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Once the residence of a distinguished family of politicians and officers, the Scarpatetti Upper House is still one of the most important architectural monuments in the Rhaeto-Romanic Val Surses in Graubünden. Today it offers a retreat for up to six guests in the midst of the impressive mountain scenery.

Surrounded by the landscape of the Vogelsberg, Europe's largest extinct volcano, on the outskirts of Freiensteinau, sits a holiday home with a compact cubature in monolithic construction, which follows the ‘Einfach Bauen’ concept.

A blend of contrasts: the 250-year-old Bavarian farmstead has been translated into the present day with fresh ideas, cheerful colours and proven courage.

Between town and mudflats: the two holiday homes at the foot of the Harlingen lighthouse unveil themselves as artfully designed tiny houses behind a Frisian façade.

The Kleiner Faktor not far from Zittau - once the servants' house of a cloth merchant in the Umgebinde style - openly tells its story and adds personality with bright colours and collected art.

The Seemanshaus, built around 1850, lies in the tranquil village of Born on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, surrounded by a vast garden with a view of the Bodden.

Anyone expecting contemporary timber architecture behind the wooden façade with sliding shutters in the Bregenzerwald will be surprised. Actually, the Mellauer Haus has been looking to the future for over 50 years.

Located right by the River Isarco and the Eagle Bridge, the hotel in Bressanone has become an architectural statement. bergmeisterwolf has restored the 500-year-old building with the cadastral number 1 in close collaboration with the monument protection authorities and placed it in the present with timeless elegance.

Escapism in Finnish: In the midst of the rugged archipelago landscape, you'll find a self-sufficient retreat on the island of Skjulskäret, which integrates itself into the glacial nature with a clear concept.

On the edge of the Schorfheide biosphere reserve, just a few minutes from Templin and Lake Lübbe, the 19th-century farmhouse ‘Die 22’ gives a new twist to local tradition.

Minimalism on the edge of the forest: the compact building is simple and unpretentious, but a glance through the window reveals that the holiday home in the pretty village of Hitzacker is full of highlights.

The guest house "Zum Schockelgaul" is located directly on the German Wine Route in the the village of Forst. The farmstead features four apartments, a converted barn, a wine bar, a village shop and a spacious garden.

As if you had landed on the set of a Wes Anderson film, A House for Essex rises up in the English countryside - an experimental synthesis of the arts with an enigmatic narrative.

Artistic sgraffiti adorns the massive walls of the Chasa Noth, a 300-year-old Engadine house on the village square in Scuol, framed by the peaks of the Silvretta and the Engadine Dolomites.

Travelling back in time with Adolf Loos: the Villa Winternitz in Prague is the Austrian architect's last great achievement - a functional and sensual experience based on Loos' finest spatial planning and minimalism.

Holidays with campus flair: Not only the fresh breeze, but also the reinterpreted brick architecture of the JAP Retreat Appartments in Wilhelmshaven reveal that the North Sea is only a few minutes away.

Take two spacious apartments with historic flair overlooking a 200-year-old oak tree and combine them with Nordic design, industrial elements, warm colours and a passion for cooking – welcome to St. Oak in Kyritz!

On the sunny side of the Kaunerberg, the listed farmhouse is enthroned above the elements in a secluded location. A historic building type that has been restored and modernised to create an atmospheric narrative of alpine life.

Lightness in Luxembourg: the transformed, historic townhouse proves how easily privacy and community can go hand in hand.

Participatory pioneer project: the façade of charred larch wood shimmers in black, while the 14 flats of the Miniloft Kreuzberg offer a feel-good place for travellers to Berlin.

Open and authentic: the walls of the Hotel 1280 Krone in the Black Forest are almost 750 years old and look back on a long history of hospitality. Today it shines in a new light and with subtle elegance.

Slow down in an industrial monument: Schleiferei Zwei in Siebertal is an atmospheric lost place with authentic charm, airy loft character and a warm, off-the-beaten-track atmosphere.

Conversion of a historic bunker into a holiday home: the Cocondo project immerses itself in the Dutch coastal landscape and its eventful history - both to preserve the dunes and as a call for peace.

As bright as the sky, as green as the dune grass, the H-shaped architecture of Kokkolit nestles in the gently rugged landscape of North Jutland. Just 300 metres from the sea.