EVERYTHING IS SOMEWHERE: FRAUEN-SIECHENANSTALT IN GITSCHINER STRASSE
Simple quotes are the best. And almost always the truest.
What I heard once while watching the British crime-series Luther (there, now you know where all my life wisdom comes from) seems to be more than just a belief.
Everything IS somewhere. Despite the claim made in my post about the Frauen-Siechenanstalt in Gitschiner Strasse that no trace is left of the place today and although physically there is, indeed, none, I stumbled upon a photo where you can still very much see it after Berlin-Friedrichstadt (the part of Kreuzberg north of the canal with Mehringplatz today) was turned into a pile of rubble.
Here is a photo found on the web page of panzer-archiv.de – not the most likely choice for my daily browsing but definitely an unbelievably rich and informative place to visit.
The photo presents Hallesches Tor in what is most probably early or late 1945. In the top right corner, above the U1 viaduct you can see the the Patent Office and directly to its left stand the bright ruins of the former Frauen-Siechenanstalt´s house.
Hallesches Tor with fortifications supposed to stop the Soviet tanks. (source: panzer-archiv.de, further sources unknown)
Jonny Whitlam Photography
