German TV says that there are ghosts in this remote part of the Black Forest… we decided to test that theory…
History
Beginning life as a Tuberculosis treatment and nursing home (Pflegeheim), building commenced in 1905, with inauguration by the Wurttemberg royal family in 1907. Over the course of the next 65 years, over 28000 patients were treated or spent their last remaining years at this facility. In 1927, a children’s clinic was opened and treatment continued for patients, with numbers peaking in 1955. Afterwards, with advancements in the treatment for Tuberculosis, patient numbers dwindled and eventually, the clinic closed in 1973.
At this time, the facility was repurposed as a training facility for peoples with disabilities, specializing in occupational therapy and retraining. This continued until 1998, where the facility was sold to another company for aged care, but instead closed its doors due to lack of funding. In 2001, the site was acquired by a consulting firm, and again by a Serbian businessman in 2009, after which he has disappeared and is currently being pursued by both the local council (gemeinde) and his lawyer, both for unpaid fees and taxes. The site has sat derelict since 1998.
In 2011, the facility was featured by a popular ghost hunting program on German TV, after which the site was regularly frequented by “ghost hunters” though I doubt they had much success. Judging by the damage and graffiti, communicating to ghosts appears to be in spray painted written form and through the drawing of male genitalia.
In 2012, the still-occupied apartment building on site caught fire, with 33 firefighters attending the ground floor blaze. The building was saved, but suffered extensive water and smoke damage and was vacated soon after.
The explore
Photos online were scarce of this location and there were some doubts as to whether access was possible, moreover that anything would be left to photograph after reports of hundreds of “ghost hunters” had visited the site. Nevertheless, we were able to access the inside and found, as expected, that most of the site had been vandalized, with most fittings smashed, stolen or removed.
The main building was mostly empty but still had some visual appeal. A lone vacuum cleaner in a basement room seemed set up, but mostly there were random items left about which added a bit of character, or a hint of what the building had been used for in the past. The fire damaged apartment building was largely trashed, with heavy smoke damage everywhere throughout the building. The final building, which seemed to be a building for functions with a large kitchen and ballroom, was in good condition with again, some items left over to indicate its previous use. We ran out of time, so did not visit the restaurant/pub nearby.
Overall, a good explore with some interesting finds. Beware though that the access road is restricted to foresty vehicles only, as one angry local had great pleasure in yelling at us over. “Tut mir leid, ich spreche Englisch” seemed to calm him down though
The photos
Original building
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