Ancestral dread is well-documented as one of humankind’s first fears. Despite significant advances in scientific understanding, this worry remains. Visit the Beelitz-Heilstätten sanatorium in Germany, and you’ll see for yourself why it’s shrouded in mystery and horror. The Beelitz Heilstätten Hospital is a sanatorium outside of Berlin, Germany. It was established on November 4th, 1898, as a military hospital and closed on December 31st, 1990. The rusty medical beds and chairs, creeper plants crawling through the windows, and the eerie silence in this sanatorium will give you the chills. Sometimes abandoned buildings have nothing more sinister going on within than mundane factories or harmless production activities.
The Beelitz Heilstätten complex in Beelitz, Germany, was formerly the largest in the world for treating respiratory disorders, including tuberculosis. Although some of the facility is being used for research and rehabilitation now, approximately 25 years have passed since the Soviets left the site. You may catch a local train from any of the major stations in Berlin, including Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof, etc. About an hour is needed to reach the Eiffel Tower from Alexanderplatz. Beelitz-Heilstätten Bahnhof is ideally located, as the hospital can be reached from either side of the train lines.
Watch carefully for the broken windows and loose tiles as you explore the hospital. In 1898, Hitler opened a sanatorium in Beelitz Heilstätten, a 60-building treatment complex in industrialized Berlin for the treatment and rehabilitation of tuberculosis victims. The sanatorium was converted into a military hospital during World War I. When Adolf Hitler was a young soldier, he was injured in the Battle of the Somme and sent to the hospital. In 1945, the Soviet Union occupied Germany and turned the Beelitz Heilstätten into a military hospital.
The majority of the complex is unoccupied and unused, save for a small portion that serves as a neurological rehabilitation clinic for people with Parkinson’s disease. The lack of maintenance has allowed vines and climbers to take over, giving the area the appearance of a deserted village. The hospital is also becoming a renowned tourist attraction because it was used in the filming of Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. Beelitz Heilstätten Hospital is a former tuberculosis sanatorium and military hospital in Beelitz, Brandenburg, Germany. It is still used as a medical rehabilitation center.
During World War I, some of the first casualties from new weaponry, like machine guns and mustard gas, were treated at this field hospital. Adolf Hitler, a teenage soldier, was brought there after the Battle of the Somme, where he had been blinded by a British gas assault and wounded in the leg.
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Ironically, the institution would once again serve as a field hospital during World War II, this time to treat wounded Nazis. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the Soviets continued using the structure as a military hospital until 1995. The deposed East German government leader was hospitalized after his removal from office in 1990, along with other former members of the Communist party. A few tiny parts are used for neurological rehabilitation and Parkinson’s research, while the surgery wing, a psychiatric unit, and rifle range have all been abandoned and are slowly reverting back to the surrounding forest. The film “The Pianist,” directed by Roman Polanski in 2002, was filmed there.
The entire complex was unprotected from its inception until 2015, making it a popular destination for thrill-seekers, underage drinkers, and intrepid explorers. In 2015, a canopy walkway was constructed above the ruins so tourists may see the structures from above without entering any of them. These days, it’s less of a test and more of a spectacle. The attraction, however, remains the same, and it has been made totally accessible for people with disabilities. Numerous buildings are protected by lockable gates. Although tours are available, they don’t cover much ground.
However, many of the more fascinating buildings in the complex are (legally) off-limits to the public. There is a covered corridor that connects the main buildings for male and female patients, the kitchen, and a few more outbuildings. Canopy Walkway entry is paid; however other parts of the complex are free to visit. Most abandoned buildings that give off ghostly vibes are actually just the shells of long-abandoned warehouses or crumbling palaces whose owners gave up trying to sell them. But the history of Beelitz Heilstätten Hospital is just as unsettling as it appears now.
By the year 2000, all remaining Beelitz- Heilstätten facilities had ceased their activities, and the entire complex had been abandoned. The complex has been described as “easy to penetrate” by urban explorers, who are often perplexed by the fact that almost no doors are locked, and just a small fraction of the windows are boarded up. Beelitz Heilstätten Hospital is Located in Beelitz Heilstätten, Germany. This hospital was built in 1898 by the order of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Visitors can tour the abandoned building and see the ghosts of its past.
Creepy, yet in reality housed a dull factory or innocuous industrial operation. The hospital’s history at Beelitz Heilstatten is as gloomy as its appearance. Graffiti artists have long found inspiration in the hospital’s decaying walls, decorating the exterior with macabre images. So-called “Ghostbusters” love Beelitz-Heilstaetten. Many people who visited the old hospital reported hearing footsteps and other noises that didn’t belong there.
Those few who were very fortunate reported seeing shadowy figures lurking in the halls. Recent years have seen an uptick in the discovery of ancient letters from soldiers, which had been stashed in the hospital’s walls and floor for reasons that remain a mystery. There was an issue with the mail system that prevented service members from communicating with their families. It is one of history’s most intriguing mysteries that went on inside that hospital back in those days. Walking into derelict structures is extremely risky because of the fact that they haven’t been maintained in over seventy years and could collapse at any time. However, there are usually a large number of people that want to explore the historic sites.
Conclusion
Beelitz Heilstätten Hospital has been closed since 1995 and is now open to the public for day trips. Explore this abandoned hospital from World War I to learn its history and explore its haunting spaces. You may have a hard time locating the building’s entrance. Doors and windows are firmly boarded up. On the whole, they shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent for people who relish a stroll through haunted neighborhoods.
After entering one of the derelict structures, visitors can explore the empty rooms and hallways, where they can see rusty beds and the remnants of medical equipment. One of the most intriguing and aesthetically pleasing structures on the Beelitz site is the Zentral Badehaus, the Central Bath House, which is located in the property’s southeastern corner.