Villa Seinerzeit

Around 1780, when Monschau still thrived on the cloth trade, one of the most stately houses in the old town was built on the banks of the Rur River. Five stories, Neoclassical, its back set into the rocky slope. For a good two hundred years, notaries, doctors, and families of cloth manufacturers lived here; then it stood empty. The rooms, many of them unused for decades, were still fully furnished when architect Sandra Stuppi-Bartsch and geographer Oliver Bartsch first stepped inside in 2021. Over four years, they uncovered what lay hidden beneath the wallpaper and paneling: Half-timbering, quarry stone, old oak, and lime plaster in sea blue and delicate green—colors that now set the tone for the entire house. Doors and paned windows were restored, and old floorboards became built-in features. The result is three vacation apartments, accommodating two to six people. Each has its own character: some feature rough clay plaster and a wood-burning stove, others stucco ceilings and original paintings. In several bedrooms, old wall niches have been preserved—once used as cool storage chambers where natural stone kept food fresh all year round. Now heated and lit, they’re a place to retreat to with a book. Each apartment has a garden on the terraced south-facing slope, some reached by a footbridge. Amid lavender, old quarry-stone walls, and rock, the view stretches across the Rur floodplains to the old town and the Aukloster monastery. Sandra and Oliver didn’t reinvent the house. They listened to it attentively, rediscovered what was already there, and added new elements with a sure eye. Anyone staying here will notice that in every detail.

WHAT WE LIKE MOST:

• The juxtaposition of historic fabric and understated, modern furnishings
• That during the renovation, old materials were reused instead of being discarded—exposed straw-clay was incorporated back into the walls, and old oak floorboards were turned into built-in features.
• Furniture and antiques from the original house were restored and given a place in the new home.
• The villa’s fantastic location: At the entrance to the old town, right on the Rur River
• Indirect light in the evening highlights the exposed walls and the old oak
• Lighting the cozy wood-burning stove on chilly evenings—the logs are already there.
• That the old cast-iron radiators are still there, working alongside the underfloor and wall heating.
• Stepping through the handcrafted historic oak door into Lieblingszeit—the smallest of the apartments
• The new, half-turn oak staircase leading up to the bedrooms in the Zeitreise duplex
• A daybed by the west-facing window in Traumzeit, perfect for an afternoon with a book—so lovely when warm light streams in
• Sandra and Oliver send a personal folder with their favorite spots for cafés, dining, and walks before arrival.
• Living between the rock face and the river, on the quiet edge of the old town—yet just a few steps away from a bakery, a coffee roastery, and a mustard mill.

GOOD TO KNOW:

• The three apartments can be booked individually: Lieblingszeit (57 square meters for two guests), Traumzeit (110 square meters for four to five guests), and the two-story duplex Zeitreise (130 square meters for six guests, with its own 70-square-meter garden terrace).
• Children are welcome: A crib, high chair, and a “little one’s basket” with toys are available upon request.
• A starter pack with coffee, tea, spices, etc., is provided in the kitchen.
• The villa is heated by a carbon-neutral pellet central heating system using regional wood pellets; all electricity comes from renewable sources.
• The work was carried out mainly by regional craft firms.
• The hosts live in the house themselves, in the converted attic spaces under the roof.
• Monschau has an almost completely preserved half-timbered old town above the Rur—with slate-roofed houses dating back to the clothmakers’ era of the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Sights worth seeing in the old town: The Red House (Clothmakers’ Museum with its famous cantilevered oak staircase), the glassworks with glassblowing demonstrations, the historic mustard mill, and the castle above the rooftops
• Well placed for day trips to Aachen, Cologne, Liège, and Maastricht
• The Eifelsteig trail passes right by the house. Cycling routes include the Vennbahn Trail and the Rur Riverbank Bike Path. The Eifel National Park (with ranger-led tours) and the High Fens are just a few minutes’ drive away. The Rur Lake is ideal for swimming and kayaking.
• Bicycles can be securely stored in the garage next to the house.
• Traveling by train: Take the train to Aachen, then the express bus from there to Monschau’s old town, taking about an hour. 
• Sandra and Oliver also rent outAuszeit Monschau , a heritage-protected half-timbered cottage they likewise renovated.