Guided tour with Dr Angela Pfennig | Admission: 9 euros | Meeting point: Stralsund | Große Parower Straße 47–53, main entrance to the hospital

The Stralsund Hospital am Sund is surrounded by gardens with a history stretching back 150 years. It is also situated in a magnificent landscape right on the Strelasund, with views across to the island of Rügen. The gardens of the Krankenhaus am Sund were laid out in 1938 as part of the construction of the naval hospital, based on designs by one of the most significant German landscape architects of the 20th century – Hermann Mattern. By incorporating the mature trees from Beckers Park – a former site of the paint factory that had previously stood on the grounds – a remarkable harmony was achieved between the architecture, the park and the landscape. The park, with its magnificent, loosely scattered groups of trees along the edges and its spacious lawn featuring a fountain and perennial beds, offered patients a soothing outdoor retreat. It was also used for cultural and sporting events. A market garden supplied the hospital with fruit and vegetables.

The park, with its venerable trees, retained its historic garden layout right up until the 1990s. In 2002, large sections of the hospital grounds were built over to make way for an operating theatre block, and the courtyards between the hospital’s wings underwent significant redesign. The garden at the former chief physician’s house – which has been home to the ‘Schatzkiste’ nursery since 2016 – was redesigned as a play area and open space to meet the children’s needs. Picturesquely situated amidst old trees on the high bank, the tea pavilion – built at the instigation of the paint factory owner Carl Becker – stands as the last surviving garden structure from Becker’s Park.

During the guided tour, the original concept of the hospital gardens and their historical development will be explained.