Beelitz-Heilstätten is a small settlement just outside the town of Beelitz and is about a 45 minute journey away from Berlin on the train. The area is home to a large hospital complex, some of which is still functional today, but the majority of it is no longer in working order. The complex was designed to be a sanatorium, though during WW1 it became a military hospital for the Imperial German Army, and in 1945 the complex was taken over by the Soviet Red Army who abandoned the hospital in 1995. Since the Soviets left, attempts have been made to privatise it, but none have been successful and today it remains empty with a lot of it unsecured.
A few highlights of Beelitz-Heilstätten's history:
- During Winter 1916, Adolf Hitler was treated here for a leg wound he obtained in The Battle of the Somme.
- In Winter 1990, the head of the East German Government, Erich Honecker, was admitted to the complex after being forced to resign.
- Film "The Pianist" used the complex as a film set in 2002.
- Heavy Metal band Rammstein filmed their music videos "Mein Hertz Brennt" and "Valkyrie" here in 2008.
Although a lot of the complex is unsecured, we decided to explore some of the 'secured' parts; the Surgery Pavilion, the Wash-house, and Pavilion B IV (according to Wikipedia). Because we chose the difficult buildings, this meant that we unfortunately didn't see all of the brilliant things I had seen whilst researching beforehand; we didn't see anything shown in the Rammstein video, and we didn't see much in the way of hospital equipment. However, I think this fact made it all the more creepy whilst we were there.
The Wash House
If you venture beneath the wash house, there are plenty of goodies:
And if you get inside the Wash House:
If, for any reason, you needed to get out of the building real fast.. and not saying that I have, but this window would be recommended.
One building we didn't go inside, unfortunately:
En route to Pavilion B IV:
Pavilion B IV:
And the Surgery Pavilion:
Sorry about the number of photos, there were just too many good ones! Thanks for taking a look.
A few highlights of Beelitz-Heilstätten's history:
- During Winter 1916, Adolf Hitler was treated here for a leg wound he obtained in The Battle of the Somme.
- In Winter 1990, the head of the East German Government, Erich Honecker, was admitted to the complex after being forced to resign.
- Film "The Pianist" used the complex as a film set in 2002.
- Heavy Metal band Rammstein filmed their music videos "Mein Hertz Brennt" and "Valkyrie" here in 2008.
Although a lot of the complex is unsecured, we decided to explore some of the 'secured' parts; the Surgery Pavilion, the Wash-house, and Pavilion B IV (according to Wikipedia). Because we chose the difficult buildings, this meant that we unfortunately didn't see all of the brilliant things I had seen whilst researching beforehand; we didn't see anything shown in the Rammstein video, and we didn't see much in the way of hospital equipment. However, I think this fact made it all the more creepy whilst we were there.
The Wash House
If you venture beneath the wash house, there are plenty of goodies:
And if you get inside the Wash House:
If, for any reason, you needed to get out of the building real fast.. and not saying that I have, but this window would be recommended.
One building we didn't go inside, unfortunately:
En route to Pavilion B IV:
Pavilion B IV:
And the Surgery Pavilion:
Sorry about the number of photos, there were just too many good ones! Thanks for taking a look.
