Sanatorium “Refuge for indigent and sick Jews”

One of the central institutions of the Jewish activity in Merano was the Koenigswarter Foundation, founded in 1872 by Baron and Baroness Koenigswarter in memory of their son, who died suddenly at the young age of twenty-four. One of the Foundation’s charitable initiatives was the opening, in 1893, of a sanatorium for providing medical care to indigent sick Jews, most of whom suffered from tuberculosis. A few years later, in 1909, the original sanatorium in Villa Steiner was moved to a modern new building especially designed for the purpose. The building was designed according to the latest health and hygiene standards and equipped with heating, hot and cold running water (at the time still a rarity) and kitchens compliant with the rules of kashrut. The complex also included a small oratory, furnished in part thanks to generous donations from all over Europe. During World War I the sanatorium was made available as a shelter for wounded or sick soldiers of the Austrian army. It remained in operation until the Second World War, when it was relocated once more. After the war it was used to care for survivors of the Holocaust, and finally in 1952 it closed down. The building, which still exists and is visibly recognisable by its external design, today houses private apartments and government offices.