New Urban Relics
februari 13, 2026
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Because of the expansive hills and forests surrounding Schierke, the little town quickly became known as a place where one could fully enjoy 'healthy air'. At a time when spas were booming, it was only a matter of time before the first spa hotels appeared here. This one, built between 1909 and 1912 in the hamlet of Barenberg, opened its doors as 'Villa Waldpark' in 1912. The spa was short-lived, for merely a few years later, during World War II, it was converted into a military hospital.
In 1924, the building was expanded with a dining room and, after renovations, was renamed the 'Barenberger Hof' hotel. From then on, it was used as a vacation home, or 'Erholungsheim'. The building remained in use by successive owners until German reunification in 1989. Since then, it has remained empty. A Berlin investment group purchased the dilapidated building with the intention of restoring it to its former glory and re-operating it as a hotel. So far these plans have amounted to nothing, and the building soon fell prey to vandals and arsonists. Renovation work ground to a halt as quickly as it had begun, and it increasingly appears that 'Villa Waldpark' will be demolished.
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