In the late 19th century, industrialization was in full swing, the air in the cities was very bad, and countless people were victims of tuberculosis. Before the discovery of antibiotics, there was little more to offer as a treatment than to take the seriously ill to pulmonary sanatoriums. These sanatoriums sprang up in large numbers in the catchment areas of major industrial cities, but were usually built in wooded areas outside the cities, because it was known that peace and quiet and good air greatly improved the chances of the disease curing itself.

The pictures I show here are from a lesser known facility that opened in 1900 and was essentially created for workers in the textile industry. Until the 1970s, the hospital was specialized in lung diseases, and later added other specialties. After the German reunification it was lastly an orthopedic hospital. Since the buildings met the modern requirements of a hospital less and less, they met the same fate as most hospitals from that time, namely vacancy and decay. There were plans to continue using the building as a home for the elderly, but monument preservation orders prevented the addition of exterior elevators, so the plans were scrapped. The future is uncertain, and so this is another example of counterproductive monument protection.