On a nice sunny and warm Sunday, Ania and I decided to do a day trip south of Berlin and reach the train station of Beelitz-Heilstätten. Here, a large hospital complex composed of about sixty buildings had been built back in 1898. It was originally designed as a sanatorium by the Berlin workers' health insurance corporation, and then during World War, I was turned into a military hospital of the Imperial German Army. After being occupied by the Red Army forces in 1945, it remained a Soviet military hospital until 1995, well after the German reunification. After the Soviets finally left, several attempts were made to privatize the complex, without any success. 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, including the surgery, the psychiatric ward, and a rifle range, was abandoned in 1994 and remains so still to this day, giving the area the feel of a ghost town. One interesting thing which was done though is a treetop path that was built in 2015 over the ruined buildings. We had in fact come specifically for that, and once we got off the train headed to its entrance on foot. After reaching it, to our surprise found out that a lot of other people had thought to do the same as us. After waiting in line for about an hour we finally managed to buy the ticket and enter the attraction. The path runs for about 800m on a structure formed of steel and wood and with a height of between 17 and 23m above the ground. It goes around the so-called, Alpenhaus, the ruins of what was once the women's lung sanatorium now covered in trees up to its rooftop, and reached then an observation tower with a height of 40.5m. From there the view spaces across the whole complex and further in the surrounding pine forest. We decided to walk the whole length of the path twice, by reaching the end of it the first time, heading back down at ground level, and then back up the stairs for the second round. After enjoying the view at each panoramic spot we decided it was time to leave. From there we then decided to follow the main road on foot and in about an hour reach the small town of Beelitz. After entering its small yet pretty old town, we walked around and enjoyed the simple nice architecture of this circular-shaped village. We then visited the main parish church, the church of Saint Mary and Nicholas, located right at the center of the town. Originally dating to 1247, it was then restored and mostly rebuilt during the 16th century in the late Gothic style seen today. Inside, the objects were sparse and mostly dating to the Baroque period such as the galleries, pulpit, and organ, as the church was ravaged by fire several times throughout its history. Once outside the church, we then found a nice cafe right in front where we bought an ice cream to share. We walked around town with it but the figured it was so good we headed back to grab a second one. Finally, after touring the whole city center we decided it was time to go and walked to the nearby train station from where we eventually took the next ride back home to Berlin.
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| The view from the treetop walk with the Alpenhaus, the women's lung sanatorium, to the left |
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| The view of the treetop walk and the surrounding forest from the observation tower |
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| Walking at ground level below the walkway |
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A nice view where the treetop walk meanders through the forest
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| One of the streets in the old town of Beelitz |
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Church of St Mary and Nicholas in the old town of Beelitz
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