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Beelitz Tuberculosis Sanatorium
An Extraordinary Story Of Courage And Dedication

Beelitz Tuberculosis Sanatorium: An Extraordinary Story Of Courage And Dedication

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  • 'The Soul Of Humanity' This virtual exhibition follows the footsteps of the artist's deeply personal impressions of the Beelitz Heilstätten...

    ENTRANCE

    "The Soul Of Humanity"
     

    This virtual exhibition follows the footsteps of the artist's deeply personal impressions of the Beelitz Heilstätten sanatorium which led him on an introspective path of self-discovery. It depicts the significance of humanity in architecture and offers a captivating exploration of history, courage and humanitarian values. 

     

    The artist's on-site experience was emotional and profoundly humbling, causing him to feel a strong obligation to do justice to what he had experienced. He felt the passion and dedication of the builders; saw the grandeur and underlying beauty in the structures. He saw the best in humanity and gained a new perspective on life in the process.

  • Beelitz Heilstätten Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Evidence of Compassion, Human Evolution and the Passage of Time
    GRANDEUR

    Beelitz Heilstätten Tuberculosis Sanatorium

    Evidence of Compassion, Human Evolution and the Passage of Time

     

    Built in 1898 as a treatment center for tuberculosis, the Beelitz Heilstätten hospital complex was the largest of its kind and a world leader in research and treatment. It included 60 buildings over 200 hectars of park-like grounds amidst a scenic forest located 1hr south of Berlin, Germany. Considered an exemplary model facility in the medical and social evolution during the early 20th century, the highly innovative sanatorium was amongst the most modern health care facilities in the world.

     

    Notably, the hospital was specifically built with humanitarian values in mind to provide comfort, hope and dignity. The complex was deliberately created to convey beauty in order to encourage patients to seek treatment in an idyllic setting. The design of the facility also promoted patient integration and room placement in a non-isolated fashion so patients would not feel institutionalized.

     

    • CORRIDOR TWO

      CORRIDOR TWO

    • CORRIDOR

      CORRIDOR

  • “I had such a profound and humbling personal experience that I inadvertently put myself in service of what the site communicated to me. There is so much to learn from history and the people who laid the foundation for the way of life we are able to enjoy today. I find it important to recognize value assessments that were a significant part of how that was accomplished. There was pride in craftsmanship, traditions, culture, symbolism, integrity, respect and care; often an inspired approach rather than being primarily led by functionality and budget. Unfortunately the modern approach of todays world shows a concerning absence of many of these qualities. Providing an audience with this type of journey allows them to assess the reasons behind it; the importance of the values represented in the works and their place in todays world." - Mario Basner

    (source: Huffington Post / Neda Najibi)

  • Excerpt from Jim Friedrich Blog - Venice Art Biennale 2019
    BEAUTY FORGOTTEN
    Excerpt from Jim Friedrich Blog - Venice Art Biennale 2019

     

    Mario Basner's haunting photographs of a 19th-century tuberculosis sanatorium, now an abandoned ruin south of Berlin, are infused with his deeply personal response to the spirit of the place: "This is a place where people faced life and death, love and loss, hope and despair; it was a facility where people fought for their utter existence." The elegant beauty of the buildings reflected a compassionate respect for the dignity and worth of its patients. Their struggle for life was honored by the nobility of the architectual design.

     

    To see that grandeur in decay moves us twice over, not only by memorializing the aspirations and ministrations of a vanished age, but also by imaging temporality so tenderly. The room in the photograph is full of human absence. The floor--littered, wet and muddy--indicates long neglect. Like the pool of water in the middle, the room seems cut off from life. The space is suffused with the pastness of things left behind.

     

    And yet the room is not utterly dead or devoid of beauty. The light from outside is soft and comforting. The watery floor, like the moist and dripping interiors in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, is a richly ambivalent symbol. It can indicate stagnation and decay, as nature begins to erase the structures of human habitation. But it can also be a maternal sign of life-giving power, a source which sustains and nurtures. The triptych of windows resembles a church, with the central bay the chancel and the lone cot the altar. The pool of water, like a baptismal font, suggests purification and rebirth.

