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This is the second report from our second trip to Beelitz-Heilstätten near Berlin. We first visited in October but the place is just so damned good we had to go back for more. I have NOT done the first report (6th from Beelitz) from this trip yet, don't ask me why but I did the second report (7th from Beelitz) first... senior moment I guess! Anyhow the first one will follow soon.
This report covers ONLY the south western sector female pavilion.
On the first and last days of our October visit we had managed to get into the famous Beelitz southern Male Pavilion. The first time we had to leave in a rush when we heard someone else coming in, but the second time we managed to complete an amazing explore. Directly across the road from the sector with the male pavilion is a little visited sector where there is a female pavilion, a bath house and a combined kitchen and laundry. We did not know quite what to expect there but were very pleasantly surprised.
This south western quadrant of the site almost appears to be have been forgotten, unlike the other buildings we have so far explored around Beelitz. How odd it was to find these particular buildings at best, poorly barricaded, and in many cases, wide open, after what we had become so used to in all other areas of the site! In our excitement we failed to spot an open door at one end of this female pavilion, so we attempted entry through the badly asbestos polluted cellars instead. Imagine our annoyance when having eventually found a flight of steps up to the ground floor we emerged literally within feet of a wide open door!
Such, as they say, is life!!!
Luckily, after our experience in the bowels of these buildings only weeks before we had chosen to take asbestos respirators with us this time!
The initial impression is that this pavilion is very similar to the corresponding female pavilion located up in the north western quadrant towards the top of the site. But that is not the case - it has no internal baths facility and as such then it has far more in common with it's male counterpart directly over the road in the south eastern quadrant of the site where a separate baths complex was built adjacent to the pavilion. In the case of this pavilion, the baths house is located only a short distance away to the north east just across a small square.
The third and final building in the south western quadrant is located to the north west of the attendant pavilion and alongside the bath house. It was originally built as a combined laundry and kitchens.
Internally there are very obvious signs that all three of these buildings were used by the Soviet occupation forces after the end of the war in 1945, something that does not necessarily hold true for every building at Beelitz - some were to all intents and purposes abandoned and rapidly fell into disrepair. As a consequence of the change of use many of the internal structures such as doorways, arches etc. within these buildings have been altered quite dramatically from the way in which they were originally conceived and constructed around the end of the 19th. century. That said externally everything still appears much as it always has so these buildings are still sublime examples of the aesthetic German architecture of the late Victorian period. Red, cream and terracotta coloured brick panels adorn the walls which are highlighted with exposed wooden beams. The steep roofs are tiled in terracotta shades, and an ornate, copper clad ventilation tower crowns the centre of the building.
At the rear we found a semi-circular tiled pit with embedded iron rungs in the wall, descending to a huge room with piping etc. Clearly this was where part the building's heat exchanger plant was sited. As mentioned before, all the heating requirements right across the entire Beelitz site were dealt with in a central energy generation complex where steam was generated and piped under pressure along subterranean tunnels to each of the buildings.
Sadly many of these tunnels have been bricked up to prevent access to the buildings and/or exposure to the crumbling asbestos insulation on the pipes. Upon arrival the steam was passed through calorifiers which heated all the water for the building, and also heated freshly filtered air - so important in the treatment of TB - before it was forced through ventilation ducts throughout the entire building. As at all of the Beelitz buildings we have visited so far there are a number of highly ornate chimneys built on the rear or sides of this pavilion.
This report covers ONLY the south western sector female pavilion.
REPORT 7 - The south western Female Pavilion...
On the first and last days of our October visit we had managed to get into the famous Beelitz southern Male Pavilion. The first time we had to leave in a rush when we heard someone else coming in, but the second time we managed to complete an amazing explore. Directly across the road from the sector with the male pavilion is a little visited sector where there is a female pavilion, a bath house and a combined kitchen and laundry. We did not know quite what to expect there but were very pleasantly surprised.
This south western quadrant of the site almost appears to be have been forgotten, unlike the other buildings we have so far explored around Beelitz. How odd it was to find these particular buildings at best, poorly barricaded, and in many cases, wide open, after what we had become so used to in all other areas of the site! In our excitement we failed to spot an open door at one end of this female pavilion, so we attempted entry through the badly asbestos polluted cellars instead. Imagine our annoyance when having eventually found a flight of steps up to the ground floor we emerged literally within feet of a wide open door!
Such, as they say, is life!!!
Luckily, after our experience in the bowels of these buildings only weeks before we had chosen to take asbestos respirators with us this time!
The initial impression is that this pavilion is very similar to the corresponding female pavilion located up in the north western quadrant towards the top of the site. But that is not the case - it has no internal baths facility and as such then it has far more in common with it's male counterpart directly over the road in the south eastern quadrant of the site where a separate baths complex was built adjacent to the pavilion. In the case of this pavilion, the baths house is located only a short distance away to the north east just across a small square.
The third and final building in the south western quadrant is located to the north west of the attendant pavilion and alongside the bath house. It was originally built as a combined laundry and kitchens.
Internally there are very obvious signs that all three of these buildings were used by the Soviet occupation forces after the end of the war in 1945, something that does not necessarily hold true for every building at Beelitz - some were to all intents and purposes abandoned and rapidly fell into disrepair. As a consequence of the change of use many of the internal structures such as doorways, arches etc. within these buildings have been altered quite dramatically from the way in which they were originally conceived and constructed around the end of the 19th. century. That said externally everything still appears much as it always has so these buildings are still sublime examples of the aesthetic German architecture of the late Victorian period. Red, cream and terracotta coloured brick panels adorn the walls which are highlighted with exposed wooden beams. The steep roofs are tiled in terracotta shades, and an ornate, copper clad ventilation tower crowns the centre of the building.
