# Seasons greetings from the Kinderkrankenhaus Weissensee - Image intensive!



## TeeJF (Dec 20, 2011)

*Hairy excemeas and a happy newd lear!*

*..and it's all in the best possible taste deahs!* 




*Oh OK then, I'll be serious now! Santa was indeed graffed up large as life and twice as 'orrible upon the wall in the Kinderkrankenhaus and we snapped him back in November when we were last over in Berlin. It's just taken me until now to get round to doing the report! A big thank you to Red Dave for his help with this exploration. *


*So here's the historische bit!!!​*

*You may already have read our reports on Beelitz Heilstatten, the TB sanitorium near Berlin. If so you will understand why it was so important to the newly emerging nation of Germany to ensure that it's population could increase without hindrance. TB ravaged the world at that time and so the German nation input a great deal of effort into the treatment of the disease and searching for a cure. It was also important for Germany to ensure that as many children as possible survived their early years to ensure the future prosperity of the nation. To that end the construction of several state of the art children's hospitals was proposed, and in 1909 in the district of Weißensee in Berlin, a large "Kinder Krankenhaus" was built to the design of the architect Carl James Bühring. The primary purpose of this particular hospital, known as the "Säuglings und Kinderkrankenhaus Weißensee", was to deal with the ever increasing number of births in Berlin at that time and it was the first communal children's hospital in Prussia.

In 1911 the site was increased in size and more buildings were constructed, together with a farm to raise dairy cattle. A milk processing plant was constructed so that babies who's mother's could not feed them would still get high quality milk, as well as providing for those older children in need of better nutrition. The hospital soon became the best of it's gendre and as a centre of excellence it soon took on the role of training doctors and nurses for the other children's hospitals appearing at that time.

The dairy farm, despite appearing on the face of it to be a good idea, was relatively short lived, closing down in 1920 after only nine years operation. After World War II the Soviet Union held on to much of east Germany - Berlin in particular - and they continued to use the hospital for it's original purpose, adding a new infirmary in 1987 only two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall. After the reunification of Germany the hospital continued for a short time, however by 1997 it was very long in the tooth, and on January 1st. it finally closed it's doors. It was sold to a property investor in 2006 and plans were made to turn it into a cancer hospital, but to date nothing has been done. Originally a date for the start of re-construction was set in 2011 however as can be clearly seen from our photographs taken towards the end of that year in November, it is slowly rotting away with no sign of any progress what so ever.*


The hospital sits on a busy road running through Weissensee, almost directly opposite a busy tram stop, and yet despite that it was very easy indeed for us to gain access. Once inside it is immediately obvious that the original construction was to the usual exacting German engineering standards which we have seen elsewhere around Berlin. Apart from the effects of vandalism and some water damage in places it is still very sound and it would take little in the way of structural work to renovate at this time. The ward extension to the immediate centre rear of the main building however has not faired quite so well. There is a lot of graffiti everywhere on the site and the attic space in the main building has become "Harry Ramp Central". Fortunately no one was home when we were there but filthy bed rolls and a scattering of personal belongings made it quite obvious that this area is lived in. In the adjacent plant complex I pushed open a door and my nose was assailed by the most appalling stench. I stuck my head in a little way and spotted what appeared to be a human form lying on a filthy mattress under a mouldering duvet - alive or dead I would not like to say but the atmosphere in the room did not smell particularly healthy and there was no way I was going to investigate further!

To the rear of the hospital site the gardens have been reclaimed by nature and a wander through the woods here takes you to what appears to be a tiny circular chapel. To the right of the chapel is a free standing building which is in all likelihood the infirmary constructed in the late 80s. All stark green tiles and concrete corridors so typical of the utilitarian construction techniques of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, it is a rather unpleasant place and it afforded us very few photographic opportunities.

So, all in all the Kinderkrankenhaus Weissense was not a brilliant exploration - and this is reflected in the paucity of aesthetic photographs - however it was worth doing if only to see for ourselves another example of the way that the emerging German nation invested in it's future at the start of the twentieth century.


