Hi folks!
As per usual, the history is well and better-documented elsewhere.
Brief summary (which I'm writing from memory rather than pasting off Wikipedia):
The majority of this huge hospital complex was built in 1898-1903 by Heino Schmeiden to serve the Berlin Workers Health Insurance Corporation, treating both communicable and non-communicable diseases. It was later taken over by the German Empire in WW1 (where patients included one A.Hitler, who was taken there after being shot in the Battle Of The Somme).
In the 1920's the next major addition was the immense Tuberculosis Surgery building on the north west side of the complex, and the the Nazi's added a few smaller building when they took it over to treat war-wounded in WW2.
When Berlin fell to the Russians at the end of the war in 1945, the Russians moved in, and remained there until the early 90's (around 5yrs after the wall came down, oddly). It was then completely abandoned, and has been heavily vandalised and quarried ever since. Aside from the huge pavillion building which was actually bombed in WW2 and has lain in semi-ruin ever since, and a handful of buildings are still being used (two as recouperative hospitals, one as a hotel, one as a small children's hospital, the water tower/engine room building, the station which still operates although the actual station building is derelict and one as the residence of the current owner of the site), so it's interesting to see what the buildings would have looked like had they been maintained properly, as opposed to what they actually look like now - which is surely one of, if not the most glorious, evocative and grandiose collection of modern ruins in Europe.
Oh, and the original gatehouse on the northside is now a little pub/restaurant, so you can have a beer and some undecipherable lucky-dip (if you don't speak German) food to keep your energy up during your explore!
This was my first real solo explore, so it was quite personal challenge on a gloomy, forbidding day. Despite being the most rational hard-nosed person most of the time, these dark-windowed, vine-entwined, loomingly oppressive yet very beautiful buildings and the pitch-black access tunnels beneath did mean I had to keep pushing out the thoughts of the thousands of lives that must have ended on this site, as well as the stories of the "Beast of Beelitz", the serial-killer who brutally murdered several people, including the wife and child of one of the head surgeons at Beelitz. But...after a little initial apprehension I was soon enjoying the peace and darkness and beauty far too much to worry about that sort of thing, with just usual occasional pigeon and clattering door/pipe to halt me in my tracks again.
Anyway, I'll stop blathering now, except to say that you really ought to make this place a priority if you tend towards the hospital/asylum/creepy old building type of UE - there's nothing else like it, and there never will be. WIGIG!
South-west entrance with the Russian statue of the medical soldier-he carries a machine gun and a stretcher.
Pavillion (and later the gymnasium)
Doorway to the bowels of the building
Service tunnels weave and wind endlessly
The remains of the old security
Ambulance bays
Complimentary seating
Often felt watched.
The unneccesary but welcome details that they simply don't bother with anymore.
Sweeping road to entrance of the main pavillion.
"Emergency Admission".
Inside an administration building.
Clerk's office.
Administrator's nightmare.
South-west kitchen block.
Gorgeous stairway.
Unusual door junction.
Lovely, cool, peaceful pastel corridors.
Delicate doorway.
Panorama of one corridor.
2nd floor stairs.
View from loft window.
Originally the wash-house, later dissection labs and blood bank.
Outside again.
Hope you enjoyed them, it was just a tiny little tatse. Plenty more pics if anyone's interested, and plenty more on my website too:
http://anotherstateofmind.zenfolio.com/
As per usual, the history is well and better-documented elsewhere.
Brief summary (which I'm writing from memory rather than pasting off Wikipedia):
The majority of this huge hospital complex was built in 1898-1903 by Heino Schmeiden to serve the Berlin Workers Health Insurance Corporation, treating both communicable and non-communicable diseases. It was later taken over by the German Empire in WW1 (where patients included one A.Hitler, who was taken there after being shot in the Battle Of The Somme).
In the 1920's the next major addition was the immense Tuberculosis Surgery building on the north west side of the complex, and the the Nazi's added a few smaller building when they took it over to treat war-wounded in WW2.
When Berlin fell to the Russians at the end of the war in 1945, the Russians moved in, and remained there until the early 90's (around 5yrs after the wall came down, oddly). It was then completely abandoned, and has been heavily vandalised and quarried ever since. Aside from the huge pavillion building which was actually bombed in WW2 and has lain in semi-ruin ever since, and a handful of buildings are still being used (two as recouperative hospitals, one as a hotel, one as a small children's hospital, the water tower/engine room building, the station which still operates although the actual station building is derelict and one as the residence of the current owner of the site), so it's interesting to see what the buildings would have looked like had they been maintained properly, as opposed to what they actually look like now - which is surely one of, if not the most glorious, evocative and grandiose collection of modern ruins in Europe.
Oh, and the original gatehouse on the northside is now a little pub/restaurant, so you can have a beer and some undecipherable lucky-dip (if you don't speak German) food to keep your energy up during your explore!
This was my first real solo explore, so it was quite personal challenge on a gloomy, forbidding day. Despite being the most rational hard-nosed person most of the time, these dark-windowed, vine-entwined, loomingly oppressive yet very beautiful buildings and the pitch-black access tunnels beneath did mean I had to keep pushing out the thoughts of the thousands of lives that must have ended on this site, as well as the stories of the "Beast of Beelitz", the serial-killer who brutally murdered several people, including the wife and child of one of the head surgeons at Beelitz. But...after a little initial apprehension I was soon enjoying the peace and darkness and beauty far too much to worry about that sort of thing, with just usual occasional pigeon and clattering door/pipe to halt me in my tracks again.
Anyway, I'll stop blathering now, except to say that you really ought to make this place a priority if you tend towards the hospital/asylum/creepy old building type of UE - there's nothing else like it, and there never will be. WIGIG!
South-west entrance with the Russian statue of the medical soldier-he carries a machine gun and a stretcher.
Pavillion (and later the gymnasium)
Doorway to the bowels of the building
Service tunnels weave and wind endlessly
The remains of the old security
Ambulance bays
Complimentary seating
Often felt watched.
The unneccesary but welcome details that they simply don't bother with anymore.
Sweeping road to entrance of the main pavillion.
"Emergency Admission".
Inside an administration building.
Clerk's office.
Administrator's nightmare.
South-west kitchen block.
Gorgeous stairway.
Unusual door junction.
Lovely, cool, peaceful pastel corridors.
Delicate doorway.
Panorama of one corridor.
2nd floor stairs.
View from loft window.
Originally the wash-house, later dissection labs and blood bank.
Outside again.
Hope you enjoyed them, it was just a tiny little tatse. Plenty more pics if anyone's interested, and plenty more on my website too:
http://anotherstateofmind.zenfolio.com/
