Beelitz-Heilstätten Photography - M1key - Michal Huniewicz

Beelitz-Heilstätten by Michal Huniewicz

Beelitz-Heilstätten is a district of the German town of Beelitz, which is a bit over 40 km away from Berlin. In 1898 there were 60 sanatorium buildings erected in that place. During World War 1, the complex became a military hospital of the Imperial German Army. One of its famous patients was Adolf Hitler, with a wounded leg. [1]

The complex was used by the Soviet army until 1995, and it was abandoned in 2000 - and has remained so, except for a few buildings which are now in use. [1]

It was a film set for The Pianist and Valkyrie among others, and a bunch of S&M films. [1] [7]

Below, some of my photos - including infrared (IR) pictures. All of the IR pictures are genuine, i.e. not simulated with software.

I would like to recommend this song as background music for watching this gallery:

Thanks goes to: Andrzej Huniewicz, Deborah Sandidge, Jesús Hurtado, Joanna Zbroja, Martin Roddam.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

[Infrared] Welcome to Beelitz

[Infrared] Welcome to Beelitz
[Infrared] Welcome to Beelitz - Beelitz-Heilstätten
This is one the first buildings I saw. Beelitz-Heilstätten consists of four parts, divided so by a road and rail tracks. This is in the North-East part.

[Infrared] Pulmonology

[Infrared] Pulmonology
[Infrared] Pulmonology - Beelitz-Heilstätten
This and the first picture show the pulmonology building. [2]

[Infrared] Lounge

[Infrared] Lounge
[Infrared] Lounge - Beelitz-Heilstätten
These blocks apparently used to be the lounge. This picture and the following are in the North-West part.

All the infrared pictures were taken using a tripod with a shutter release, R72 filter; exposure time was between 10-20 seconds. Let me know if you have any questions about infrared photography.

Women's Pulmonology

Women's Pulmonology
Women's Pulmonology - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Inside women's pulmonology. The sanatorium was created as a response to skyrocketing tuberculosis rates, caused by urbanisation. [3]
West side of the sanatorium was for women, East for men. [4]

Fridge

Fridge
Fridge - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Fridge.

[Infrared] Anja P.

[Infrared] Anja P.
[Infrared] Anja P. - Beelitz-Heilstätten
The sanatorium feels very peaceful now, but it has witnessed quite a lot of violence.
In 2008 a photographer named Michael F. brought a young model, Anja P., to the complex to take pictures of her. Afterwards, he beat her to death with a frying pan, and then had sex with her dead body. [3] He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. [6]
But it was not the only Beelitz murder... The area in this picture is stained with blood of the victims of another sadistic killer (more below).

[Infrared] Trespass

[Infrared] Trespass
[Infrared] Trespass - Beelitz-Heilstätten
...
When the tomb-stone, oppressing thy timorous breast,
And thy hips drooping sweetly with listless decay,
The pulse and desires of mine heart shall arrest,
And thy feet from pursuing their adventurous way,

Then the grave, that dark friend of my limitless dreams
(For the grave ever readeth the poet aright),
Amid those long nights, which no slumber redeems

'Twill query—"What use to thee, incomplete spright
That thou ne'er hast unfathomed the tears of the dead"?—
Then the worms will gnaw deep at thy body, like Dread.

-- Charles Baudelaire, Posthumous Remorse [10]

Pink Giant

Pink Giant
Pink Giant - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Beelitz-Heilstätten is where a serial killer operated in 1989-1991. His name was Wolfgang Schmidt, and he murdered 6 people (5 adult women, one 3-month-old baby) to become known as Die Bestie von Beelitz, and after being caught while masturbating in the woods, he was found guilty of the murders, and sentenced to 15 years in a psychiatric hospital. [4] His modus operandi was less than subtle, and involved strangling or stabbing to death, after which he would leave pink panties at the murder scene. [8] Interestingly, he has since changed his gender and became known as Beate, as she now calls herself, or the Pink Giant, as others call her. [5]

Yoko

Yoko
Yoko - Beelitz-Heilstätten
And this is my friend Yoko, standing in a corridor. I brought her to Beelitz to take pictures of her.

BLA

BLA
BLA - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Here's Yoko trying not to get cut in two by large pieces of glass.

Inside the surgery building

Inside the surgery building
Inside the surgery building - Beelitz-Heilstätten
This is inside the large surgery building.

[Infrared] Terrace

[Infrared] Terrace
[Infrared] Terrace - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Terrace on top of the surgery building. If you decide to go there, there are two small staircases on the top, they are both rather dark, and the West-most staircase has a huge hole in the stairs (effectively two or three steps are missing), so take the East-most staircase.

Terrace

Terrace
Terrace - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Same place, but now in black and white.

Lift shaft

Lift shaft
Lift shaft - Beelitz-Heilstätten
We waited a bit but the lift didn't come.

Balcony

Balcony
Balcony - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Balcony. These balconies were used for "air-baths". [3]

Yoko on the balcony

Yoko on the balcony
Yoko on the balcony - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Yoko on the balcony.

Have a seat

Have a seat
Have a seat - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Have a seat - or better not.

Women's Pulmonology 2

Women's Pulmonology 2
Women's Pulmonology 2 - Beelitz-Heilstätten
This is the second building of women's pulmonology (still in the North-West part, but South of the other one).

Nature prevails

Nature prevails
Nature prevails - Beelitz-Heilstätten
The whole complex is being taken over by nature. Please keep in mind the buildings have only been abandoned since 2000. [4] There is a documentary series which discusses what Earth would become in humans instantly disappeared.

[Infrared] Mutant spider

[Infrared] Mutant spider
[Infrared] Mutant spider - Beelitz-Heilstätten
This is not really a spider, just some roots, and the whole thing is actually on the roof.

[Infrared] On the roof

[Infrared] On the roof
[Infrared] On the roof - Beelitz-Heilstätten
On the roof. Apparently, the building was bombed. [9]

Underground

Underground
Underground - Beelitz-Heilstätten
There are fairly long tunnels and cellars under this building. Every now and then it feels like potholing, you have to squeeze through narrow gaps in the walls.

Bed

Bed
Bed - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Hospital bed.

Famous stairs

Famous stairs
Famous stairs - Beelitz-Heilstätten
Men's sanatorium, South-East part. This is, quite likely, where Hitler used to hang out while being a patient.

Men's sanatorium

Men's sanatorium
Men's sanatorium - Beelitz-Heilstätten
And here our trip ended - because we got caught!
We got caught by two women, and one of them was naked - true story. Unfortunately, there was a rather uneasy man with them; he asked us to leave without delay. And so we did.
Now I hope it wasn't Michael F.