Vojenská nemocnice

Could a hospital be a birthday present? In the case of Vojenská nemocnice, the answer is a resounding yes. This impressive institution, now a cornerstone of Prague’s medical landscape, owes its existence to a birthday celebration. In 1925, the Czech parliament decided to gift President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk a new military hospital for his 75th birthday. This act of generosity, formalized by Act No. 68/1925 Coll., merged the General Hospital in Prague and the Military Hospital in Prague 2, birthing the Masaryk Military Hospital. Vojenská nemocnice, as it’s known today, wasn’t immediately realized. Construction began in March 1936, with the first phase completed in 1938. This phase delivered the main building, housing surgical and internal clinics, a boiler house, and accommodations for military personnel. The price tag? A hefty 33,240,000 Czech Crowns. Vojenská nemocnice officially opened on August 1, 1938, receiving its first patients a month later. Grand plans for expansion were interrupted by the onset of World War II. The German army occupied the hospital, transforming it into Reserve Lazaret I, Prag. Its capacity swelled to 2000 beds with the addition of nine wooden buildings, specializing in urology and facial reconstructive surgery. A dramatic shift occurred in April 1945 when rebel forces, followed by pre-war commander Colonel MD. Herman Vanis, briefly reclaimed Vojenská nemocnice. The Soviet Red Army then took control until August 10, 1945. Post-war, Vojenská nemocnice embraced a new role as a training and educational center, hosting the School of Pharmacy and Health Officers and restoring the Military Medical School. A two-year nursing program was added for nurses returning with the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps from the Soviet Union. The changing political landscape of 1948 led to the hospital’s renaming as the Central Military Hospital in 1951, under direct control of the Czechoslovak People’s Army. It became a postgraduate training center for doctors from the Military Medical Academy in Hradec Králové and finally saw the completion of its planned construction, including a Nurses’ Home and Infant School. Despite the challenges and changes, Vojenská nemocnice consistently served as a prominent medical facility, its high standards of professionalism and specialization unwavering even through the occupation of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution.