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Thurgauisch-Schaffhausische 
Heilstätte TSH

Contemporary documents

Floor plan of the Queen Alexandra Sanatorium 1904

QAS-Grundrisse.JPG

History

  • From 1883 to 1895 there was a home for impoverished tuberculosis patients in Davos Dorf. The “Haus in der Wiese” was then continued as the “Davos Invalids Home” by a committee led by Sir Hermann Weber from the German Hospital in London.

  • In 1898, this committee acquired property on the “Grüeni” in order to build an English sanatorium for the less well-off in Davos.

  • In 1904, Grüenistrasse was built as an entrance, and on November 15, 1909, the “Queen Alexandra Sanatorium” began operations with 54 single beds.

  • From 1906 to 1909 the building was planned and built by the architects Pfleghard & Haefeli from Zurich with the collaboration of Robert Maillart - the famous bridge builder. British and American citizens who could not afford the prices of hotels or guesthouses in Davos were admitted as patients and were admitted by a committee examiner in London.

  • As early as 1911, the building was able to be expanded by 50 beds with a second wing on the slope, but had to be closed during the First World War.

  • After Thurgau lung and tuberculosis patients were sent to various Alpine regions for treatment at the beginning of the 20th century, a commission tried to acquire its own Thurgau folk sanatorium. Among several properties, the “Queen Alexandra Sanatorium” ultimately remained.

  • In 1922, the property and its furniture were acquired by the Thurgau Community Society with financial participation from the two cantons of Thurgau and Schaffhausen for a price of 800,000 francs.

  • In 1934, a separate doctor's house was built according to plans by Rudolf Gaberel.

  • From 1954 to 1956, the TSH was expanded according to plans by the architectural firm Krähenbühl & Bühler (with advice from Gaberel) while the sanatorium was still in operation.

  • In 1954 a new staff house was built with an administrator's apartment, 36 nurses' and employees' rooms and garage boxes.

  • In 1956 the sunbathing terraces were widened and the south facade was renovated. The patient rooms were renovated and received new sanitary facilities. However, this expansion exceeded the financial possibilities of the TG non-profit organization.

  • 1958 The sanatorium was converted into a foundation.

  • However, in the 1960s, the sanatorium began to decline as new medical developments and antibiotics made tuberculosis treatment unnecessary.

  • From 1983 onwards, the existing infrastructure for the care of athletes and squad athletes was managed by chief physician Dr. Beat Villiger has also been used since 1986 for patients with chronic skin diseases.

  • With the Health Insurance Act of 1996, the costs - compared to subsidized hospitals and rehabilitation clinics - became too expensive from the insurer's point of view.

Today

  • In November 2004, the significant reduction in occupancy led to the board of trustees deciding to close it. The property then changed hands twice. The building today is mostly empty and is only used as accommodation by the military during the World Economic Forum.

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