At the rear we found a semi-circular tiled pit with embedded iron rungs in the wall, descending to a huge room with piping etc. Clearly this was where part the building's heat exchanger plant was sited. As mentioned before, all the heating requirements right across the entire Beelitz site were dealt with in a central energy generation complex where steam was generated and piped under pressure along subterranean tunnels to each of the buildings.
At intervals along these passageways an access shaft was constructed, capped with a small brick built "hut" at the surface.
Inside the hut a steel staircase descends to the tunnel level.
Inside the hut a steel staircase descends to the tunnel level.
Sadly many of these tunnels have been bricked up to prevent access to the buildings and/or exposure to the crumbling asbestos insulation on the pipes. Upon arrival the steam was passed through calorifiers which heated all the water for the building, and also heated freshly filtered air - so important in the treatment of TB - before it was forced through ventilation ducts throughout the entire building. As at all of the Beelitz buildings we have visited so far there are a number of highly ornate chimneys built on the rear or sides of this pavilion.
The photos...
Here is a selection of the photos we took commencing with the exterior but moving through the building, "tour style" in the same order which we explored it.
Hope you liked the piccies! If you want to see some more then the full set is on our website, linked below.
Thanks for looking...
Here is a selection of the photos we took commencing with the exterior but moving through the building, "tour style" in the same order which we explored it.
This is pretty much the front and centre of the building. At this point the doors and windows are
boarded so we "went to ground" looking for a way in through the cellars. It was a bad move as it turns out!
The ornate chimney peeping out is over the eastern wing...
In detail...
A way in! Sadly not a very useful one as it turned out...
This fan is part of the ventilation system which all of the pavilions have. Steam from the central
generating building was piped over to each building and then the heat from the steam was used to
warm up filtered air to pump around the building.
Seconds out, way in number 2! This tiled, semi circular pit drops down to the ventilation and heating
plantroom at the front of the building. Service corridors run around each building at cellar level but it is not
always possible to get from the corridors into the cellars proper!
And we're in for the second time!
Service tunnels AGAIN!!!
Loosely translated it says, "Draining air space close line 35" so we're guessing it means it is an air exhaust ventilation line!
And guess where we came up when we got out of the service tunnels for the second time...
At least we got in eventually!
Dark and gloomy, and lots of lovely, peely paint!
The back of the main entrance hall and I've just realised it's not painted blue! There's a first!
This is the exercise hall at one end of the ground floor. All pavilions have an exercise hall.
Tonto doing her Marlene Dietrich impression - or is it George Formby?
There was some kind of glittery coppery powder all over the floor here. Dunno what it was...
In the cellars proper within the core of the building now and quite detached from the services cellar level corridors...
Just about the only living thing we saw in this area of Beelitz that day!
Looking up from the ground floor at the highly ornamented ventilation tower on the pavilion roof...
This is THE ONLY ground floor level balcony at Beelitz that is NOT boarded up - RESULT!!!
What must this have looked like when it opened out onto landscaped airing courts and gardens???
Is it Die Besten Von Beelitz? Nein, Es ist das Happy Snapper
This staircase is identical in design other than it's size, to the corresponding staircase in the male pavilion over the road...
Even down to the paint job...
Tthe paint on the upper corridors has had it now due to the damp air...
German original or Soviet add on?
Ever upward...
There appears to be systematic salvage of original roof tiles at Beelitz to maintain the buildings which have been renovated...
This particular graffiti artist is a regular at Beelitz if other surreal works around Beelitz in the same style are anything to go by...
And finally, the way down via some gratuiitous stair porn...
boarded so we "went to ground" looking for a way in through the cellars. It was a bad move as it turns out!
The ornate chimney peeping out is over the eastern wing...
In detail...
A way in! Sadly not a very useful one as it turned out...
This fan is part of the ventilation system which all of the pavilions have. Steam from the central
generating building was piped over to each building and then the heat from the steam was used to
warm up filtered air to pump around the building.
Seconds out, way in number 2! This tiled, semi circular pit drops down to the ventilation and heating
plantroom at the front of the building. Service corridors run around each building at cellar level but it is not
always possible to get from the corridors into the cellars proper!
And we're in for the second time!
Service tunnels AGAIN!!!
Loosely translated it says, "Draining air space close line 35" so we're guessing it means it is an air exhaust ventilation line!
And guess where we came up when we got out of the service tunnels for the second time...
At least we got in eventually!
Dark and gloomy, and lots of lovely, peely paint!
The back of the main entrance hall and I've just realised it's not painted blue! There's a first!
This is the exercise hall at one end of the ground floor. All pavilions have an exercise hall.
Tonto doing her Marlene Dietrich impression - or is it George Formby?
There was some kind of glittery coppery powder all over the floor here. Dunno what it was...
In the cellars proper within the core of the building now and quite detached from the services cellar level corridors...
Just about the only living thing we saw in this area of Beelitz that day!
Looking up from the ground floor at the highly ornamented ventilation tower on the pavilion roof...
This is THE ONLY ground floor level balcony at Beelitz that is NOT boarded up - RESULT!!!
What must this have looked like when it opened out onto landscaped airing courts and gardens???
Is it Die Besten Von Beelitz? Nein, Es ist das Happy Snapper
This staircase is identical in design other than it's size, to the corresponding staircase in the male pavilion over the road...
Even down to the paint job...
Tthe paint on the upper corridors has had it now due to the damp air...
German original or Soviet add on?
Ever upward...
There appears to be systematic salvage of original roof tiles at Beelitz to maintain the buildings which have been renovated...
This particular graffiti artist is a regular at Beelitz if other surreal works around Beelitz in the same style are anything to go by...
And finally, the way down via some gratuiitous stair porn...
Hope you liked the piccies! If you want to see some more then the full set is on our website, linked below.
Thanks for looking...