Sanatorium Delirium / dans la Foret, France 2015
After many fails and trekking halfway across France, we made it here. There was a hunt going on in the woods so every track we came across had a man with a rifle sending you the other way. We finally found a way in, ducking each time a rifle sounded. I stated that we must make a beeline for the morgue as this was the main reason I wanted to see the place, however once drawn in by the main building we totally lost track of our goal.
About an hour later as I realised I had not yet seen the morgue we started to head down the stairs, we heard a lot of voices and shouting, a quick peek out of the window revealed approximately fifty odd men dressed head to toe in army gear with big guns. France was either at war or Air-soft was the plan for half of France today.
Not long after we were surrounded by lots of French men, and to give them credit I do feel that they were more concerned about our safety than interrupting there game. After a lot of confused shouting and attempted conversation, THE BOSS arrived, who happened to be very nice, he escorted us of the site and we were left pondering what we had missed.
History
France wanted to use its very sick away from its general hospitals, so plans were put afoot to construct this large sanatorium of 336,000 square meters to house a total of 250 beds between two buildings, one for men, and the other for women.
The first building was completed at a cost of 1,600,000 francs and construction started on 13 July 1894, it opened in August 1900 with a capacity of 164 beds.
The second building opened in 1928 and brought the total capacity of the sanatorium to 320. During the First World War the sanatorium was requisitioned and reserved exclusively for women.
The 3-storey hospital buildings consist of a large building, open in a U-shape with two wings and outside seating areas running along one side. The sanatorium was evacuated after being bombed during the Second World War on 19 May 1940, but reopened in August of that year.
In 1967 the ground floor was converted into inpatient units, closed in 1997.
About an hour later as I realised I had not yet seen the morgue we started to head down the stairs, we heard a lot of voices and shouting, a quick peek out of the window revealed approximately fifty odd men dressed head to toe in army gear with big guns. France was either at war or Air-soft was the plan for half of France today.
Not long after we were surrounded by lots of French men, and to give them credit I do feel that they were more concerned about our safety than interrupting there game. After a lot of confused shouting and attempted conversation, THE BOSS arrived, who happened to be very nice, he escorted us of the site and we were left pondering what we had missed.
History
France wanted to use its very sick away from its general hospitals, so plans were put afoot to construct this large sanatorium of 336,000 square meters to house a total of 250 beds between two buildings, one for men, and the other for women.
The first building was completed at a cost of 1,600,000 francs and construction started on 13 July 1894, it opened in August 1900 with a capacity of 164 beds.
The second building opened in 1928 and brought the total capacity of the sanatorium to 320. During the First World War the sanatorium was requisitioned and reserved exclusively for women.
The 3-storey hospital buildings consist of a large building, open in a U-shape with two wings and outside seating areas running along one side. The sanatorium was evacuated after being bombed during the Second World War on 19 May 1940, but reopened in August of that year.
In 1967 the ground floor was converted into inpatient units, closed in 1997.