Ballıdağ Hospital

Ballıdağ Hospital was constructed in the Ballıdağ area within the boundaries of Daday district of Kastamonu, as one of the health investments planned under Türkiye’s tuberculosis control program but never fully operationalized.

Designed within the framework of early to mid-republican health policies, the building takes the form of a health complex shaped according to the sanatorium model. Intended primarily for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, the hospital gradually lost its function and fell into disuse.

^{Entrance of Ballıdağ Hospital (Photo by Author)}

Ballıdağ Hospital’s origins trace back to the early 1950s, when efforts were made to alleviate the burden on the Süreyyapaşa Chest, Heart and Vascular Surgery Center in Istanbul by establishing a new facility.

Experts from Switzerland selected Daday district due to its favorable climate and extensive forested areas. Inspired by the architecture of a hospital in Switzerland, the facility was completed in 1954 as the second-largest chest disease hospital in the country.

Built on a 53,000-dönüm plot of land featuring pine, fir, and beech trees, the 300-bed hospital quickly gained national recognition and became a destination for tuberculosis and asthma patients from many provinces seeking treatment.

Sharing the same fate as the Heybeliada Sanatorium, the hospital’s doors were closed in 2005. Its establishment was driven by the demand for sanatorium-type health institutions during the period when tuberculosis was widespread in Türkiye.

In this context, the Ballıdağ region was chosen as an appropriate location based on the belief that clean air and natural environmental conditions would aid recovery. The project was planned as an extension of the health policies of the time and designed as a comprehensive health complex.

^{Patient Record Book at Ballıdağ Hospital} (Her Umut Ortak Arar)

The hospital complex was spread across a large area and positioned in harmony with the natural environment, reflecting the fundamental characteristics of sanatorium architecture.

The building’s location, situated at a high altitude within a forested zone, was deliberately chosen to ensure patients received access to clean air. This feature is regarded as a reflection of the era’s medical understanding of tuberculosis treatment.^【1】

^{Ballıdağ Hospital After Closure}(Her Umut Ortak Arar)

Despite its planning, Ballıdağ Hospital remained unable to open at full capacity for an extended period and eventually became nonfunctional due to various reasons.

Although construction was completed, the inability to sustainably organize the delivery of healthcare services led to the facility’s abandonment. This situation is assessed within the context of shortcomings in the planning and implementation phases of public investments.^【2】

Today, Ballıdağ Hospital continues to exist largely as an abandoned structure. Periodically, proposals have emerged to repurpose it, particularly as a geriatric care center or geriatrics complex. However, it remains uncertain whether these initiatives have yielded concrete results.^【3】

In addition, the building and its surroundings attract attention due to their natural landscape features and have become subjects of visual and tourist interest.^【4】This underscores that the building is not only significant in terms of medical history but also as a cultural and spatial element.^【5】