Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital
Welcome To The Creepiest Hospital In Europe
The Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital is one of the few places that lives up to its spooky appearance.
Located near Berlin, this sanatorium has captivated travelers and urban explorers since it was abandoned in the late 1990s—but anyone visiting the site will find that they're not alone.
It's said that this old hospital complex is still haunted by the souls of the departed, but the real history of this abandoned sanatorium is more chilling than any ghost story.
The Origins Of Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital
The Beelitz-Heilstätten hospital was built in 1898 and was made up of 60 different buildings. Up until 1930, the complex operated as a sanatorium for lung diseases like tuberculosis.
This was during the height of the industrial revolution, and while the revolution was a period of economic growth for the world, poor sanitary conditions in factories and lack of overall nutrition made it easy for people to catch deadly illnesses—tuberculosis was the most common illness and was rampant in major cities like Berlin.
The German government built sanatoriums to treat people who were infected by tuberculosis and other lung diseases, which led to the creation of the Beelitz-Heilstätten complex.
Treatment At Beelitz-Heilstätten
The Beelitz-Heilstätten hospital complex is located about 45 kilometers (30 miles) from Berlin, in the forest near Beelitz. This location was chosen for the clean air that was thought to help those suffering from tuberculosis. As part of their treatment regimen, patients spent a lot of time outdoors.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Hospital Rules
Men and women were kept on separate sides of the complex and patients were not allowed to visit those of the opposite gender.
Since tuberculosis is infectious and causes people to cough up lots of mucus, patients had to carry a container to spit their phlegm into.
Spitting was not allowed on the grounds of the hospital and the patients’ containers were emptied at specific spots. This all was meant to stop the spread of infectious diseases in the complex.
