# Beelitz-Heilstätten report 2 - the bombed pavilion... Image intensive!!!



## TeeJF (Oct 24, 2011)

Here is our second report from our trip to Beelitz-Heilstätten near Berlin last week and it covers ONLY the bombed women's pavilion. Watch this space for reports on the remaining three explorations from the trip.

*REPORT 2 - Bombed Female Pavilion...​*
*Having been disturbed shortly after gaining entry to the Male Pavilion adjacent to the Badehaus we skedaddled sharpish and made our way north west across the site. The heavily bomb damaged Women's Pavilion in the Frauern Lungenheil-stätten sector was our next port of call on the first day of our October 2011 Beelitz-Heilstätten visit.

In the Great War the German Army had used Beelitz as a hospital to treat wounded soldiers and they did the same again in the Second World War. In 1944 the RAF mounted a bombing raid over the area and one of the women's pavilions down towards the bottom of the north west quadrant of the site was severely damaged. It is not clear why this happened because the bombing of hospitals was strictly forbidden by the conventions of war prevailing at that time, however the most likely reason is that the site was mistaken for a military barracks complex or possibly an industrial installation. Bombing by night from a high altitude was the norm for the RAF at that time so with the inadequacies of a system which was little better than bombing blind it is not hard to see how the mistake might have happened. Sadly too it does not look like the raid was a one off because immediately behind the building on the south side from where we approached we found a small complex of underground air raid shelters a few yards from the walls.
*




*The site at Beelitz is vast - so vast that the post war Soviet occupying forces had more than enough buildings to service their needs. As a result many of the buildings on the site were never used again after the war and stood empty, preserving a time capsule quality which is a huge factor in the appeal of this site. There was little sense then in them spending vast sums re-building the bomb damaged women's pavilion so it has stood empty ever since, slowly being swallowed up by the forest - indeed even the upper floors and the remains of the roof tops have grown quite substantial trees over the years and it is a distinctly strange feeling wandering around a woodland several stories up, especially when you wander rather too close to the edge!

The cellars of the building are easily accessed and when we approached from the back of the building through the woods it seemed obvious to go in that way then look for a route up once inside. As it turned out we needn't have bothered for had we wandered a little further around to the north of the building instead there were several open doors and windows which afforded a much easier entry, whilst avoiding the hazardous asbestos which seemed to be lying around just about everywhere you looked down in the cellars. The other problem was that over the years the occupants of the few houses local to the sanatorium have used the cellar tunnels here as a dumping ground for all manner of household rubbish - there were TVs, lawn mowers, old fridges... in fact just about everything you might expect to find in the skips at your local council tip back home! We got extremely p*ssed off fighting our way through the huge mounds of junk and old bin bags and we were just about to call it a day for this building when we spotted a tunnel leading off roughly due east, so we wandered along it as far as we could go. The tunnel had old steel hooks mounted every few feet in the brick built, barrel vaulted ceiling, in order to carry services, and with this observation the penny dropped as to the purpose of the tunnel and it's likely destination. Heating and electricity were all generated centrally at Beelitz over the other side of the north - south road in the Power Complex, so this was in all likelihood the supply tunnel. After a long walk we found a shaft at the side of the tunnel which led off to the surface however it's internal steel staircase had collapsed so it was not possible to climb up and take a look at where we were in relation to the pavilion or to the power complex.

We turned round and wandered back. A short scrabble up a tunnel to the surface brought us out within 25 feet of an open doorway and then we were in the pavilion proper. Although the bomb damage, subsequent abandonment, and countless years of being left open to the elements, has all extracted it's inevitable toll, this building is still in a remarkably solid state and is therefore a serious tribute to German construction engineers. It also offers some amazing opportunities for photography due to the great light and pools of deep, ebony shade. One of my favourite images from urb-ex in general, and Beelitz in particular, is the cover photograph on a book I would highly recommend* - *"Beauty In Decay"* - (ISBN-10: 0955912148).




*It was taken in this building and we were very keen to identify the stairwell which is the back drop for the photographer's model who walks up the stairs dressed in a black knee length coat and a Soviet era gas mask. It took us a while to find the spot but in the process we came across several other staircases presenting equally great "stair porn" photographic opportunities. We progressively worked our way up through the building until we eventually came out on the roof. High up amongst the twisted steel beams and tree trunks of the "air forest" we found a huge water tank, still in superb condition, together with a bathroom, one end of which had been laid open by a bomb... talk about a loo with a view! In very few places has the roof itself been penetrated by the tree roots despite being built of brick rather than reinforced concrete so it's quite amazing that trees as large as some of those we saw there can actually withstand the wind. But it appears they do and in some of our photographs below I defy you not to be amazed at the tenacity of mother nature!*

*The photos...*

Here is a selection of the photos we took but there are also some interactive panoramas you can pan and tilt to your heart's content dotted throughout the "normal" pix. 

