Exploring an old mental institution built in 1903.

Описание: In this video, I explore the interior of an abandoned psychiatric hospital, a place deeply connected to the early history of mental health care in Estonia.

The building is predominantly two stories high, with an L-shaped ground plan and was a steep red-tiled roof, designed in the Heimatstil architectural style. Despite its original function as a treatment facility, the structure has a distinctly villa-like appearance, both in scale and composition.

The façade is asymmetrical, reflecting the influence of Art Nouveau, and rests on a limestone base. Above the stone plinth runs a wide horizontal band of red brick extending up to the window level, contrasted by light plastered surfaces interrupted by vertical red-brick accents. The gabled sections beneath the eaves feature decorative half-timbering motifs, applied in plaster, with patterns that vary across the building.

The main entrance is set back into the façade beneath a recessed arch, creating a subtle sense of transition from the outside world into the interior. Above the entrance, arched windows open into the main staircase, while the remaining windows are arranged horizontally. The window openings are elongated in shape and display varied and distinctive frame divisions, adding to the building’s irregular, almost unsettling character.

Originally, the interior spaces were luxuriously designed. Much of this richness still survives today. The vestibule retains its curved staircase and a two-story Art Nouveau–framed glass wall, along with original wood paneling, decorative window divisions, and ornamental doors. Both the first- and second-floor foyers contain painted fireplaces, once intended to bring warmth and comfort to the space. From the foyer, there was originally direct access to a terrace facing the inner courtyard.

Even in its current state, the building conveys a sense of former elegance — a place where beauty and care were once meant to coexist, now slowly reclaimed by silence and decay.

History
According to the 1881 census of the Governorate of Estonia, 4.3% of the population was classified as mentally ill, yet there were no specialized institutions for treatment at the time. The idea of creating a modern psychiatric hospital came from a voluntary organization, and in 1897, under the leadership of Countess Elise von Sievers of Raasiku, the Estonian Society for the Care of the Mentally Ill was founded. Its goal was to establish treatment and care facilities for people suffering from epilepsy and mental disabilities.

In 1898, Baroness Marie Girard de Soucanton donated the Seewald summer manor to the society. The hospital officially opened in 1903, and between 1911 and 1945 it was known as the Hospital for Nervous and Mental Diseases “Seewald”. The hospital’s first chief physician was Dr. Ernst von Kügelgen.

Because of this long history, the name “Seewald” became deeply rooted in local language. Even today, people often use the word colloquially to refer to psychiatric clinics in general, including the current psychiatric clinic of North Estonia Medical Centre located in the same area.

The site is also marked by tragedy. On February 10, 1996, a fire broke out in the third treatment building of the Tallinn Psychoneurological Hospital. Nine patients lost their lives, and dozens were injured.


⚠️ This video is for documentary and historical purposes only.