Dear guests, welcome to the Beelitzer Heilstätten!
They are located in Quadrant A of the Beelitzer Sanatorium, which in the early years from 1902 to the end of the 20s was reserved only for women,when men and women were still treated in strictly separated areas.
With about 60 hectares (equivalent to about 84 football fields), it is the largest of the 4 quadrants. In total, the Beelitz sanatoriums are about 200 hectares (2,000,000 square meters) in size.
When tuberculosis had a firm grip on the berlin population around 1900, a quick solution had to be found to treat this devastating widespread disease. In order to be able to accommodate the many patients, the construction of a gigantic sanatorium-Komplexes began in 1898 in the nearby forests aroundBeelitz. In the following years, a plant of over 2 million was built in 4 constructionphases. m² of land, divided into 4 quadrants and a special area for the alternative hospital Potsdam. As early as 1902, 600 women and men were placed strictly separated from each other in the respective quadrants of the pulmonary sanatoriums and sanatoriums.
The lung sanatorium served as a military hospital in both world wars and was used as a hospital by the Soviet Army from 1945 until its withdrawal in 1994. All buildings, except the destroyed Alpenhaus, were evacuated and handed over in a comparatively satisfactorycondition.
Only due to the long vacancy, following the insolvency of a major investor in 2000, the site and the buildings were severely devastated by theft and vandalism. The area was considered unsalvageable and became one of the most famous „Lost Places“ in the world, which unfortunately also led to further vandalism.
Since 2015, the enchanted area has been experiencing its rebirth and a tremendous boost. All buildings are in the hands of private investors and are gradually being renovated.
In quadrants B, C and D, new construction areas and the necessary infrastructure are being created, such as a kindergarten, a school, shopping facilities, health facilities and other service providers. More than half a billion euros will be invested in Beelitz sanatoriums in the coming years.
The Recura clinics, which were the most important investor in the site in 1996, are planning to expand their offer into quadrants B and D and their number of beds.
The district of Potsdam-Mittelmark plans to place its district administration in a new building, directly near the train station, in Quadrant B, and to concentrate a large part of its approximately 1,000 employees in Beelitz sanatoriums.
The Beelitz sanatoriums were equipped with everything that was needed for the largely self-sufficient operation: residential pavilions for the patients, residential buildings for the employees and doctors, cooking kitchen and laundry buildings, a bakery, a butcher’s shop, a nursery, an institutional church and a state-of-the-art combined heat and power plant for the production of hot steam, hot water and electricity. In 1930, the sanatoriums were supplemented by surgery. From then on, even the most severe cases of tuberculosis could be treated.
The architecture and arrangement of the buildings was an important component for the effective treatment of tuberculosis. Since no antibiotic was initially available, patients were treated with strict hygienic methods and beneficial water, light and air therapies.
The Quadrant A in which you are located remains open to the public. With the treetop path and the barefoot park, which has been used as an independent company 15 ha south of the surgery since 2016, it has become one of the most visited tourist destinations in Brandenburg. The site has been run as a family business since 2019 and is constantly being further developed.
The aim is to preserve the character and atmosphere of the historic complex and to make it tangible from a special perspective with the treetop path.
With the exception of the Alpenhaus, the gentle renovation of the buildings is planned and has already begun at the Surgery Pavilion in 2020. Roofs, windows and doors are carefully repaired instead of a high-gloss renovation, so that the history of the buildings, like wrinkles in a face of over 100 years, remains visible and tangible.
Surgery, women’s pavilion, kitchen and laboratory will be accessible and tangible again in large parts. Some areas will be expanded in order to be usable for gastronomy, events, conferences, toilet facilities, warehouses, etc.
At the same time, the historic park is being revitalized and landscaped. The interplay between natural and designed spaces is already the special attraction of the area.
Planning and implementing all this requires a lot of patience and financial commitment. Overall, the cost of the most urgent tasks is estimated at least €35 million. 25 million of these have already been invested.
In the early days, the state government refused to support the project, but has since recognized the importance of the tourist lighthouse in Beelitz-Heilstätten for Brandenburg and funded the last renovation steps from 2020-2024 with about € 2,1 million. The state of Brandenburg, the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark and the city of Beelitz support us whenever necessary.
With your visit, you also make an important contribution to the financing of the preservation of the cultural asset Beelitz-Heilstätten, which, according to our firm conviction, has the quality of a World Heritage Site.
Thank you very much for that and a lot of joy and relaxation in the old women’s sanatorium!