*We hope you enjoy them...*



*THE FIRST OF OUR INTERACTIVE PANORAMAS is of the northern aspect of the pavilion hidden away amongst the forest. CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW...*






*The first view of the southern side of the bombed pavilion is something of a shock because of how much the forest has swallowed up the ruins over the years...*








*The northern aspect of the bombed pavilion gives a far better idea of just how big this building was. It occupies a huge footprint and is several stories high...*








*Like all the Beelitz buildings the windows are large to allow the maximum natural light. Here elements of the aesthetic architecture are still apparent despite the massive bomb damage from the air raid...*








*The steel skeleton of the roof can be seen clearly here where the tiles were blown off in the raid...*








*What the devil this was all about we have no idea, and a translation program offered "user" from Italian if we put an extra E on the end. 
Suffice it to say it's made of concrete and another classic Beelitz enigma!...*








*This was one of the cleaner cellar corridors - most were crammed with black bin bags and dumped household appliances...*








*Although heat and electricity generation was centralised at Beelitz Heilstatten and then piped in via underground tunnels most of the buildings still have boiler rooms in the cellars...*








*...so I assume these were auxillary boilers as standbys in case of failures over at central power house?*








*Machine - purpose unknown!*








*The tunnel we found here led off roughly due east, straight towards the central services plant on the other side of the road I think. So we had a very long wander along it!*








*The vaulted ceiling of the corridor is constructed of engineering bricks and steel hangers run the entire length to carry the appropriate services...*








*Part way along the corridor a ventilation or service shaft went up to the surface but we were unable to climb up it because the steel staircase had collapsed...*








*Back in the building proper this staircase led up across the back of the east wing exercise hall to the first floor...*








*Although all the plaster has long since gone the corridors and rooms are still very water tight and in great condition, 
especially in view of the fact that the building was seriously bombed 67 years ago and has been open to the elements ever since...*








*Yummy scrummy Stair Porn Pt 2! ...*








*...and here's Stair Porn Pt. 3 - the way up to the "air garden"!*








*Another skeletel roof...*








*Organic vs. inorganic, in places it's hard to tell which is which up here ...*








*A bog with a view! I wonder if anyone was sat on the throne when the bomb landed? *








*67 years exposed to the elements but the steel of this roof top water tank is still rock hard with no sign of rusting through yet anywhere that we could see ...*








*From the forest floor down to the other forest floor 3 stories below!*








*No sign of tree roots penetrating the roof yet despite the overhanging root ball showing clearly that there's a tree directly above. That says a lot for German brick quality...*








*Clearly the windows on the lower floors are exterior but the corridors opening out into fresh air and the broken support beams would seem to suggest that there was a large veranda here before a bomb exploded?*








*Is this justifiable criticism of the RAF's bomb aiming abilities?*








*THAT CORRIDOR properly lit... ...*








*And our attempt at THAT CORRIDOR lit for artistic effect. Now where's my gas mask?  ...*








*The east wing exercise hall could only be accessed from the first floor because the ground floor entrance had been bricked up
for some obscure reason and the external windows were too high to climb in through without a ladder ...*








*THE SECOND OF OUR INTERACTIVE PANORAMAS is of the exercise hall taken from the first floor balcony. CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW...*






*THE THIRD (and last) OF OUR INTERACTIVE PANORAMAS is of the main staircase behind the principle entrance hall. CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW...*






*And here is a "normal" photo of the same staircase. is this place awesome for piccies or what???*











Hope you liked the piccies! If you want to see some more then the full set is on our website, linked below. 

Report 3, "The intact northern female pavilion" will follow soon.

Thanks for looking...    ​


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## Engineer (Oct 24, 2011)

*...so I assume these were auxillary boilers as standbys in case of failures over at central power house?*








*Machine - purpose unknown!*






Pic 1 is probably a calorifier, steam from the central boiler house would be used to heat domestic hot water.

Edit: the steam coil for the calorifier was probably copper hence it's removal.

Pic 2 looks like a lift motor/gearbox unit of some sort.

Very nice report.


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## night crawler (Oct 24, 2011)

Stunning! a brilliant report as ever you could certainly get lost in that place and spend days looking around.


