Urban Exploration - The Implosion Hospital

We received photos from a traveler and compiled them into a historical summary.

Here is a visit to a former abandoned hospital, and what a place it is... Suffice it to say, this was a memorable visit. Let me explain in detail.

This former hospice was built in 1660 and began its service about ten years later. The architectural complex is composed of a chapel, central to the building, and several wings. These annexes form the right and left wings in relation to the chapel.

The solarium, located below, holds strictly no architectural interest. As for the maternity ward, it was demolished to make way for a parking project which, five years later, has still not seen the light of day.

The core of the construction is made of wooden beams. The building is shifting, irremediably pulled down by the slope, while simultaneously being attacked by dry rot (mérule). As a result, almost all the upper floors are collapsing. The entire structure is crumbling inward toward the chapel.

One could say the building is currently undergoing a slow-motion implosion. This makes the premises remarkably dangerous. Entirely collapsed floorboards, cracked ground; if it's falling down on its own, what will happen when we walk through?

Comparing photos of the chapel from 2017 to its condition today, the degradation is extremely significant and, above all, remarkably fast. Everything suggests that the site is now irredeemably lost, despite its futile classification as a Historical Monument (MH).

The rooms are empty, but the vast scale of the space leaves a pleasant impression. It is a surprising and quite beautiful visit. Extreme precautions must be taken when exploring—perhaps even those aren't enough, and the whole endeavor is, in the end, unreasonable.

The hospital features very vast cellars across several levels, but no underground tunnels. The last occupied section, the CMP (Mental Health Center) in the southernmost building, closed in 2016. Perched on its hillside, the edifice offers a splendid view of the surrounding valleys.