Urbex: Beelitz-Heilstätten aka Beelitz Hospital, Men’s Pavilion, Germany – July 2014

History

Construction began at the Beelitz site in 1898. Funded by the Berlin State Insurance Company the Hospital was originally called “Worker’s Consumption Sanatorium”. Most of the prominent German architects at the time including Julius Boethke, Fritz Schulz and Heino Schmeiden were involved in the design of the sanatoriums which adopted a Pavilion system much similar to that of some of the Lunatic Asylums in the UK.

Just before the closure in the years 1989 to 1990 the Beelitz site became the focus of the Serial Killer Wolfgang Schmidt aka Die Bestie von Beelitz (The Beast of Beelitz) aka the Pink Giant. Schmidt was responsible for several attacks on female workers at the site often these assaults would end in sexual assault and murder. In March 1990 he brutally attacked the wife of one of the senior physicians and her 3 month old son, he took the baby from her arm’s crushed its skull against a tree, he then gagged the woman with a pink bra before raping and strangling her.

The beat of Beelitz was eventually arrested after two men found him masturbating with a bra in his jacket after killing a total of 6 people. Since his incarceration, Schmidt was granted permission to change his name to Beate Schmidt and he is currently petitioning to be allowed to undergo a sex change operation.

Our Visit

Visited with Lowri of Lowri Jen Photography, Stussy, Carl, Scott Darby of Darbians Photography and Andy K of Behind Closed Doors Photography. This building much like the bath house had survived in much better condition than most of the other structures. There were obviously still lots of signs of decay but the roof’s appear to have faired better and there was less vandalism than we found at the female pavilions. Favourite parts of this one for me have to be the Hall, the many corridors and the central staircase which I had seen plenty of shot of before. We also found a pair of dummies at the end of a dark corridor which lead off from the main staircase. Covered in blood and just far enough away they fooled you at quick glance it made more than a couple of us jump when we first stumbled across them. Fun times, really glad I finally got to see Beelitz, its been on the ‘to do’ list for far too long!

Don’t forget to check out the other 2 report from here:

Beelitz Hospital Bath House

Beelitz Hospital Women’s Sanatoriums

Enjoyed this report? then check out the ones from Behind Closed Doors: Beelitz Male Pavilion , Darbians Photography: Beelitz Men’s Pavilion and also the report on Lowri Jen Photography: Beelitz

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Related posts:

Urbex: Beelitz-Heilstätten aka Beelitz Hospital, Badehaus, The Bath House, Germany – July 2014 Urbex: Beelitz-Heilstätten aka Beelitz Hospital, Part 1: Women’s Sanatoriums, Germany – July 2014 Urbex: CCCP Hospital, aka The Blue Theatre Hospital, Germany – July 2014 Urbex: Haus der Offiziere – Wünsdorf, Germany – July 2014 Urbex: Krampnitz Kaserne, Germany – July 2014 Urbex: A German Psychiatric Hospital aka Psychiatrie V, Germany – November 2014 Urbex: Krankenhaus von rollstühlen aka Hospital of Wheelchairs, Germany – August 2014 Urbex: Dr Anna’s Haus aka Dr Anna’s House and Surgery, Somewhere, Germany – July 2014 Urbex: Salve Mater Psychiatric Hospital, Belgium – June 2014 Urbex: Birkwood Asylum, Somewhere, Scotland – April 2014 (revisit)