A summerhouse the Burgberg (next to the Burgberggarten) in Erlangen, Germany.

A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather.^[1] This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed to provide cool shady places of relaxation or retreat from the summer heat.

It can also refer to a second residence, usually located in the country, that provides a cool and relaxing home to live during the summer, such as a vacation property.

[edit] In Scandinavia

Summerhouse of the Swedish author Emanuel Swedenborg in the open-air museum Skansen in Stockholm, Sweden.

Swedish "sommarstuga"

Norwegian "sommerhus"

Especially in Scandinavia, sommerhus is applied to summer residences (as a second home), which rather than simple shelters can be larger dwellings such as cottages.^[2]

Sommerhus (in Swedish, Sommarstuga or lantställe), literally summer house, is the term used in the Scandinavian countries to describe the popular holiday homes or summer cottages which are often located near the sea but can also be in attractive areas of the countryside. Most of them are timber constructions, often suitable for year-round use. Increasingly they have additions such as saunas, heating ovens, fireplaces or attractive gardens. Increasingly, English speakers call them summerhouses. A swedish "sommarstuga" is traditionally painted with a special red colour called "falu rödfärg and has white trimmed corners, windows and doors."

Many of the Danish resorts depend on the rental of summerhouses to accommodate national and foreign tourists who can rent them, usually on a weekly basis, at prices well below those of hotels. But Scandinavians often spend a considerable amount of time in their summerhouses which are often the venue for family reunions or simply weekends away from the office.

In recent years, the popularity and thus the cost of summerhouses has increased appreciably, particularly in Denmark's coastal resorts. While under Danish law, owners are not normally permitted to use these houses as permanent homes, an exception is made for pensioners.

[edit] See also

• Arbour
• Pavilion
• Gazebo
• Tea house
• Mountain hut - building located in the mountains intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers and hikers
• Bothy - simple shelter
• Dacha – seasonal or year-round second homes located in the exurbs of Soviet and Russian cities
• Bungalow – type of single-storey house
• Pied a terre – small living unit, typically located in a large city
• Vacation rental
• Derby Summer House

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Summer House of the Capitol Complex
• Queen Anne's Summer House