# Heilstatten Grabowsee, Oranienberg, Germany. - Image intensive!



## TeeJF (Jan 9, 2012)

This is the second explore from our Christmas away in Berlin. We were unable to do anymore than two because we were both sick as dogs and had to spend a couple of days in bed watching the BBC's Christmas output. Is it just me or was the schedule singularly cr*p this year??? We enjoyed Ratatouille thouigh! 

But I digress  A big thank you once again to Red Dave for his help with this site visit before we went!


*The report...*







*Some 25 kilometres or so to the north of Berlin as the crow flies, is the small town of Oranienberg. A little further still into the Brandenburg countryside, passing the infamous Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp on the way, is the beautiful lake of Grabowsee, surrounded on all sides by dense pine forest and bordered to the south west by the deep, wide Berlin - Stettin canal.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the newly emerging nation of Germany was desperate for man power to drive its exponential industrial expansion however the world Tuberculosis epidemic of the time meant that the nation was struggling to maintain a sufficiently large workforce. As many as 1 in 3 deaths at that time were directly attributable to the disease which proliferated in the highly populated and insanitary accommodation of the poorer people in society; the very people so necessary for the industrial growth. In order to fight the disease state of the art treatment sanatoria were built all over the country and Berlin, being as large as it was, needed more than one.

Surgeon Gotthold Pannwitz from the Imperial Health Office began planning the construction of a Lungenheilstätten - literally a “lung sanatorium" - in 1895 with architect Arnold Beschoren taken on to design and oversee the work. In 1896 work began on a 35 hectare site and by completion there were a total of 34 buildings in the complex, the main ones linked by corridors to form a layout along three sides of a square. The wards were aligned to the south in order to make best use of the sun. An underground railway linked the buildings at the front of the site to those directly opposite in order to facilitate the rapid movement of stores etc. from area to area. The underground railway also had two separate branch lines running at right angles off the main tunnel. As with all German architecture of that period functionality was combined with beautifully aesthetic architecture.

Before the advent of antibiotics the treatment of TB was very experimental in nature, and if you would like to learn more about how the problem was tackled at that time then please visit our Beelitz Heilstätten page by clicking on this highlighted word link. Suffice it to say that despite advances in surgical intervention the main treatment was, and would remain for at least another 40 some years, prolonged bed rest in quiet, peaceful surroundings, with above all, lots and lots of fresh air. To that end the sanitaria of the time were always constructed in the countryside away from the city in order to avoid exposing the patients to air born industrial pollutants. Beelitz Heilstätten was built in a similarly isolated forest area for the same reasons, and whilst Lungenheilstätten Grabowsee is much smaller than its brother sanatorium on the other side of the city, it still has many similarities. The principle difference is the fact that Beelitz’s buildings tended to be completely separate from one another in a four quadrant layout, whilst Grabowsee’s are almost all joined together with communicating corridors to form in effect one large and sprawling building. Heating and ventilation was achieved at both sanitaria in a remote plant situated away from the ward blocks. Steam was raised in huge boilers then piped to each building where the heat from the steam was used via calorifiers to heat water for washing etc. and to warm filtered air for the heating of the buildings. Grabowsee has a unique arrangement where the water tower, built to maintain a sufficient head of pressure for domestic water supply, had a hollow core which is the chimney for the boiler room. The immense height of the Grabowsee tower ensured the boiler fumes were adequately dispersed. 

Exercise was very important for patients once they were sufficiently over the worst of the disease, and as at Beelitz, a large exercise hall was built. This is situated in the main block which faces the access road running down to the hospital. In addition to being an exercise hall it doubled as a function hall with a large stage, and even a cinema projection booth. Forward of the exercise hall is a large kitchen complex and it is here that the primary access to the underground railway can be found. A large dumb waiter communicates with the railway loading bay directly below the kitchens; thus the food cooked in the kitchens could be moved across to the wards on the south of the site very quickly. 

After the fall of Germany in World War II the Russians occupied much of Berlin and this hospital went the same way that Beelitz did becoming a military hospital. It was finally abandoned after the reunification of Germany in the mid 1990’s and has rotted away quietly amongst the forest ever since with no maintenance what so ever upon the site. 

Fairly recently some of the outlying buildings at Grabowsee were used for an urban street art project. Rooms within these buildings were allocated to individual “artists” and they are now festooned with spray paint graffiti of an extremely high quality and not inconsiderable artistic skill. There is also evidence that parts of some of the buildings have been used as film sets, not least the main hall where the carcass of a baby grand piano sits upon a square of red carpet on the stage and deep scarlet curtains frame the pros arch.

