Rehaklinik Waldmühle
THE ABANDONED HOSPITAL IN GERMANY
‘Rehaklinik Waldmühle’ is a health clinic that was built more than 100 years ago as a hotel. It was expanded several times, but eventually abandoned in 1997.
The Waldmühle was built in 1865 as a hotel with restaurant. It was built on the grounds of an old oil mill with the same name. The first owner of the hotel was the innkeeper Behnecke. After the hotel went bankrupt, several owners tried again, unfortunately a big fire destroyed the hotel. Thereupon a new hotel was built in 1901. The new Hotel Waldmühle was inaugurated by hotelier W. Frede.
Military hospital
During the First and Second World Wars, like many hotels in Blankenburg, the Waldmühle was prepared as a reserve hospital for wounded soldiers.
From 1918 the hotel became a holiday home. But in 1925 entrepreneur Hellmeister reopened the Waldmühle as a hotel again. After the Second World War it became a home of the FDGB, but not much later the Nationale Volksarmee changed its use into a military hospital again. In the 1970s, the military hospital was relocated, and the forest mill was assigned to the Teufelsbad health clinic. As a result, cardiovascular patients came for spa and curative treatment.
After the owner built a new health clinic in the immediate vicinity in 1997, all the patients at the Waldmühle were relocated. Meanwhile, the building became a restaurant again, which unfortunately only existed for two years. As a result, the old hotel was abandoned in 1999. Today, the building is in a bad state after it was trashed by local youth. As a result, all entrances are boarded after the floor collapsed. These photos of ‘Rehaklinik Waldmühle’ were taken during my visit in 2014. Follow this link for more abandoned spa resorts.
