of Darß seaside-resort architecture, once known as Villa Quadfasel. Its restoration was carried out in close step with the local monument authority to keep it true to the original: high rooms insulated with clay plaster, old floorboards and doors carefully reworked rather than replaced, timber windows remade to the historic design, and balconies that had been closed up reopened. To the south, a light-filled, single-storey annexe was added, holding a generous modern kitchen and dining space that opens onto a terrace and into the large, sheltered garden beyond. Four stylish bedrooms with comfortable double beds sleep up to eight, with a sofa bed in the living room for two more. No architect is named in connection with the restoration; this reads as an owner-led heritage project guided by the preservation office rather than a credited architectural commission.