Estancia Sanatorial do Caramulo Episode 1 the Santa Maria Sanatorium

It had 19 sanatoriums, restaurants and even a cinema. In the 60s it went into decline - and a family's dream was dashed.
It was in this complex of 19 buildings that the history of Caramulo began, but since the 1960s no one seems to care about many of the buildings that still remain from the sanatorium that became one of the most important in Europe. Practically forgotten since April 25th, some buildings have been restored, others demolished, but six still remain completely abandoned-including the main building where it all began.
When Jerónimo de Lacerda opened the Grande Hotel in 1922, he was far from imagining that he was making history in Portugal. In Paredes do Guardão, as the town of Caramulo was known at the time, in the municipality of Tondela, at the time the doctor only thought about the potential of the “good air” of the mountains to receive convalescent guests - at the time without tuberculosis.
But Jerónimo de Lacerda was an ambitious man. After the hotel built at an altitude of 800 meters - which became a sanatorium six years later, when it began to receive tuberculosis patients - came another 18 buildings (including sanatoriums, infirmaries, health homes and a surgery pavilion), restaurants, cafes, cinema and even a radio station.
The doctor from Tondela thought of everything: energy, water, even a sewage network - a technician was sent from Berlin to study the best solution for the location. By the way, the Estancia Sanatorial do Caramulo was the first to have basic sanitation at a national level. A network of roads was also designed (at the time the connections were terrible), vegetable gardens were cultivated and orchards were planted. Forest Services were even created to afforest the mountains.
Jerónimo de Lacerda dedicated his life to Serra do Caramulo. The first steps were taken here to found the town of Caramulo - the first Portuguese town to be planned from scratch - and the place became the largest sanatorium in Europe. The fame became worldwide, and no wonder: in fact, the cures took place.
In 1945, Jerónimo de Lacerda died following a heart attack and the legacy passed to his children. Abel, the eldest son, left his Economic and Financial Sciences course (he later completed his studies) to take control of the ranch. In the 1950s, Abel, an economist, and João, a doctor, decided that it was time to give the resort a new life - advances in medicine showed that very soon the place could no longer be needed.
It was at this time that the brothers tried to enter the tourism sector. Abel, passionate about art, and João, a car fanatic, decided to build a building each to display their collections. The estate remained until today, however there was no longer any salvation for the Estancia Sanatorial do Caramulo. Ten years later it went into decline, after April 25, 1974 there was nothing left to do. The last sanatorium closed permanently in 1986.
Not all buildings were left in ruins. In the 90s, the Salazar Sanatorium, at the time intended for members of the Army, became the Hotel do Caramulo. The sanatorium next door is now home to the Institute for Stress Prevention and Occupational Health. There were other projects that were transformed into residential buildings and retirement homes.
Others were even less fortunate. Three were demolished because there was a risk of them collapsing, the remaining six remain forgotten there (two more that are partly in ruins). In the children's sanatorium, for example, the structure of one of the outdoor swings still survives, in the Surgery Pavilion there is still a rusty medical stretcher.
In this four-episode series we will visit some ruined and abandoned sanatoriums.
In one of the episodes we will visit the Grand Sanatorium that still existed at the time and has now been demolished.
Until the date of these episodes, the remaining Sanatoriums still exist in ruins and abandonment.
Episode 1 - Santa Maria Sanatorium
Episode 2 - Children's Sanatorium
Episode 3 - Grand Sanatorium
Episode 4 - Surgical Pavilion
Equipment:
Camera: GoPro HERO 7 Black
Stabilizer: GoPro Karma Grip
Drone: DJI Mini 2
Camera: Nikon Coolpix P900
Cell phone: Samsung Galaxy A70
Light: GODOX LED64
Light: 96 LED Video Light Photo Lighting Camera Phone Hot Shoe
Walkie talkie: Motorola TLKR T62 - Black and Blue
Pants: TRAVEL TREKKING CARGO TROUSERS - TRAVEL 100 MEN - QUECHUA
Bag: Waterproof Tactical Military Leg Bag
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[@markusschedler9392]

😎

[@jackkhach]

❤❤❤❤

[@jorgegoncalves8148]

Ótimo trabalho de imagem e documentário. Conheci o Caramulo nos anos 70 ainda funcionavam alguns sanatórios. Apesar do abandono atual, existe toda uma história que merece ser contada. Por esta Sua partilha, obrigado. E, se me permitir, irei partilhar também.

[@Helderhugo]

Obrigado pelo comentário. Estou a pensar em fazer uma versão em português.

[@kk77782]

👽

[@RenaudSchmitt]

Great video ! I like that we can now even see where you're at, thanks to the little red point on the map. This complex was probably very beautiful in the past, and is well located, surrounded by beautiful landscapes.

[@Helderhugo]

Thank you. It was an experiment. Like the games when we see where we are in the red spot on a tiny map.