“Once a place of spinning threads, now a haven of healing hands” I’d say about the Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg. This building has seen quite a transformation over the centuries. Its story is woven into the very fabric of Klosterneuburg.
Let’s step back in time. The oldest part of the Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg was built in the 17th century. Imagine, if you will, the rhythmic whir of spinning wheels. From 1766, this was no quiet place of contemplation. It was a bustling factory. Threads were spun and fabrics woven. Barchent and lace were produced within these walls.
But times change. In 1853, the building took on a new role. It became Klosterneuburg’s civic hospital. A new pavilion was added in 1869. It was then transformed into an asylum.
Enter Julius Tandler and Cardinal Friedrich Gustav Piffl. In 1921, they initiated another significant change. The Meidlinger Women’s Hospital moved here. This became the Klosterneuburg Heilanstalt. It cared for women and girls with venereal diseases. Sisters of the Caritas Socialis provided care.
Did you know the Heilanstalt even had its own fire brigade until 1923? It disbanded itself after the management forbade them from responding to a fire in Höflein an der Donau. Seems a bit harsh.
Between 1934 and 1944, the Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg housed several departments. There was aftercare for venereal diseases. There was also an old people’s home. And a workhouse for girls from Vienna. It was known as the Erziehungsanstalt für Mädchen.
In 1957, the Caritas Socialis took over the home’s management. It served as an educational and old people’s home. It also had a special department for women with venereal diseases. The City of Vienna took over administration in 1971. In 2001, it was renamed Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg.
There’s a story about a property exchange too. In 1995, Vienna’s mayor Michael Häupl and Lower Austria’s governor signed an agreement. Vienna transferred its half-ownership of the Niederösterreichisches Landhaus to Lower Austria. In return, Vienna received Lower Austria’s shares of this nursing home, property on Donauinsel Nord, and the district authority building in Alserbachstraße.
In October 2015, the Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg moved to Vienna. It is now part of the Pflegewohnhaus Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus.
At its Klosterneuburg location, the Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg had about 200 patients cared for by 250 staff members. It featured seven stations. One was for dementia patients with a strong urge to move. Another was a palliative care station.
So, as you stand here, remember the many lives touched by the Geriatriezentrum Klosterneuburg. From factory workers to patients needing care, this place has been a constant in a changing world.