Houses of Art (2023)

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Derneburg Castle – for almost a thousand years a place where art is created. Once a monastery, it soon became the largest private art museum in Europe. One of Germany's most important painters, Georg Baselitz, lived and worked here. Since 2006, Derneburg has belonged to the collector couple Andrew and Christine Hall. They are transforming the castle into Europe's largest private museum of contemporary art.

Claude Monet's house in Giverny is a place that continues to captivate people to this day: He moved in here as a penniless painter with his patchwork family of ten and became a world-renowned artist. The garden he created here, which served as inspiration for countless works, still fascinates people today.

Lithuania, on the Curonian Spit, reflects the history of an entire century. Charmed by the landscape, the German writer (1875-1955) found peace and inspiration there before deciding in 1930 to build his summer home on this strip of sand and pine trees. But with the rise of the Nazi party to power, the Mann family went into exile...

The Montreux Casino in Switzerland has played a significant role in music history. It was here that the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival was launched in 1967. In 1971, the original building burned down after a concert, an event that famously inspired Deep Purple to write their hit song “Smoke on the Water.” Following the fire, a new casino was built, featuring a recording studio that attracted major international artists such as The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson. Among them, Queen left an especially lasting legacy, recording their final albums there. To this day, Montreux honors the band’s iconic lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991.

Agatha Christie spent her happiest time at Greenway Estate, her summer residence in Devon. The mystical landscape reminded her of her childhood and inspired her to create gruesome literary murders. But Greenway was more than just a summer home for the shy, world-famous author. It was her refuge, which she unfortunately had to leave after only a year.

The film takes us to the Manoir de Ban, the idyllic villa on Lake Geneva that Charlie Chaplin moved into with his family in 1952 after he was denied re-entry into the USA. Private, some previously unreleased, film footage and interviews offer a glimpse into Chaplin's daily life as a husband, father, and artist.

The Münter House in Murnau am Staffelsee captivates people from all over the world: It was the center of the art movement "Der Blaue Reiter" (The Blue Rider), and the painter Gabriele Münter lived here with her lover Wassily Kandinsky until the First World War. During the Nazi era, she hid around a thousand paintings here that were considered degenerate.

The Château Les Milandes in southwestern France is a place with a fascinating history: Josephine Baker lived here. During the Second World War, she hid weapons and refugees from the Nazis here. Her twelve adopted children also grew up in the château until her luxurious lifestyle led to Les Milandes being auctioned off.