Tradition & History
The Mühlenvilla
Monument, built in 1896
sustainable eco-hotel
award-winning natural garden
History
Heritage from the Victorian period
The Mühlenvilla was built in 1896 by the then state architect Adolf Prahst, who was also involved in the reconstruction of the Bützow castle as well as the construction of the university in Rostock, as a residence for the mill owner Carl Propp.
The mill, also known as the "Kunstmühle" (art mill) because of its architectural features, is located directly opposite, with the old Bützow harbour on the other side. From there, grain was shipped as far as Finland.
The villa is 350 square meters, plus fully developed basement (soon to be spa area) and attic. Built in the Victorian period, Art Nouveau and Art Deco elements were added later. For example, the beautiful veranda and the old stained glass windows date from the Art Nouveau period. The property was owned by the Propp family for 115 years until we bought it in 2011 and converted it into a Bed & Breakfast.
From factory villa to Bed & Breakfast
Your hosts
Michel & Neil Kilindo
We are Michel and Neil Kilindo, a German-English with Creole roots (Seychelles) and a Brit. We met in England, later we lived in the Seychelles for a year, then in Denmark for 3 years. When we passed Schwerin on a trip to Berlin, we fell in love with the city and stayed.
We found the Mühlenvilla in Bützow by chance on the internet and bought it without negotiating. We knew immediately that we had found our dream home - the old angles and gables, the gorgeous stained glass windows, the huge waterfront property - this is where we wanted to raise our children.
So, in 2011, we moved in with our two children, 4 years later we opened our little bed & breakfast. During the renovation, we were very careful to preserve and restore as much of the old substance and furnishings as possible. All doors and the parquet floor are still originals from the time of construction, the stained glass windows are Art Nouveau. If we purchased furniture, it was preferably original pieces from the founding or Art Nouveau period. We furnished and decorated each room with love and searched a long time until we found the perfect wardrobes, beds and bedside tables. For example, in the luxury suite there is a spectacular four-poster bed and an old smoking table with brass top from the 1920s. In the garden room you can discover an old folding and rotating game table, and in the family suite there is an antique vertico.
Each of our rooms fascinates with a unique interior design.
But please note before booking: the villa is 124 years old and not disabled accessible.
Historic and environmental protection
From the very beginning, it was important to us to interfere as little as possible with the original construction work, and of course all the requirements of historic landmark protection had to be met. But we also didn't want to compromise on environmental protection and therefore decided very quickly to keep our ecological footprint as small as possible.
And so we turned the factory villa into an eco-villa. We had a modern, high-yield wall heating system installed and use solar energy for most of the heating. There are also old tiled stoves in almost every room that can be fired with wood. Our cleaning and washing products are plastic-free and biodegradable.
We buy the ingredients for breakfast in bulk and plastic-free, in addition, almost everything is regional, organic and seasonal as much as possible. The breakfast eggs come from our own Demeter chickens, the fruit and vegetables used are mostly from our own garden, the apple juice from our meadow orchard.
Instead of buying new tableware, we upcycled old collection cups. And our furniture consists almost entirely of used antiques.
A paradise for nature lovers
The property
We are located only a few minutes walk from the center of Bützow, but you will forget that immediately when you enter our grounds. Behind the house, you will find a property of 10,000 square meters!
The actual garden is 3,000 square meters, the rest are natural meadows and fields along the Warnow River, on whose banks our boathouses are located as well. On these meadows, you can watch deer almost every day, but there are also otters, beavers, sea eagles, kites, grass snakes, crayfish, eels and swans in the nature reserves. We have even spotted a kingfisher!
At the end of our property, there are the remains of the Slavenburg (also called Kattenburg), whose circular rampart can still be seen clearly (see Activities).
The English garden
Our garden is a highlight for both sun worshippers and nature lovers alike.
Part of the garden consists of well-kept lawns in English cottage style with various (hidden) places to sit, chill and recover from the stress of everyday life. Or you can end the day with a glass of wine or beer on the large platform above the water. You are also welcome to use the stone grill.
The natural garden
The second part of our garden is left to nature. Here we have created a NABU bee meadow and a Benjes hedge (deadwood hedge), which provides shelter for hedgehogs, birds, mice and other small animals.
In this part, we grow strawberries, quinces and blackberries for our own jams, which our guests can enjoy at breakfast, as well as tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, figs and a wide variety of herbs. The apples from our meadow orchard are processed into apple juice.
For our efforts, we were recently awarded the plaque "Nature-in-the-Garden", of which we are very proud.
But of course, what would our paradise be without animals? Our two outdoor cats often bask on the benches in the sun, the peacock family struts through the garden, our organic chickens provide the eggs for your breakfast omelet and the turkeys enjoy their lives.
We also own a pig and sheep, which we outsourced to our gardener and beekeeper respectively.
Reviews
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If you have any questions about one of our rooms, our location, or how to get here, please write or call us! We will be happy to answer any question.