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## TeeJF (Oct 24, 2011)

Engineer said:


> Pic 1 is probably a calorifier, steam from the central boiler house would be used to heat domestic hot water.
> 
> Edit: the steam coil for the calorifier was probably copper hence it's removal.
> 
> ...



Cheers man, I appreciate your putting us right. Thank you. We had already convinced ourselves they were cremation chambers! I'm glad you've put me right, now I'll go back in that room again next month! 



night crawler said:


> Stunning! a brilliant report as ever you could certainly get lost in that place and spend days looking around.



Oh yes, you're not wrong there! I almost did get stuck in the Badehaus as it happens... strange that I "slid" in between the bars OK on entry but couldn't "slid" back out again. I've never put half a stone on without eating anything before. I'd be in there chewing asbestos and frothing at the mouth by now! Thanks for your kind comment.


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## lisa_bunny (Oct 25, 2011)

Fantastic read and piccies... Wouldn't expect anything less from you two though!  Hope you are well.


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## DigitalNoise (Oct 26, 2011)

Brilliant stuff guys, an excellent report on a stunning location. 

I want to go, I want to go now.


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## qd535 (Oct 26, 2011)

Just a long shot in the picture you have the words UTENT. Could it be the middle letters of GUTENTAG as some german hospitals have this on the front? Just a thought


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## Mcbear (Oct 26, 2011)

in the spirit of things i'd like to say 'sehr gut!!!' im loving the 360 pics!!


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## UrbanX (Oct 27, 2011)

I always check DP and comment via my phone, its excellent; I can do it a minute after any post I notice, from wherever I am. 
This is probably the first report I've said "No, I'll wait until I get home, have a glass of wine and a proper sit down, and really soak it up" and I'm so glad I did, this is the most thorough report of the well known site. Fantastic work. I've seen that cover a thousand times and never wondered where it was. 
Did you fly there or drive there? I only ask because I have driven past but couldn't go in as I had Mrs UrbanX with me!


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## Pincheck (Oct 27, 2011)

nice, very nice indeed


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## TeeJF (Oct 27, 2011)

qd535 said:


> Just a long shot in the picture you have the words UTENT. Could it be the middle letters of GUTENTAG as some german hospitals have this on the front? Just a thought


 Pure genius matey! Thank you. 



UrbanX said:


> Did you fly there or drive there?


Cheers! That's so kind of you to say. We flew to Berlin from Liverpool with Sleazy and stayed in the four star Hotel Berlin at a bit over £50 a night. Flight was just a tad over £100 return for both of us so all up was about £369 if my memory serves me well (it's early and I'm in a hotel near heathrow ducking every few minutes as planes scrape the ceiling with their wheels so that's a bit of guesswork really!!!) we are off again in a couple of weeks and TJ tells me we have only paid 230 euros for the same number of nights in the same hotel and £89 for the flights so it's obviously low season for Berlin. Pm me if you want pins for google earth etc plus train info in Berlin. Thanks agai. For your kind comments. The next Beelitz building report should be up next week when I finish this stint of work darn sarf!


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## Silent Hill (Oct 27, 2011)

Well that was 10 minutes of my life well spent. Most excellent yet again mate. Keep it up, and roll on the next instalment


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## mr_bones (Oct 27, 2011)

Really impressive reports on this place, makes me want to pay it a visit for myself. Never even knew about the bombed sections. Really comprehensive coverage, good work.


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## fluffy5518 (Oct 27, 2011)

Absolutely stunning !!! Your reports get better by the day !! Thanx !!


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## Foxylady (Oct 29, 2011)

Wow! I did an 'UrbanX' and put this one off until I had time to take it in properly! Glad I did as it's stunning. Love the stair porn (me too about the gas masked stair-climber image), the sketetal roof and the buildings amongst the trees.
Look forward to more from the intrepid duo!


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## TeeJF (Oct 29, 2011)

Tracy and I are knocked out with your kind comments. As soon as we get back from London we will get the next Beelitz building report and pix posted. Thanks again everyone.


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## smiler (Oct 29, 2011)

The Report and Pics were Outstanding TJ, I am so looking forward to part 3, Thanks.


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## maximus (Oct 29, 2011)

Beautifully captured....great!


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## Walrus75 (Oct 29, 2011)

Wow, what a fantastic site and great pictures mate.

The one below reminds me of an Escher-style drawing 



TeeJF said:


>


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## Priority 7 (Nov 6, 2011)

Love it mate its truly a great write up and great pics....love the comparison.


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