Access to the site was relatively easy despite the use of steel temporary airfield runway sections arranged on their edges to form a wall. Once within the complex we were able to wander freely as there did not appear to be any form of security – indeed we were not alone in our exploration, meeting two girls filming some sort of project/production on a Handicam, and two other small groups of explorers! We shot round the place fairly quickly and as a result we must have missed some areas, however the level of dereliction at Lungenheilstätten Grabowsee means that the interior is very much of a much ness, so our visit was probably of a suitable duration and intensity. That said we would not hesitate to return!*

*The pix...​*


*Just inside the perimeter we wandered past the first of the buildings turned over to the urban art project...*








*We are sure we saw the work of this artist in the Brauerii Barenquell too! *








*Stencilling just doesn't do it for me but this is pretty impressive!*








*We were NOT alone! First view of the magnificent water tower. Sadly access has been well and truly barred now. 
Have a look at Red dave's report from earlier last year if you want the views from the top. *








*Yes, it really was THAT easy! This is the entrance to one of the interconnecting corridors. *








* Peely paint and loads of doors! *








* A very picturesque staircase but it was oddly difficult to gain access to it! *








* Our further progress had already been blocked by an interior gate but this one was open. *








* The first of many gratuitous dollops of stair porn!  *








* Quite a drop and no ballustrades! *








* Just like Beelitz! *








* I don't know about you but I think this is rather classy! *








* Ornate triangular lights in the upper story windows... *








* Today children we will look through... the triangular window! *








* Grabowsee is less about coloured bricks creating the colour scheme, more about paint washes. 
And as such it tends to be a little bit gaudy compred to Beelitz. *








* Off we go down again! *








* What's that following Tonto? It's a rat in a gas mask!!! *








* Out front! *








* ...and around back! This is the back of the recreation hall. *








* It's almost certainly a film prop but doesn't it look great! *








* I couldn't resist it! *








* The kitchens are immediately behind the recreation hall. *








* The cellar and railway access. A large dumb waiter brings food down to the railway loading bay from the kitchen above. *








* A truck still sits on the rails part way in to the tunnel. *








* There is an odd little room just off the tunnel with two steel cabinets in it. One still has what looks like specimen jars on the shelves. *








* Here comes Tonto up the tunnel! *








* Back in the south wing now after travelling through the tunnel. More stair porn! *








* This building was a classic TB ward block with lots of natural light from the south facing aspect. *








* Grabowsee Lake in the distance from the first floor of the ward block. *








* There's light at the end of the tunn... erm, corridor! *








* Another really low bed just like the ones we saw at Beelitz. *








* A B & Q ski self assembly bed... *








* Soviet style backing paper! This is one for Lilli  *








* We've seen this guy's work before at Beelitz. *








* We have worked our way back round to the north end of the site again now. *








* Embellishment on the door jam. *








* Another film prop? ( not Tonto, the couch  ) *








* The centre of the site was a large garden area, now sadly very overgrown. *








* Not quite roof topping but pretty close! *








* One of the better roofs at Grabowsee! *








* Stair porn! *








* Another ward block corridor. *








* It would have been nice to get up there. For the photo nuts amongst you I pulled the blue sky back into the picture with Adobe Litetable as it was practically lost on the original pic. *








* Whilst it was admittedly a bit dark I loved this colour scheme. *








* Inside one of the buildings turned over to the urban art project. *








* Some of the art is quite creepy. *








* The natural light streaming in through the south facing window made this room positively dance with colour. Sadly the camera just doesn't do it justice. *








* Not sure what to say about this one!  *








* Isn't she just gawjussssss!  *








* Again the camera fails to do it justice - this room makes your head swim! *








* Beauty in decay? *








* A hairy lighthouse? A swimming leg of ham and a gay sailor smoking wurst? Hmmm... *








* ...and a 3D fish! *








* The mozzies in the forest around Grabowsee are huge... *








* Here pretty kitty kitty... *








* ...and finally. I almost missed this one it was so small. But isn't it super! *








 That's A-A-Allll folks! Hope you enjoyed the report and pix. Thanks for stopping by. ​


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## flyboys90 (Jan 9, 2012)

Great pics and report, what amazing art work!


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## night crawler (Jan 9, 2012)

Another stunning report there TeeJF, what a place and just left to deterorate.


