Submit page search
Close menu
Please enter keywords and NOT complete sentences, as the search function would otherwise search for every single word.
Please enter your desired search term. After entering three letters, you will receive suggestions for your search term. You can expand the result by entering further letters. When you select a search term from the list, a preview is displayed on the right-hand side. Press Return or click on the magnifying glass to switch to the search results page.
Website is automatically translated.
The Canadian Armed Forces hospital and a dental clinic were housed in several barracks on the airfield. In 1991, a new hospital was built near Hohbergsee. In 1994, Kraichgau Klinik AG took over the hospital, which was converted into a cardiac clinic of national importance (today MediClin).
In the residential and supply area of the airfield (today's western area), there was a Canadian Armed Forces hospital and a dental clinic in several barracks that had already been built by the French troops in 1951. These provisional buildings did not meet the structural or medical requirements of the large number of stationed soldiers and their families. Repeated inspections described the condition as clearly outdated; some of the walls and installations were so damaged that orderly operations could hardly be guaranteed.
There was also a security policy aspect. According to NATO plans, military hospitals should be located at least five kilometers away from a potential main target complex. As a fully operational NATO airbase, the Lahr airfield would undoubtedly have been a primary target in an emergency. This created additional pressure to abandon the previous location of the military hospital and find a new location outside the immediate target area.
The site of the former Heyl and Waeldin leather factory was an obvious choice due to its location near the barracks. However, the necessary coordination between Canadian, German and municipal authorities dragged on for several years. In addition to ownership and planning issues, the issue of contaminated sites also played a role. Suspected ammonia and chemical contamination from previous tanning processes was perceived as a risk. Even if the actual contamination was later assessed in a more differentiated manner, this fear on the German side contributed noticeably to the delay in planning permission.
However, work on the outdoor facilities, especially the parking areas, was considerably delayed: highly toxic tannery waste was found during excavation, the proper disposal of which could only be completed after the withdrawal of the Canadian armed forces. This confirmed at least some of the previously expressed fears of contaminated sites. The new hospital was finally officially opened on May 10, 1991.
The hospital was used by the Canadian military for around two years. Although this period seems relatively short, in retrospect the operation proved to be worthwhile. According to senior Canadian officers, the ongoing medical operations made the subsequent sale much easier because potential buyers found a functioning, fully equipped facility. In 1994, Kraichgau Klinik AG took over the building and converted it into a cardiac clinic of national importance, which today operates under the name MediClin. This gave the modern new building a long-term civilian use that went far beyond its original military purpose.
We had a lot of small children to look after - and their mothers and fathers too. So it was a full-fledged family practice in this facility. [...] That was 1988 to 1990, long before there were Family Resource Centers or similar services. The people who came here at that time were young families whose parents and grandparents had stayed in Canada. The usual support from the extended family did not exist here. And so we became exactly that point of contact.
If a new mother had a question - about Johnny's little rash or some other problem - she would often come to the hospital simply because she had no one else to ask. The workload was therefore quite heavy. Not always because people were really ill, but because there was nowhere else for them to go for advice.
Edgecombe: I was Director General Quartering at the time, and we had intensive discussions with the Surgeon General, with Major General Smith and with Colonel Gowdy, the chief medical officer. [...] Gowdy was on his knees pleading: the old facility had collapsing walls, and even if we only stayed another year, they'd have to go somewhere - otherwise they could barely run more than a simple medical examination center. So we finally agreed, albeit reluctantly, because we thought we'd get more money when we sold it if we didn't put the building back into use first. [...] So we let it open, and in the end, I was told, we got less Deutschmarks than the new building had cost us, but because the Canadian dollar had strengthened in the meantime, we still made a profit on the residual value.
Corbett: I think one of our advantages was that the hospital was actually back in operation - albeit on a limited scale. When we were looking for a buyer, prospective buyers could see that there was medical activity there. The facility was fully equipped, tested and functional. And as you said, it was subsequently handed over to Germany and transformed into a German Heart Center, now one of the three most successful heart institutes in the country. So there was a very solid residual value, which ultimately led to a net payback to Canada.
