Kulturhaus am Kristallsee
THE ABANDONED THEATER IN GERMANY
This ‘Kulturhaus am Kristallsee’ was built from 1951 to 1954. The building was part of a sanatorium in an old mining village, also famous for its thermal spring.
The thermal spring here was discovered in the Middle Ages, probably during mining work, and is today the oldest and warmest thermal spring in Saxony. In the 1480s, a small spa town was built around the spring.
Shortly after the Second World War, uranium mining commenced in this German village. The occupation was hazardous, necessitating medical care for the miners. SV Wismut repurposed the thermal therapeutic spring and spa facilities into a convalescent resort for miners, leading to the construction of the ‘Klubhaus.’ Inaugurated in 1954, it featured a large theater hall, a lobby, a restaurant, sports rooms, and a winter garden. Subsequently, the building was renamed ‘Pawlow-Haus’.
In the early 1990s, just after ‘Die Wende’ the mines closed. The building became part of a bigger cure and health resort. The building was used as ‘Bettenhaus’ and ‘Kulturhaus’.
After a decade, the former sanatorium was acquired by a new proprietor, and to this day, the spa resort continues to serve balneological functions. The Kulturhaus, however, has remained unused. In 2020, it was purchased by an investor with intentions to transform it into a luxury hotel. The photographs of the Kulturhaus am Kristallsee date back to 2016.
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