Berlin: Charité Hospital Walking Tour of Medical History｜Germany

The tour opens with the story of the hospital’s foundation in 1710, when it was first built as a simple plague house to protect against the approaching epidemic. In the early days of the hospital, methods such as bloodletting, doses of mercury and amputations were common in treating the sick. A visit to the Veterinary Theatre, the oldest academic building still in existence in Berlin, provides fascinating insight into how the ailments of the city’s livestock and cavalry horses were explored in the 18th century.

The tour circumnavigates the historical neo-gothic campus of the Charité, where medical pioneers like Robert Koch and Rudolf Virchow made groundbreaking discoveries. But Charité is also a symbol of social progress, being the place where Rachel Hirsch became the first woman to hold a medical professorship in Prussia. Her appointment in 1913 marked a significant step forward for women in medicine, reflecting the shifting social attitudes of the early 20th century, despite the resistance she faced within the institution.

The hospital also witnessed a dark chapter under the Nazi regime. Medical ethics were disregarded and ideas of racial hygiene were ruthlessly imposed. While some doctors kept quiet, others actively organised the extermination of psychiatric patients. In subsequent decades, East Germany prided itself on the achievements of the Charité, while also bricking up those windows that faced the capitalist West.

This tour finishes close to the Central Station, making it the perfect place to continue exploring Berlin. Please dress warmly in cold weather as most of the tour takes place outside!