Children's Home "Lumberjack"
This abandoned children's home was built in 1910 by a lawyer from Hamburg as a spacious guest house. The estate was idyllically situated in the forest on a plot of around 4 hectares with several buildings. It was initially a private rest home that served wealthier guests as a summer retreat.
In 1927, the Workers' Welfare Association (AWO) took over the institution. The organization developed the grounds into a boarding school for girls. The aim was to provide young women from socially disadvantaged families with schooling and domestic training.
During this time, the home was used for educational purposes, but was also run commercially, for example with gardening and farming for self-sufficiency.
When the National Socialists seized power in 1933, the AWO came under pressure as a social democratic organization. The estate was expropriated and the home was used for other purposes during this time - including as a military hospital and military accommodation during the Second World War. There is evidence that it was used in part by Nazi organizations, as was the case with many other homes at the time.
After the war, the site was returned to the AWO. The organization set up a curative education home there for children and young people with behavioural problems or traumatized children. The estate was extensively modernized and expanded in the following decades. The educational work was strongly influenced by reformist pedagogical approaches and the after-effects of home education in the 1950s and 70s.
Looking back, many former residents report ambivalent experiences: some praise the care and education, others report strict discipline, a lack of attention or even abuse - as was unfortunately also common in other institutions of this kind in the post-war period.
The home was closed in 1990 for economic and structural reasons. Since then, the buildings have increasingly stood empty. A new owner tried several times to use the site for various projects, but failed.
Several forced sales took place, but the high debts of over 13 million euros prevented a sale. Today, the site is run-down and many of the buildings are dilapidated or in danger of collapsing.
The children's home is now a lost place - a destination for photographers, alumni and local historians.
Visited: January 31, 2021
Location: Undisclosed, Germany
Status: Abandoned