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## KingRat (Jan 9, 2012)

That's cracking mate, great read and smashing pics, sorry to hear you were both crook  It amazes me the amount of graff out there. Lilli and I are contemplating taking scrap paper and crayons and setting up some sort of arts and crafts aid station for the poor little buggers!!


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## TeeJF (Jan 9, 2012)

KingRat said:


> Lilli and I are contemplating taking scrap paper and crayons and setting up some sort of arts and crafts aid station for the poor little buggers!!



Sounds like a good scheme! I don't mind the urban art, it's tagging that does my head in, and there's way too much of that in Berlin, especially on some of the really beautiful buildings.

Grabowsee has been done officially though with individual graf artists being allocated a room each in the numerous peripheral buildings. And some of it is really stunning isn't it.

Did Lilli enjoy the Soviet newspapert?

Cheers...


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## lilli (Jan 9, 2012)

Thanks for the newspaper shot


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## maximus (Jan 9, 2012)

fab! thanks


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## RedDave (Jan 9, 2012)

Nice photos, shame the water tower wasn't accessible, but you found a railway tunnel I didn't know existed.


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## TeeJF (Jan 9, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your kind comments - this was a great explore!



RedDave said:


> you found a railway tunnel I didn't know existed.



Only by accident matey. Having said that the info was there on the net, but I never saw it until late this evening! Yeah to the water tower. they've wired heras to bolts set in the wall over the doorway so nothing short of tools would get you in now sadly.  

Thanks again for your help, it saved us a hell of a long walk! 



lilli said:


> Thanks for the newspaper shot



You are welcome. Beelitz is full of it too, seems they never used "normal" backing paper on walls! Can you read it at all?


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## UrbanX (Jan 9, 2012)

Awesome as usual! That is Beerlitz 2!
Fantastic write up too!


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## TeeJF (Jan 10, 2012)

UrbanX said:


> That is Beerlitz 2!



I think of it as the mini-Beelitz! Thanks for your kind comments.


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## Priority 7 (Jan 10, 2012)

Top work M & T hope to see at least some of what you guys have on my work visit


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## Pincheck (Jan 10, 2012)

some interesting stuff


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## lilli (Jan 10, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> You are welcome. Beelitz is full of it too, seems they never used "normal" backing paper on walls! Can you read it at all?



No ... But they are pretty to look at 

In some locations if you look closley you will see that they used the same pages of a newspaper over and over again! In the dont 'waste anything' communist viewpoint I think that old copies where shipped out and then used espically as backing paper for wallpaper!


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## TeeJF (Jan 10, 2012)

It makes sense Lilli. 

So what's with this Soviet fascination of yours then? I find it all a bit wierd when I'm wandering around their buildings simpoly because I had it drummed into me for years of the cold war that they were our enemy and was taught armoured vehicle recognition etc in the TA and which bit was best to shoot at with a Cark Gustav! Seeing DDR children's murals in Beelitz was rather odd as a result.


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## The Cat Crept In (Jan 10, 2012)

What a great find very impressive place and love the graffiti. It's the kind of place I could live in


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## tank2020 (Jan 10, 2012)

Nice, looks vast!


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## TeeJF (Jan 10, 2012)

It's about 34 acres or so I think Tank, but the actual sanatorium is not really very big at all. We were in abit of a rush admittedly and we did miss odd bits here and there but we did the explore in about two hours tops which is not like us at all. I'd say it's a good half day + to do fully unlike say Beelitz where we spent 3 full days and still didn't cover it fully. It's a nice site though.

Cat - yeah, some of that graf is totally awesome. The situation right by the Grabowsee Lake is super but the woods are laden with mozzies in the warm months and worst of all encephelitus carrying tics so I'd be wary about living there!


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## smiler (Jan 10, 2012)

Absolutely Fabulous, Apart from that eegit on the piano, Thanks.


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## TeeJF (Jan 10, 2012)

smiler said:


> Apart from that eegit on the piano, Thanks.



Don't you know a dubious attempt at talent when you see it??? At least we weren't using our poseur keyboards...


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## lilli (Jan 10, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> It makes sense Lilli.
> 
> So what's with this Soviet fascination of yours then?



I cant like things without becoming obsessed it would seem  

My first exploring love was asylums which I bounced all around the country going to see, when they started disapearing I laid low for a while and after a couple of trips to Berlin the thing that facinated me the most was former DDR and Soviet bases/hospitals/camps etc and me being the slightly obsessive person I am started absorbing as much knowledge as I could!! 

Being a champagne socialist helps too


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## mookster (Jan 10, 2012)

Quality, that's one to see when I make it over there!


