1970 | Peter Poelzig
Dieffenbachstraße 1, 10967 Berlin
In 1966, the construction of a new municipal hospital in Berlin began with a foundation stone laid by then-Mayor Willy Brandt on June 15. The hospital, designed by architect Peter Poelzig, was inaugurated on August 28, 1970, by President Gustav Heinemann. The facility was constructed in reinforced concrete skeletal frame and featured a supply and treatment section and a nine-story V-shaped bed house rising 50 meters above the ground.
In 1971, the former Gertraudenhospital was integrated into the newly named Klinikum am Urban. By 1976, it became a teaching hospital of the Free University. In 1981, an intensive care unit with surgical suites was added. Extensive remodeling and expansion took place in 1987, and in 1994, a helicopter pad was introduced, operational until 2008 before being replaced by a green space.
Post-reunification, the Berlin hospital landscape underwent restructuring, which included a planned reduction of Am Urban’s bed capacity from 1,300 beds in 1990 by 300 beds. This restructuring also planned the closure of the Wartenburgstraße department and the relocation of a burns center opened in 1987 to the Accident Hospital Berlin-Marzahn.
In 1996, a construction assessment suggested renovations costing around 375 million Deutsche Mark (equivalent to approximately 310.8 million euros today), leading to potential closure threats due to cost pressures from health insurance associations. This prompted employee protests and the formation of the "pro Urban" initiative advocating for the hospital's preservation. Despite various renovation proposals, a 1998 health insurance association report recommended the hospital's closure, which again triggered protests, including a spectacular display of white bed sheets and a candlelight vigil by 2,000 people, emphasizing community support with over 50,000 citizens petitioning to keep the hospital open. These protests succeeded, and the hospital’s closure was not included in the 1999 budget plan approved by Berlin’s House of Representatives.
In 2001, the state-owned Berlin hospital operator Vivantes took over the management of Am Urban Hospital.
Sources: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivantes_Klinikum_Am_Urban#Neubau
Photos: Eric Bauermeister
