Anatomy Institute
The Anatomy Institute has been demolished, long live the Anatomy Institute. I guess they wanted to destroy the evidence. Below is the original post from 2014 and 2017 for archival purposes.
Abgehackt
You expect decaying corpses, chopped up bodies, putrid specimens of flesh, the remains of fevered experiments, but all the evidence is gone, surgically removed. Even the flies have left. Or so it seems…
Some clues remain, hinting at a choppy past. Tiled rooms, laboratories, dissecting tables, display cases, strange contraptions, eerie auditoriums, projector rooms, hurriedly scribbled notes, telephones for contact with the outside world, sinks, desks, chairs, cabinets, files, a toilet brush, former lab rats. Put them together and there can be no mistake – this place was once dedicated to the gruesome field of anatomy.
Downstairs would send a chill down your back, as indeed the cold steel scalpels must have done to their victims. This is where the corpses were stored, kept fresh in stainless steel fridges stacked like pigeonholes.
It must have been so convenient for the students to come down and take their pick. Which dead body will I slice and poke today? The blood from their fiendish hacking would simply wash away on the sloped dissecting tables. Then they’d try desperately to wash the guilt away at the convenient tableside sinks.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
No, dear students, it never goes away.
This, to be precise, was Freie Universität Berlin’s Institute of Anatomy before it upped sticks in 2005 for snazzier facilities in Mitte. The writing was on the wall – and I’m not referring to the graffiti which has made its way there since – when the college’s medical faculties were merged with Humboldt-Universität’s under the auspices of the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin university hospital in 2003.
FU Berlin – as it was rudely known, though I’m told that stood for “Free University of Berlin” – was formed in 1948 because there was no longer a university in West Berlin following the division of the city after the war.
Maybe they really did mean “FU Berlin” in reference to the East.
The Institute of Anatomy moved into the building designed by Ernst Huntemüller on Nov. 20, 1949, and its students quickly got to work, chopping up the corpses stored in the cool rooms and generally engaging in dubious behavior with people who were no longer in a position to object.
The building itself was built in 1929 but apparently that wasn’t in a position to object either.
It’s been abandoned since 2005, and thrashed to a certain extent in the meantime, though not as much as you’d expect. Perhaps the lab rats have learned to defend their abode now that they’ve broken free of its cruel shackles. Maybe the ghosts of tortured souls still roam the campus corridors to ensure no more scientifically minded students dare enter with dissecting scissors, scalpels, pins or forceps.
The 5,100 square meter site has been acquired by Aldi Nord, but the discount supermarket chain’s plan to build a shopping center there has run into difficulties with the district office.
Local politicians want to protect the established Kaiser’s at Dahlem and “Das Schloss” (The Castle), a shopping center at Rathaus Steglitz, according to Berliner Woche.
Usually Berlin’s politicians don’t give a damn – the more supermarkets the merrier – but evidently the existing retail outlets are worried about the competition and have made friends in high places.
Perhaps the lab rats and tortured souls have lent their support too. After more than 50 years of hacking, snipping, clipping, tearing, scaling and being turned inside out, you couldn’t blame them for wanting a quiet life.
LOCATION AND ACCESS (HOW TO FIND GUIDE)
What: Freie Universität Berlin’s former Institute of Anatomy. Its days have been dissected to the point of no return.
Where: Königin-Luise-Straße 15, 14195 Berlin, Germany
How to get there: It’s a decent walk from either S-Bahnhof Rathaus Steglitz or S-Bahnhof Botanischer Garten. If you opt for the latter you could also check out the fine gardens on your way back. If you’re more into shops and gaudy commercialism, opt for the former. The S1 goes to both, and the anatomy college is to the west of both of them. I could give detailed instructions but here’s a map instead.
Getting in: Your best option is to get in past the fence beside the gate on Peter-Lenne-Straße. It bends very easily, You don’t even need to go over it – as I realized once I’d gone over it. Just push it back and you’re in. The back door is open. Fresh specimens are always welcome.
When to go: I suspect a party here would be very quickly discovered by the snooty neighbors. Before you have your second beer cracked open they’ll have the Polizei on your tail. Not even the lab rats will protect you then. If anything, they’ll be the ones ratting you out. No, best to go during the day while they’re still groggy from their shenanigans the night before. Watch out for the nosy builders on the other side of Peter-Lenne-Straße. It’s bad enough with the rats ratting you out…
Difficulty rating: 3/10 Very easy. I’ve given it a couple of extra marks for the diligence required not to be observed by builders, passers-by or nosy neighbors.
Who to bring: It’s not a very romantic place so leave your girlfriend/boyfriend at home. Bring your pals if you want a party. Bring your dog if you think there’s still a chance of sniffing out old corpses.
What to bring: A scalpel if you’re optimistic and sadistic. I say leave the corpses alone. They’ve suffered enough. Bring beer if you want beer, wine if you want wine, and mint leaves, limes, brown sugar, soda water, ice and rum if you want mojitos. Bring a camera if you want to take pictures. Bring a torch too.
Dangers: The usual. It’s not inherently dangerous if you don’t mind being chopped up.
Filed 5/4/2014 | Updated 18/4/2017