THE MAD, THE BAD AND THE LINE 68
Today in Berlin: 4 February 4, 1880
On February 4, 1880 one Berlin’s four large asylums, Irrenanstalt Dalldorf, opened in a small village north of the city - a quiet place known then as Dalldorf.
Berlin chose the land just outside the village - and their property - as the ultimate location for their new psychiatric clinic. The purchase deed was signed in 1869.
This was not Berlin’s first land acquisition in this neighbourhood: in the early 1820s the city paid for another property owned partly by Dalldorf: the woods known as the Jungfernheide. This land was used to build a shooting range for the Prussian army. If you want to see the place today, you must travel to the former Otto-Lilienthal-Airport aka Flughafen Tegel - this is where Dalldorf once had the say.
The new asylum was designed by a renowned municipal architect and one of the city councillors, Hermann Blankenstein (who also happened to be the man behind most of Berlin’s hospitals, schools and other public buildings). In Dalldorf Blankenstein created one of the most advanced institutions for mentally ill in Europe. First patients moved in on February 6, 1880.
Right now you might be asking yourself: “But where exactly is Dalldorf?”.
It does still exist. But in 1905 the medieval village changed its name to Wittenau (after a popular head of local council, Peter Witte) - they did so to stop being mocked as the "village of the mad". Ironically, the asylum followed suit and changed its name, too. The mockery and jokes continued as before.
Here is one:
From January 10, 1924 a new Berlin tram line - number"68" - connected Wittenau with Lichtenberg. It happened to run between two asylums: Irrenanstalt Dalldorf and Irrenanstalt Herzberge (today’s KEH - Königin-Elizabeth-Herzberge hospital).
So whenever a visitor to Berlin or someone who did not know their way around the city asked for directions, friendly Berliners replied: "Just take the ‘68’ - it'll take you straight where you need to go."
Today the former Irrenanstalt Dalldorf is better known as “Bonnies Ranch”: after its 1930s doctor and director, Karl Bonhoeffer (quite controversial as involved in Nazi euthanasia programme T4).
The official name, however, is Vivantes Humboldt-Klinikum.
Many thanks for reading my Berlin Companion. As always, please comment, follow and share. You can also show your appreciation by buying me a coffee (or paying my tram fare for the next “68”;-))
Nice post. Did the Kremmener Bahn run along the route of today's Ringbahn?
'Er ist von Dalldorf' = he's crazy. In London there was Colney Hatch which also inspired jokes, and also changed its name, in this instance to Friern Barnet. The old asylum has been turned into luxury flats.