Established in 1875 the Vivantes Wenckebach-Klinikum in Berlin has a rich history. Initially it served as the Royal Garrison Hospital II. Architects Martin Gropius and Heino Schmieden designed this impressive structure. They previously designed a hospital in Friedrichshain.
The Vivantes Wenckebach-Klinikum opened on April 1 1878. It boasted 508 beds. Situated on a vast 90000 square meter plot it stood northeast of Tempelhofer Dorfaue. The hospital was connected to the Imperial Continental Gas Association’s gas supply. Soldiers could also reach it easily via the Great Berlin Horse Railway. This ran from Dohnhoffplatz to Tempelhof.
During the Weimar Republic and Nazi era the Vivantes Wenckebach-Klinikum functioned as a military hospital. It primarily served military personnel. In the 1930s the grounds expanded to Colditzstrasse. With World War II’s beginning it became Reserve Hospital 122. Its capacity increased from 450 to over 800 beds.
After the Red Army’s capture of Berlin in June 1945 it reopened. It was renamed the Tempelhof City Hospital with 248 beds. Tempelhof district gained its first hospital. This was because the St Josef Hospital opened in 1928 under church patronage.
Willy Dunkel led the Tempelhof hospital. He had been a chief surgeon since 1939. Helga Mucke-Wittbrodt joined in August 1945 as the second medical director. Following Dunkel’s departure Benedikt Hummel briefly headed the surgical department.
In 1946 a nursing school opened on the grounds. Bertha Kaboth directed it. It was Berlin’s only nursing school. Mucke-Wittbrodt who was an SED city councilor was dismissed in 1948 during the Berlin Blockade.
In 1951 the former military hospital was renamed. It honored Dutch internist Karel Frederik Wenckebach. Due to complex ownership issues basic construction didn’t begin until the late 1950s. The Reichsfiskus the army was the owner.
From 1958 Wolfdietrich Germer became medical director. He was also the chief physician in the internal medicine department. Germer was a leading expert in virology immunology and tropical medicine.
Around 1994 the Vivantes Wenckebach-Klinikum had 539 beds. Since 2001 it’s part of the Vivantes group. It’s also an academic teaching hospital for Charité. In 2016 the hospital employed 100 physicians and 210 nurses. They cared for approximately 21000 patients. The hospital had 423 beds.
In March 2020 a contact point for suspected SARS-CoV-2 cases was set up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020 Vivantes announced plans to transform the Wenckebach-Klinikum into an outpatient center. Clinical areas were to be relocated to the Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum. The Vivantes Wenckebach-Klinikum continues to serve Berlin. Its legacy as a hospital is one of dedication service and innovation.