Crimes, mysteries and ghosts in Beelitz, Germany.
3 min read
Crimes, mysteries and ghosts: this is Beelitz, a famous abandoned German hospital, located near Berlin, exactly in the south-west part. The entire structure is made up of 60 buildings and was built in 1898. During this period, tuberculosis spread in Germany, and the hospital was built with the intention of hosting the tuberculosis patients, with the function of a sanatorium. This was far from population centers and therefore in the middle of nature, perfect for the sick.
However, during the World War I, this structure became a military hospital, dedicated to the war wounded, and it seems that also Adolf Hitler entered Beelitz-Heilstätten to be healed after the injuries suffered during the Battle of Somme in 1916. Also Erich Honecker were treated for injuries/ailments sustained in East Germany’s last days, and it was widely used also during the Second World War.
Today the popularity and grandeur of this place has literally deteriorated over time and the hospital is now a pile of abandoned buildings, decayed and ruined. However, he still has some recognizable remains, such as objects used for medical purposes. Only one sector is still used as a neurological rehabilitation center, a choice decidedly apt given the disturbing atmosphere that sourronding this place.
Some tell terrifying stories that involve this place, and it seems that sometimes it turns into a gathering of couples or “singles” in search of occasional sexual relationships.
In addition to these stories there are also some reports of missing people and bodies found right inside the abandoned building.
This place, despite all the stories, has become a real sanctuary and perfect set for movies including “The Pianist” and “Operation Valkyrie”, and for music videos including the video of the
the song “Mein Hertz Brennt” by famous German metal group Rammstein.
But let’s talk about something even more disturbing: real crimes.
This structure was the scene of terrible crimes in both the 1990s and 2000s.
The first crime was terrible and macabre.
The author was Wolfgang Schmidt nicknamed “The Beast of Beelitz”.
He killed a child by splitting his head against a tree and with him killed his mother who was strangled with her own bra after gagging her with her panties.
The same fate also happened to four other women who were killed after being raped. Wolfgang Schmidt is a mentally ill and I think that is still today locked up in a German psychiatric prison.
He calls himself with a woman’s name and is a lover of the color pink. When he was a child he wanted to be a girl, and when he stole his mother’s underwear, she beat him fiercely. It seems that, even though he is in prison, he dresses with skirts and wears makeup every morning.
The other crime was consummated in 2008 and this time to commit the murder was an amateur photographer who killed a model known on the web in what was the surgery room.
If you do not fear the ghosts this is an interessant place to see, even if there are lot of rumors, often supported by television reports, that the rooms of the Beelitz Heilstätten hospital are inhabited by paranormal entities.
Some testify that it is not unusual to hear voices, to see sudden opening and closing of doors and windows or to perceive a sudden drop in temperature (some say up to zero degrees).
To reach Beelitz Heilstätten is not complicated: near the structure there is a well-connected train station and evry hour there is a train passing through Haupbahnhof, Zoologischer Garten and Charlottenburg. Good luck!