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## Mars Lander (Jan 13, 2012)

Wow what a super report, pictures and place Team TJ with the added bonus of an urbex art gallery to boot.


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## TeeJF (Jan 13, 2012)

Some of that urban art was quaility mate! Thanks for the comments. When do you fancy that Winstanley hall place you mentioned?


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## Nobody. (Jan 20, 2012)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SV7raoFtO0[/ame]


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## King Al (Jan 21, 2012)

Superb report TeeJF!! I absolutely love that tower  some of the art in there looks amazing!


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## TeeJF (Jan 21, 2012)

Outstanding video, thanks for the link. Who is the band? 

It was really strange to see the places we have just been appear in a music video.


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## Nobody. (Jan 21, 2012)

Well it tell you who the band are from the youtube link (Euezen)

but you see a lot of music video's being made here and sometime if your bold enough you can wander in and pretend to be part of the film crew to some places that are securely locked off


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## TeeJF (Jan 21, 2012)

Nobody. said:


> you see a lot of music video's being made here



I already downloaded the track because that's really our kind of music! Both Tonto (my urbex partner/wife) and I love that kind of dark, slightly Gothic stuff. I really must say a big thank you to you for pointing us at this song, we lurvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve it! 

Our friend from the forum (Priority7) is coming to Berlin soon to visit Beelitz and maybe Kaserne K and Grabowsee. I hope we will be back soon too because we are going to go up to the north to vist another TB Heilstatten and an abandoned hotel on a lake.

Danke schon!

M and TJ


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## KingRat (Jan 22, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> I already downloaded the track because that's really our kind of music! Both Tonto (my urbex partner/wife) and I love that kind of dark, slightly Gothic stuff. I really must say a big thank you to you for pointing us at this song, we lurvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve it!
> 
> Our friend from the forum (Priority7) is coming to Berlin soon to visit Beelitz and maybe Kaserne K and Grabowsee. I hope we will be back soon too because we are going to go up to the north to vist another* TB Heilstatten* and an abandoned hotel on a lake.
> 
> ...




Does the name start with an H ?
It's cool, but death trappy


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## TeeJF (Jan 22, 2012)

KingRat said:


> Does the name start with an H ?
> It's cool, but death trappy



Sorry Robert, you've lost me there? The band in question are called Euzen.


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## KingRat (Jan 22, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> Sorry Robert, you've lost me there? The band in question are called Euzen.



First off, the only person that calls me 'Robert' is my Mother - when I'm in trouble 

Secondly, keep up, I was referring to the name of your hospital, not the band !!


xxx


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## TeeJF (Jan 22, 2012)

Oh I see... yeah it does as a matter of fact!


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 23, 2012)

One of the few places where the graffiti actually adds to the appeal of the place!


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## beccy (Mar 26, 2012)

I am GUTTED i missed this!! I was in Oranienburg in September cos we went to Sachenshausen!! 

Great pictures though!


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## TeeJF (Mar 27, 2012)

Yeah you should go see this place, it's like a compact Beelitz Heilstatten!

Thnaks for your comments. How was Sachsenhausen? I found the whole "tourist attraction" aspect rather wierd to be honest.


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## beccy (Mar 27, 2012)

Yeh it is really surreal to be honest - I think because it was so touristy, it didn't have the same feel as when we went to Auschwitz II (the one with the thousands of huts) because you essentially wander around on your own and its just really much more sombre. 

The morgue in Sachenhausen was really cool though and you could watch the archeologists digging stuff up so that was pretty cool. Aushwitz and Belsen, I think, were better though.


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## lilli (Mar 28, 2012)

I hated Sachenhausen, we wandered in through the back past the Soviet Death Camp memorial, managed to stay about 10 minutes ... that was enough.

I dont think I could ever do another to be honest.


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## beccy (Mar 28, 2012)

Did you hate it cos of the way it has become commercialised or because of all the emotions etc?


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## pumice (Apr 25, 2012)

Hi all, just to let you know that the bloke who is on this site and wants to turn it in to a new fangled school for kids is legendary! The street art that you see here was part of a festival in 2010 and he intends to run another in August this year! The site is top drawer and seriously, some of the street art is mind blowing. He is a really reasonable bloke and will allow you access for a small donation. If anybody is heading here, help the bloke out by calling him and getting a stress visit of a beautiful and seriously decorated site for a nominal amount. I can`t recomend it enough and if you`re fortunate, he may give you a ride around the site in his Trabant! I know this is kind of contrary to the whole idea, but I think its worth it!


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