# Sanatorium Dreux – France – December 2015



## mockney reject (Dec 22, 2015)

I haven’t bothered codenaming this place as a quick google on any of the names shown on the buildings gives it away and it’s pretty much plastered all over euro sites anyways


_The History_

Mostly disused since the 1980’s’s the Sanatorium stretches over several hundred hectares of greenery and is regularly used by firefighters, the National Police which comes to train and RAID who arrives by helicopter and hidden for manoeuvres. This former sanatorium is now a state of ruin and covered in graffiti.


Maurice Viollette, the then Mayor of Dreux (1908 to 1959)began with the architect A.Sarrut to construct a hospital that ended up becoming a huge complex spread over several dozen hectares

The complex is divided into many parts:

The Preventorium known as Therese Viollette opened on 1 May 1931. Its capacity was increased up to 300 beds in 1939 after the construction of a lazaret and flag children.

The Sanatorium known as "Clinical Laennec" opened in 1932. A set of three parallel buildings each with a capacity of 400 beds. The different parts of the building and wings were named: Pasteur Hall, Calmette, Kosh, and Guersant Villemin. There were around 200 members of staff

A nursing home was opened in 1935 with a 50-bed capacity, which hosted the women and girls. This building was transformed into a cardiac centre in 1955.

A Geriatric facility started in 1939 but stopped because of the war.

In 1946, the complex became the tuberculosis department of the hospital in Dreux. But soon after, new TB drugs appeared and the complex soon became obsolete and was partly abandoned in the mid 60's. The sanatorium was transformed into a medical-educational institute from 1962 to 1980. At the end of the 80’s pavilions that had previously welcomed some of the terminally ill had become a death-trap.

In 1999, the town of Dreux bought this huge complex for a symbolic franc.

Today, homes, surrounding the complex, are inhabited by guards and staff in the city. Only the farthest building is still active, it is used as a summer camp. The rest of the sanatorium is abandoned.

_
The Explore_


A few weeks before we went to Paris I contacted an old friend who lives in France and does a fair bit of exploring himself, He suggested this place and myself, @slayaaaa and @MrStewie arranged to meet him there.


Wow the sheers size of the place is amazing, it’s not in bad condition but is full of graffiti. Inside there are huge lumps cut out of the walls where you can see they have been testing the buildings for concrete cancer.

The sheer vastness of the site meant we travelled a fair part of it on the roof just to see it all.

The water tower was pretty awesome and offered some great views from the top, we sat up there for a bit until we heard gun shots and the sounds of an automatic machine gun.

Oht oh we are in trouble I thought, then I realised it was Airsofters and we would be ok lol

Most of the corridors and wings are identical only being different in the graffiti and colours.

Just before we left we bumped into a couple of “soldiers” warning us we may get shot as they were “shooting” in the back section of the hospital. Full on plastic military airsofters………


Enjoy the pics, I don’t think the do the scale of the place much justice.


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## Sam Haltin (Dec 22, 2015)

A superb post and a very good write up on the history of the place. And I think you've captured all of the buildings. I like the two shots of the semi-circular room but the graffiti spoils it.


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## Rubex (Dec 22, 2015)

Very nice corridor shots to be had in here  great photos as always!


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## flyboys90 (Dec 23, 2015)

Beautiful Art Deco design,great info and shots.Thank you.


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## UrbanX (Dec 26, 2015)

Thats bloody amazing! 
Awesome looking site, and your photos are lush. 
Brilliant. Thanks for sharing!


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## mockney reject (Dec 26, 2015)

Thanks guys, this place was huge


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## HughieD (Dec 27, 2015)

Wow. Great set there. Loving that water tower.


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## URBANMYTH (Dec 27, 2015)

Great report the site looks huge a full days worth there.


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## VWPowered (Dec 27, 2015)

mockney reject said:


> Just before we left we bumped into a couple of “soldiers” warning us we may get shot as they were “shooting” in the back section of the hospital.



hahha dude my sides hurt so much, great seeing you again mate, been a long time, great shots


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## mockney reject (Dec 27, 2015)

VWPowered said:


> hahha dude my sides hurt so much, great seeing you again mate, been a long time, great shots



Wasn't the exact quote something like "a soldier and a fat kid" lol

Great catching up with you too


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