The former Athenian Sanatorium on Mount Parnitha emerges like a ghost through the scorched grounds which were left behind by the catastrophic fire of 2007, and tells its own story.
Located just 2 km away from the famous Casino of Parnitha, the Sanatorium was built back in 1912 as an alpine medical facility for the treatment of tuberculosis. The dry climate of the mountain, the fresh air and the sun were essential for the recovery and sometimes even the cure of the patients who were flocking in thousands for almost 30 years, from 1917 until the discovery of penicillin in 1950. It was a purgatory of souls, which “hosted” many people from all over the country, considering that in the decade between 1929- 1939, more than 120000 patients died of tuberculosis in Greece.
The building of the Sanatorium a couple of years later was turned into a hotel by the name ''Xenia'' and later on was used as a School of Tourism by the Hellenic Tourism Organisation. The structure was finally abandoned in 1985. The building has suffered great damages at the major earthquake of 1999 and afterwards, at the fire of 2007, nevertheless, it remains almost unharmed on the outside until today.
Nowadays, the view of the deserted building is impressive and rather spooky. Visiting the place is not entirely safe because of the building’s instability, but also because it is believed to be a place of paranormal activity. It is said that the facility is haunted by tears, pain, blood and death from the people hospitalized in it.
In 2012, a Greek sculptor created artworks carved on burnt tree trunks found on the premise and inspired by the history of the Sanatorium. The “Park of the Souls,” as it’s called, gave life to the trunks, which are showcasing the emotions of the sanatorium inmates.
At this very facility in 1937 and for about six months the poet Yannis Ritsos was hospitalized and unfortunately never got cured. He did write however during his stay, three major works, among which, the famous “Spring Symphony”.