     

    https://jimfriedrich.com/2019/10/16/venice-biennale-2019-a-wound-in-a-dance-with-love/

  • A gorgeous setting from a time long past; traces of history and evidence of decay causing wonderment and intrigue. One cannot help but wonder how beautiful it must have once been; how it would have felt to sit on the bed and enjoy the view of the lavish gardens. The personal stories of destiny surrounding the bed most certainly span from dire loss to triumph but they all have one thing in common - this environment provided them with the one thing needed the most… hope.

    • BALANCE

      BALANCE

    • DUBIOUS INVITATION

      DUBIOUS INVITATION

    • BATHHOUSE

      BATHHOUSE

  • During the first 25 years of operation, over 110,000 patients received treatment for tuberculosis and other rehabilitation
    CHOICES
    During the first 25 years of operation, over 110,000 patients received treatment for tuberculosis and other rehabilitation

    Designed by architects Heino Schmieden and Julius Boethke, the Beelitz Heilstätten sanatorium accommodated 1,200 beds and focused on treatment methods which today would be considered "holistic": clean air, sun, sufficient time spent outdoors, inhalation therapy, healing baths and proper nutrition; all to strenghten the immune system.

     

    The hospital was surrounded by forest in an area of exceptional air quality. Large ventilation systems were built to channel the clean forest air throughout the buildings. Inhalation rooms provided soothing treatments by evaporating essential oils into the air. Covered walking areas and outdoor facilities encouraged physical exercise while the property's own bakery, butcher shop and greenhouses provided the patients with fresh and nutritious food daily.

  • The architectual details and particularly the windows offer significant evidence of applied symbolism. The spiritual components of the environment are subtle but undeniable.

  • The ornate window was built in 1898 and measures approximately 3 feet in diameter. Situated high and without reach in...

    WINDOW

     

    The ornate window was built in 1898 and measures approximately 3 feet in diameter. Situated high and without reach in a large room,  the builders took extraordinary steps to add a spiritual element to the environment. Rather than a plain window, the facility utilized applied symbolism.  

     

    The window was constructed entirely by hand and the many different, detailed types of glass were assembled in a way that is not just beautiful but also profoundly meaningful. The inclusion of a Lotus Flower, a Cross and a Star of David created an environment of peace and spiritual balance.

  • ARCHWAY
    • UNTOLD STORIES

      UNTOLD STORIES

    • STRENGTH

      STRENGTH

  • The Sanatorium was a self-contained village with an innovative cogeneration energy plant, living quarters, a post office, train station, bakery and a butcher shop.

  • During WWI & WWII it served as a field hospital and later found itself Russian occupied due to its East... During WWI & WWII it served as a field hospital and later found itself Russian occupied due to its East... During WWI & WWII it served as a field hospital and later found itself Russian occupied due to its East...

     

    During WWI & WWII it served as a field hospital and later found itself Russian occupied due to its East German GDR location from 1945 - 1994. In 1990, Erich Honecker was sheltered by the Russian army at the Sanatorium after being forced to resign as head of the East German government. A year later, he fled to Moscow to avoid prosecution for crimes against humanity.

     

    Following the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the eventual Soviet withdrawal from the sanatorium, some sections of the hospital remain in operation as a neurological rehabilitation center and as a center for research and care for victims of Parkinson's disease. The remainder of the complex has been abandoned since 1995.

     

    The site served as a backdrop for various motion pictures, i.e. Roman Polanski's "The Pianist", "Valkyrie" starring Tom Cruise, "Run Boy Run" and "A Cure For Wellness", as well as Rammstein's music video "Mein Herz Brennt".

     

    The buildings were placed under monument protection for historic importance and have undergone extensive renovations and re-purposing in recent years.

     

    • GREEN ROOM

      GREEN ROOM

    • FOUR ROOMS

      FOUR ROOMS

    • REMNANTS OF TIME

      REMNANTS OF TIME

  • An invitation to enter; to explore and experience a foreign world. A red door leading to an unknown destination -...

    DISCOMFORT WITHIN

     

    An invitation to enter; to explore and experience a foreign world. A red door leading to an unknown destination - stairways with wonderfully detailed ironwork - layers of paint telling stories of the past with colors that are mute and warm.  

     

    Interestingly, the photograph is as engaging as it is soothing. The artist named the piece from a very personal perspective. Being of adventurous character he feels intrigued by the invitation, yet he is hesitant and feels confined. 

     

  • "I expected to find empty buildings. I expected to have an interesting experience, not a life-changing one. Instead, I re-discovered my value system and learned who I truly am. I found my voice and my purpose."

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    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
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