This object is covered with many legends and stories. We are talking about the hospital Belitz-Heilstetten in the suburb of the same name forty kilometers from Berlin. Currently, this institution, so to speak, is in decline. An abandoned hospital is a very gloomy sight. But relatively recently, life has been seething here. This ghost town is a magnet for thrill seekers from around the world.
The emergence of the hospital
Historians failed to establish the exact date of construction and commissioning of the hospital Belitz-Heilstetten. According to some reports, the construction of the main facilities was completed in 1898. However, it is known that construction work in some sections of the huge complex was carried out until 1930.
This institution has become famous all over the world precisely as an abandoned military hospital Belitz-Heilstetten in Germany. But few people know that initially this object was conceived as a sanatorium type institution for the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis.
During the initial stage of existence, the hospital was divided into two parts: one intended for men, and the other for women. In those days, it was a common practice not only for hospital-type institutions, but also for educational institutions.
First phase of construction
The main building was originally built. He was designed to stay in a hospital six hundred patients.
By the way, in those days, the main means in the treatment of tuberculosis were the so-called air baths. In order for patients of the Belitz-Heilstetten hospital to receive these procedures (breathe fresh air) without leaving the hospital walls, a large balcony was added on the south side of the building. Yes, the level of medicine left much to be desired, and this disease claimed the lives of a huge number of people.
The second stage of construction
In the period from 1905 to 1908, the infrastructure of the Belitz-Heilstetten hospital developed rapidly. In fact, the hospital complex has turned into a full-fledged city that could exist for a long time offline. Many catering establishments, bars, workshops for repairing and sewing shoes and clothes, grocery stores and so on opened their doors to visitors.
The number of beds for patients was doubled due to the construction of new buildings. An own centralized heating and water supply system was built. The Hospital Belitz-Heilstetten in Germany was one of the few in Europe that can boast of such benefits of civilization.
Hospital during the First World War
With the outbreak of war, the entire German national economy was put on a military footing. All industrial enterprises were reequipped for the production of military products and ammunition. The war affected not only the real sector of the economy, but also all spheres of life. Hospital Belitz-Heilstetten also did not stand aside. From the front, a steady stream of heavily wounded soldiers and officers poured here. The sanatorium of a medical type was quickly converted into a military hospital and began to receive soldiers from the front.
In 1916, the private infantry Adolf Hitler was treated at the hospital. He received a shrapnel wound in the leg, being a participant in the famous battle on the Somme River. At that time, it was an unremarkable soldier, one of millions of such. And only a few decades later this name will become a household name and will forever go down in world history as a symbol of evil, cruelty and ugliness.
The history of Belitz-Heilstetten in the interwar period
With the end of the war and the advent of peaceful life, the hospital continued to develop. The final stage of construction work fell on 1926-1930. A lung surgery building was erected, which was equipped with the latest medical science and technology. The best doctors from all over Germany were involved in the hospital. We can say that these years the heyday of the institution.
World War II and the postwar years
The peaceful sky pleased Europeans for a relatively short time. In 1939, a new, even more bloody massacre was unleashed. The hospital again opened its doors to wounded soldiers. With the advance of the Red Army, the hospital was badly damaged. Many buildings were erased from the face of the earth, including the hospital church.
After the surrender of Germany, the hospital was occupied by the Red Army. The Soviet authorities organized a military base on the territory of the hospital, as well as a medical facility for Soviet officers. This institution still had the status of one of the best hospitals. Therefore, the entire political elite of the German Democratic Republic was treated there. It was the largest military hospital of the Soviet Union beyond its borders in the entire history of the USSR.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, a group of Soviet troops in Germany continued to be based on these lands for some time, finally leaving them only in 1995. Thus, as many as five years passed after the reunification of Germany, before the troops of the former USSR (Russian Federation) were withdrawn from its territory. Surely our military was subjected to great pressure from the public.
Since then, Belitz-Heilstetten began to decline. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries (in 2000), most of the hospital buildings were officially decommissioned and closed. However, some of them continue to function to this day. This is a case study of Parkinson's disease and neurological.
While the German authorities are thinking about what to do with the abandoned hospital, the buildings decay and collapse. The incredible mystical atmosphere of these places attracts directors, photographers, diggers and industrial tourism lovers from all over Europe. This object eventually became a cult. So, for example, on the territory of the Rammstein complex, they shot their famous clip Mine Hartz Brent. Also, scenes were shot here for the films Operation Valkaria and Pianist.
Some facts
The famous patient who was undergoing treatment within the walls of the now abandoned hospital was E. Honecker. This politician led the GDR until 1989. After the fall of the curtain, he was charged with shooting innocent people while trying to cross the border of the German Democratic Republic with the federal republic. Erich Honecker was forced to flee to the USSR, but soon the Soviet Union broke up into 15 independent states, and he was expelled back to Germany, where he was in the hands of justice. By the way, the case was not brought to its logical conclusion: in 1993 this man was released from custody due to his sharply worsened health. Honecker, like the Nazi criminals, fled to South America (Chile). However, his life was not long and cloudless: in 1994, he died.
Over the territory of the entire complex, the German authorities erected a long pedestrian bridge that allows you to safely inspect the ancient buildings of bizarre architecture. It is strictly forbidden to visit Belitz-Heilstetten on your own, as this may be unsafe for life and health due to the dilapidation and breakdown of buildings.