*The piccies...*



*The first view of the children's hospital from the tram stop in the middle of a dual carriageway...*








*We are in and sprinting past the boilerhouse and services complex before any pedestrians spot us from the tram stop...*








*An interesting staircase is almost the first thing we saw inside...*








*It's not taken long for the metal stair ballustrades to be ripped out!*








*This was my first foray using a tripod and what a difference it makes!*








*This interior corridor was lovely...*








*The light and shade along with lovely peely paint made this area quite nice...*








*Even grotty rooms like this have lovely architectural features like these windows...*








*Down in the cellars now...*








*The appearance of this and the adjoining room shouts mortuary to me...*








*See what I mean?*








*The lair of the Black Widow!  *








*The hospital's lecture theatre and Tonto snapping happily!*








*The subject of her attention...*








*Back in the middle of the building this corridor leads down to the wards...*








*This sign (translated) points to upper and lower nursing stations and to the matron...*








*The upper floor nursing station...*








*These ornate wooden stairs lead up to the loft and the Hotel Harry Ramp...*








*Funny bunny!*








*This will re-write the history books a bit!*








*I hope Feliks is a tad better looking than his graf might suggest! *








*Gratuitous stair porn shot on the way down and out of the main building...*








*The tiny wooden chapel (or whatever it actually is!) in the grounds behind the hospital...*








*And finally, the rear of the hospital seen from the overgrown gardens out back...*







*We hope you enjoyed looking at the pics. Thanks and once again a happy Christmas to you all.*​


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## night crawler (Dec 20, 2011)

Well there you go thought it was just another seasons greetings but wham another of your superb reports. Loved it.


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## gingrove (Dec 20, 2011)

Thanks for all of the great reports and pics!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year


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## KingRat (Dec 20, 2011)

Now that's well and truly mullered !!

Cracking images sir


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## smiler (Dec 20, 2011)

I thought Tonto always wore a black mask, has she changed it to gold just for Christmas then?


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## TeeJF (Dec 20, 2011)

Thank you guys for your kind comments. It is indeed pretty smashed up but the structure is extraordinarily sound, a proper tribute to the builders. It kind of makes a mockery of the phrase "Gerry built" when you come to think of it.

You probably already realised Smiler, Tonto doesn't actually wear a mask on explores - other than an asbestos rezzy - I paint Shop Pro them on afterwards so that she's not recognisable. can't be too careful!  A gold mask... hmm... that's got me thinking!

By the way, has anyone spotted the strange tree man looking in at the window on picrture 11? he looks ever so friendly!


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## Priority 7 (Dec 20, 2011)

Warning P7 jealously levels rising. Nice job with the photo's bud look forward to seeing more explores soon bud


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## TeeJF (Dec 21, 2011)

Cheers P7, we've got one more left to post from the UK now, and about 4 from Verdun back in May, and one from Beelitz in November - that will bring us up to date before we go back to Berlin again on the 24th. *sighs... I've made a right old rod for my back!

Thanks to all for your lovely comments on our reports this year, TJ and I really appreciate them... did I say TJ? I meant Tonto...


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## lilli (Dec 21, 2011)

KingRat said:


> Now that's well and truly mullered !!



Just what I was thinking!


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## TeeJF (Dec 21, 2011)

lilli said:


> Just what I was thinking!



I found pictures of the same site on opacity last night, taken in 2009. I couldn't believe the difference. The presence of so many tramps "in residence" doesn't add to the appeal of this place either - they go to the end of the first floor ward corridor which is closest to the way up to where most of them live, and they use the corridor as a urinal. It was awash with it and the smell made you choke. Dirty b*stards.


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## alex76 (Dec 21, 2011)

Loving both of you work nice one Tee and JF


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## Nobody. (Dec 21, 2011)

I think you will find that this place had the Röntgen written on the door which means X-Ray


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## TeeJF (Dec 21, 2011)

Nobody. said:


> I think you will find that this place had the Röntgen written on the door which means X-Ray



I did wonder after seeing the pix on opacity the other day but we saw very little signage anywhere around the hospital at the time or on our pix so we couldn't be sure. But on balance I reckon you may well be right. 

Cheers me dear!


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## Em_Ux (Dec 22, 2011)

What a lovely place.

The photos are great.

Merry Christmas to you both


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## TeeJF (Dec 22, 2011)

Thanks! Have a cool Yule Em, and a bodacious new year.


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## smiler (Dec 27, 2011)

Tonto’s secret identity shot to shit; you should be ashamed of yourself.

By the way, Great Pics.


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