Auguste Viktoria Klinik
THE ABANDONED HOSPITAL IN GERMANY
Explore the abandoned Volksheilstätte in the spa town of Bad Lippspringe named ‘Auguste Viktoria Klinik’. After more than 100 years of use, it was abandoned.
Following Empress Auguste Viktoria’s visit, funds were accumulated to construct the lung sanatorium. With lung specialists already present, Bad Lippspringe was the preferred location.
Construction of the clinic commenced in 1900, and over the next few years, two identical buildings emerged: one Catholic and one Evangelical hospital wing. The clinic’s official opening was celebrated in 1901. By 1908, a new wing bridged the gap between the existing structures, and a Catholic chapel was erected. Subsequently, in 1910, a Protestant chapel and a laundry facility were established, and the sanatorium expanded to accommodate 240 beds.
Second World War
During the era of National Socialism, the Protestant wing of the hospital was commandeered by the Schutzstaffel (SS) in 1944 and repurposed as a reserve hospital. In 1945, the British army took over the entire hospital complex, housing Soviet prisoners of war afflicted with pulmonary diseases.
The decline of the Auguste Viktoria Klinik began in 2010. Patients were transferred to a neighboring hospital, leaving only a few sections operational. These too were eventually shut down, leading to a prolonged period of abandonment and deterioration.
In 2018 the buildings as well as the parks in the areas in front of the clinic were protected. On 16 September 2018 there was a fire in the main building. However, the fire department was able to prevent it from spreading to the roof and other parts of the building. In 2020 the hospital was partly demolished. The photos of this abandoned Auguste Viktoria Klinik were taken in 2017.
