Harzer Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie
THE ABANDONED HOSPITAL IN GERMANY
The Harzer Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie was an old hospital located on the outskirts of Großörner, a small village in the Harz region of Germany. The complex was built in 1939 and eventually demolished in 2008, after six years of abandonment.
It was built in 1939 as a local hospital. It served as a children’s mental health ward during the time of the German Democratic Republic (DDR). The Harzer Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie employed various treatments for children with mental health conditions. Some common approaches during that time included talk and play therapy. Also, doctors prescribed medications to manage symptoms of conditions. Patients participated in structured daily routines, educational programs.
The patients moved in 2002 to the new ‘Klinikum Mansfelder Land’ in Hettstedt, as all medical competencies were concentrated here. For this reason, the site in Großörner was abandoned. The Hettstedt psychiatric ward has four wards with 80 beds in single and double rooms. The new facility cost around 8.5 million euros.
The old abandoned building was hit hard by more than ten years of neglect, therefore, plans to reconvert or to save the buildings were never made. I took these photos of the abandoned building in 2014. Eventually, an investor demolished the old hospital in 2008. Check this link for more reports of both abandoned hospitals and clinics.
