The Hospital Town
Shortly after Vadstena town had emerged a “Helgeandshus” (lit. Holy Spirit House), was founded, known from 1401. In the Helgeandshus many types of people who were unable to look after themselves were placed, the sick, the elderly, the physically or mentaly disabled, orphans and the poor. Helgeandahuset merged with the asylum in the mid 16th century but the building still exists even though major changes have been made to it. The elevation to Storgatan and Stora Torget is from the 19th century built in neo classical style but in the courtyard you still see the walls being thicker than the building sections from the 17th and 19th centuries. Inside the building there is a vaulted room from the middle ages.
The actual beginning for Vadstena as a care town was when the asylum was founded in 1519. It was to attend to sick and poor pilgrims but at the time of the reformation it became an institution for the sick and eventually exclusively for the mentally ill. The asylum gradually grew and became a very dominant feature in Vadstena. Remaining from the earliest time is parts of Mårten Skinnare’s house. On the elevation you see that the middle section of the first floor was built from granite. A brick extension was added at the end of the 16th century when the building got its current form with stepped gables on the roof.
In the 17th century the monastery buildings were empty and after rebuild they became ”krigsmanshus”, a home and pension fund for disabled war vetarans returning from the many wars fought during the Swedish Empire era. The western wing of the monastery was extended both in width and height and still retains it’s 17th century character. The monk monastery was rebuilt in the 18th century. The krigsmanhus ceased in the early 19th century and once again the monastery area was rebuilt, now to become a part of the asylum. The former monk monastery and the administration building for the krigsmanhus became a ”kurhus”, which meant a hospital for treatment of venereal diseases, mainly syphilis. During the 19th century it was gradually converted into an ordinary hospital which was finally moved to a new hospital building in the 20th century.
In the middle of the 18th century ”Stora dårhuset” (lit. ”the large mad house”) was built in a simple but typical 18th century style with a flat rendered brick coloured facade, no window profiles and a small soffit. More or less at the same time Trefaldighetsgården was added as the main building for the asylum. The building was changed in the middle of the 19th century by the Nyström family buildingcompany including the addition of a neo classical church in the center. In the 19th century Vadstena became one of the state run central psychiatric hospitals and the operation grew significantly. Many new buildings were added, the Empire villa (empire style) The Tower house (rendered with neo-renaissance decorations), The T-pavilion (demolished)
Dahlströmska gården and more. At the end of the 19th century the large so called Asylen was built west of the town. To blend into the environment the building design was inspired by the castle. At this time the name was also changed to Birgitta’s Hospital.
The hospital was built in 1909 from drawings by Ernst Stenhammar. It is a strict design and breaks with the traditional styles favoured in the 19th century and forshadows the functionalism of the 1930s.
In the middle of the 20th century the view of the sick and those needing care had changed and the old buildings were outdated. A new Birgitta Hospital was built in the eastern part of Vadstena and more or less formed its own large neighbourhood. The area was very carefully planned with attention to details such as beautiful entrances and windows and the masterplan for the whole area including large green spaces and buildings in a harmonious modernist design. During a couple of centuries the hospital was the main employer in the town. In the 1980s the approach to mental health care changed and almost complete closure of the hospital led to one of the most significant changes in the history of the town. What now remains of the mental health care with roots in the beginning of the 16th century is the forensic psychiatric clinic.
The hospital buildings from various centuries still play an important role in the architecture of Vadstena. The buildings house various activities, gallery, hotel, library, residential, school and museums. The extensive Birgitta area is unique and lends Vadstena a resemblance to many garrison towns with a large architectually uniform appearance. A large employer is positive for a small municipality but large institutions can also limit the development of the town. The closure can seem like a disaster but often leads to growth since considerable central areas are released for other functions. Today there is housing, a town hall, a school, municipal activities, elderly care, a forensic psychiatric clinic, a healthcare centre and recreational ground within the hospital area.