Heilig-Geist-Spital

Of the Heilig-Geist-Spital, one of three medieval hospitals serving the twin town Berlin-Koelln, only the brick-Gothic Holy Spirit Chapel survives today — one of the oldest standing buildings in all of Berlin. The hospital stood on the west side of Spandauer Strasse near the long-vanished Spandauer Tor and from the 13th century onward cared for the elderly and the sick. The chapel, dating from around 1300, was incorporated in the 20th century into the new Handelshochschule and later the Humboldt University Faculty of Economics; today it appears wedged into the modern shell, a stone witness to medieval Berlin. The interior opens only for occasional tours, but the unassuming brick block can be viewed from the street at any time.