This remote site is located high up in the Balkan Mountains, right in the heart of Bulgaria.
It was built in 1930, and originally served as a children's hospital. It was believed that the clean mountain air was particularly good for the health, and so this facility catered especially for children with lung problems such as tuberculosis. After enjoying a heyday during the communist regime, a lack of funding towards the end of the twentieth century led the site to fall into decline; in the space of a few decades it went from being a prestigious hospital, to a total ruin.
After a fire caused heavy damage to the site, it was finally closed down in the late 1980s. Before long it was stripped completely bare by looters. Even the electric wires have been pulled out of the walls, leaving a pattern of deep grooves in the plaster.
It's an interesting site to explore - featuring a dining hall, kitchens, one large communal shower room, an overgrown garden and row upon row of tiny dormitories.
One flight of concrete steps even leads up into the roof, where most of the tiles have now fallen away to leave bare, exposed beams. From here you can even climb out onto parts of the roof itself, and enjoy the spectacular view out over the valley below – and beyond that, the mountains fading away into the distance.
For more photos check out the full report on The Bohemian Blog: The Old Orphanage: A Derelict Children’s Hospital in the Balkans
Cheers!
DR.
It was built in 1930, and originally served as a children's hospital. It was believed that the clean mountain air was particularly good for the health, and so this facility catered especially for children with lung problems such as tuberculosis. After enjoying a heyday during the communist regime, a lack of funding towards the end of the twentieth century led the site to fall into decline; in the space of a few decades it went from being a prestigious hospital, to a total ruin.
After a fire caused heavy damage to the site, it was finally closed down in the late 1980s. Before long it was stripped completely bare by looters. Even the electric wires have been pulled out of the walls, leaving a pattern of deep grooves in the plaster.
It's an interesting site to explore - featuring a dining hall, kitchens, one large communal shower room, an overgrown garden and row upon row of tiny dormitories.
One flight of concrete steps even leads up into the roof, where most of the tiles have now fallen away to leave bare, exposed beams. From here you can even climb out onto parts of the roof itself, and enjoy the spectacular view out over the valley below – and beyond that, the mountains fading away into the distance.
For more photos check out the full report on The Bohemian Blog: The Old Orphanage: A Derelict Children’s Hospital in the Balkans
Cheers!
DR.
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