The Beelitz Heilstätten Workers’ Tuberculosis Sanatoriums complex, built between 1898 and 1930 by the Berlin Regional Insurance Office, is one of the largest hospital sites surrounding Berlin. The complete ensemble of 60 buildings on a total area of 200 hectares is a listed historical monument.
It was divided into four sectors by a road crossed by a railway line. North of the railway were the two sectors for male and female non-infectious patients, south of it was for patients with tuberculosis and other infectious pulmonary diseases.
During the First World War it was used as a field hospital for German troops, and returned to its original purpose in 1920. On the outbreak of the Second World War it was once again used as a military hospital. Some of the buildings suffered severe damage during the war and the Russian Army took over the entire complex in 1945, not finally leaving until 1994. Famous patients include Adolf Hitler in 1916, and in 1990, the East German leader Erich Honecker.
The complex was sold to an investor who renovated some buildings but later became insolvent. The site is now in private ownership and a neurological rehabilitation centre is in operation. Other plans include further medical uses including a centre for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
However, most of the sprawling complex has been abandoned.