The Sanatorium in the Mountains (Part 3)

This is the final post about the Order of St. John's sanatorium deep in the forest of the German Harz Mountains.
After expanding to 130 beds in 1927, 35 more followed in 1930, and in 1938, the final expansion to 180 beds was completed.
The sanatorium was continuously running during World War II.
In 1951, the last lung operations were conducted at the facility, and due to better hygienic conditions the number of patients decreased until in 1967, the church of Saxony was informed that the sanatorium had to be closed instantly, so on Dec. 31st, 1967, the facility closed forever...
...until in 1968, the East German NVA ("National People's Army") took over and used the building as a recreation facility for all ranks of the army.
In fact, it was rumored that the patients weren't there for their health at all, but rather indulged in laziness, so the clinic was silently nicknamed "Sloth Farm" by the people in eastern Germany.
After the German reunification in 1990, the property situation remained unclear and the building started to decay.
Today, a caretaker lives on the premises. He has a pack of 9 Greenland Dogs, the largest pack of its kind in Europe, and he takes them to sled dog races around the world.
Photographers and dog lovers are always welcome!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Revisit | Revisit 2 | Revisit 3