Abandoned Nazi Hospital: Beelitz-Heilstätten

Located just an hour south of Berlin is the abandoned hospital complex, Beelitz-Heilstätten.The complex was originally built in 1898, in response to a rampant outbreak of Tuberculosis.

During WWI it became a military hospital, treating wounded war victims.At one point the hospital even treated Adolf Hitler for a leg injury. 😮With so many patients to treat, the medical complex became a small village, with 60 buildings spread out over almost 500,000 acres. It was additionally used to treat soldiers during WWII, and in the Cold War, it became an elite treatment center for Soviet leaders, such as Erich Honecker.After Communism crumbled, the hospital was abandoned.Now I found out about the site through Atlas Obscura. I always like a good scare around Halloween, so when I saw photos of the place, I knew I had to check it out. 😮

Now abandoned places seem to carry a presence of the past, and this place was definitely no exception. 😮I got the heebie-jeebies just wandering the property, even before I went inside.Now this site used to be easily accessible to all, but the government felt that this was obviously a safety hazard. 😮As such, a sturdy fence now surrounds the property, and access is only available via tour.With 60 buildings in the complex to choose from, I booked a tour to view the abandoned surgical ward.Since my guide only spoke German, I was left to wander on my own, to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of this gruesome place. Abandoned staircases and vacant hospital rooms. Empty hallways and inoperable elevators.
Rusting surgical prep tubs and crumbling cabinets. Spine-chilling surgical wards with operating tables in disrepair. Vacant balconies surrounded by forests, far from civilization. Personally, I just felt better having a group with me. You couldn’t pay me enough to walk through this place on my own! The satanic graffiti from previous years really adds to the intensity as well. 😮It felt as if I were in a scene from House on Haunted Hill.

I was secretly loving it…I’m not gonna’ lie. 😛In fact, this eerie space also made a Hollywood debut, ironically as the location for The Pianist, a film about a Jewish musician’s struggle to survive the Holocaust. 😮Now, the tour cost 10 USD, and lasted about 1.5 hours. Personally, I was surprised with my tour group, everyone from children to seniors interested in exploring this spooky abandoned space.One thing’s for sure, I will need to watch some funny movies later, just to be able to sleep tonight. I’m really bad at faking a scared face, so I’ll just give a nervous smile. 🙂
Getting There

To get there, I took the RE7 train from Berlin. The ride was 50 minutes and cost about 5 USD.The area is heavily wooded, and has since been converted into a nature sanctuary for those not interested in a good scare. Overall, highly recommended for both history and horror fans alike.

Anyway, that’s all for now folks. Stay tuned for more exciting ventures in Poland. Until then. 🙂