The power house and water tower have been renovated.
This immense hospital complex was designed by architect Heino Schmieden and built in 1898 in the Southwest portion of Berlin near the city of Potsdam.
Originally built as a tuberculosis sanatorium this massive complex was converted into a military hospital during World War I by the German Imperial Army. As mentioned above a young Corporal Adolph Hitler was treated at this hospital in October of 1916 for a leg wound received from British shelling during the Battle of Somme.
In 1945, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the German nation was divided in two. At this point in history the USSR took control of the facility turning it into a Soviet military hospital. Even after the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990 the Soviet Army remained in control of the hospital until 1995.
Following the Soviet withdrawal, attempts were made to privatize the complex, but they were not entirely successful. Some sections of the hospital remain in operation as a neurological rehabilitation center and as a center for research and care for victims of Parkinsons disease. The remainder of the complex, including the surgery, the psychiatric ward, and a rifle range, was abandoned in 2000.
As of 2007, none of the abandoned hospital buildings or the surrounding area were secured, giving the area the feel of a ghost town... (Source: wikipedia.org)
Our journey brings us to a place more than 400 miles away from Brussels and we traveled a very long time to get here. Arriving around 2am I step out of the car and into the cool damp night air.
I take a moment to survey our surroundings and to become acclimated with the environment. Everything around us looks abandoned, decaying, and void of life. There are no streetlights illuminating our path and the full moon is no help since we are in the middle of a down pour. This will make photographing the buildings at night impossible.
We camped in the car for the night while the water tower loomed in the background 100 yards away. I eventually drifted off to sleep planning our adventure for the next day and I couldn't wait for the new day to come.
Finally dawn approached and after a cramped night in the car I realized we stopped right in the middle of the complex the night before. The sun's rays showered the entire area with golden light and I saw for the first time how truly gigantic this facility was. My mind strained to comprehend how we would be able to navigate such a vast area (see map to the right or examine the aerial view of the site) and exactly where we should begin.
The buildings, for the most part, stand empty, but the architecture from a bygone age has passed through history still intact. Though most of the buildings are locked and appear inaccessible, it only takes a bit of creativity and ingenuity to find a way into this amazing site. This complex is a real urban explorer's paradise with various buildings and structures to examine. As you wander the long lonely halls it is hard not to imagine what has taken place in the very areas you are wandering.
We discovered a utility tunnel system linking the Power House to the rest of the complex. While exploring this concrete labyrinth of tunnels it is hard not to get excited about finding access to new areas, new environments, and completely new atmospheres.
So I've been working on this new story about greek mythology and there is a part where one of the characters gets sold by the underoworld to a collector of the unnatural in germany, who experiments and sort of tortures the supernatural things sent to him. Anyway I was looking for a abandoned hospital or factory in germany that would be a good place for the collecter to keep his victums.haha This place is perfect exactly what I was looking for with its WWII involvement which also plays a big part in the story. It's really a beautiful building and I almost feel bad using it in such a manner, but the story must go on. Thanks!
Great Place, I've been visiting for one entire day. please can you send me information how to reach the tunnel system? is it safe? I gotmad as now there are panwls on window so you cannot enter and you cannot even have a look. I wanted to visit the entrance of the "manner pavillon" but was not possible. Anyway I don't know when you was there. I notice some differences. Some decorate windows with stained glass has been removed, some pavillons has been vandalized... Shame! please let me know about the tunnel.
Found a lot about it on www.lipinski.de/ and already planned top get there. But then found a link that it was closed by its new proprietor and you can only visit it in groups with a guide. I can understand it because of all the idiots destroying its beauty, but the serious photographers are punished, too. That's quite annoying; you don't kow other ways to get in? Have nice explorations, Jules
Ich finde es zum Kotzen,dass überall Grafittis reingemacht werden /\ I hate it,that teenagers put in old buildings grafitties....
Hi, Nice pictures on your site. We were there last week by train from Berlin. We visited the 'HeizKraftWerk' and surrounding. Nice buildings, we visited the huge Modern Ruin, to short time to go inside the other buildings. Good luck, uXplorer
been there with my girl and took a few pictures around: it-it.facebook.com
it is such a dark and incredible place!! Quite difficult to find the right infos to reach it..
I hope to be in Berlin soon, is this place still accessible or is it difficult or forbidden to enter. The images on the site are superb. I hope I will be able to visit. Bob
hope to go there next month with a model to do a shoot
thanks for this nice gallery :-) beelitz heilstaetten....a great and mystic place near berlin. i visit this place many times and collect over 1000 pictures.... more hdr-pictures on my website.
Forbidden Places, a great website to see many abandoned Places. Thx :-)
BW Ralf
Ra
I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get hold of a good map/plan of this site. I've been trawling through all the sites and the only one thus far is the one on this site which is good but not the best for printing. Any help would be appreciated
Cheers Paul
paul.north@live.com
I thought that the Obsessession Graffiti slide was really interesting. I would have loved to see the whole wall on the left of the picture. You can see words next to each other like "supertoys", "tallsummer", "unregulated" and "affects". Very very cool. : D
Don't be disencouraged by Sebastians post. Most of the buildings and tunnels are still freely accessible, with doors wide open and lots of traffic on sunny Sundays.
Some buildings are sealed (Its still not too difficult to get inside), but as they are exactly the same as the accesible ones you won't miss anything if you don't go inside.
The power house was renovated with EU funds, you shouldn't try to go inside there, but there are guided tours going in.
Am seeking info on the history of the BELITZ (personal) name in BEELITZ, Dessau and Prussia.
Darryl Belitz
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing your wonderful art of photography
Wow!!! I came across this place by accident yesterday while visiting the town and had no idea what is was or should I say used to be. Thanks for enlightening me. I wonder how many more incredible places there are like this in the old Communist states? It is still so interesting for Westerners like me to "discover" places so wonderous. More please.
Arriving there late at night must be a very weird experience. But great report. Will be waiting patiently until june for the rest...
Cheers!
Hey there, I really like your pictures. I have one question for you, how come you never take any pictures of the morgues?
Greetings, Shelley
@becca: Yes, it is still possible to get inside at most of the buildings. But because of the newly installed security service controlling the grounds because of the great damages in the past, the new owner wishes to be informed, who will come to visit with how many people at what date to make sure the security service will not call the police because of breaking in! So contact him, he is really friendly and polite with people taking pictures, his email can be retrieved from www.silenthalls.de!
Sebastian
Hi there,
interesting site about the Heilstätten, especially for someone who grew up in the village next to Beelitz. It's facinating to see how many people from all over the world are still interested in these beautiful houses. And just as Hanneke, many of my freinds and family cannot understand why this place is not renovated...although there are some newly renovated houses by now, most of them are still in ruins.
is it still posibly to get inside? and if not who take care of this building? hope you can help?
Interesting place---not quite the dangerous and truly dark/forbidden photos as some of your other posts, but I enjoyed them as always. Thanks for the photos
hi Slyv, i've been in Beelitz almoust month before your trip. it's realy nice place and i need to get there again cause theres still more to see. great photos - as always. reagrds from poland .travis
Again, what a beautifull site I always find it so incomprehendible that beautifull buildings like these are not renovated entirely...! It is such a shame, isn't it . I want to thank you for these and all the other images you show us, it's so interesting, I'm always looking forward to "hear" from you.
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