Historic building

Psychiatry at LKH Graz II to be further extended

Instead of a ground-breaking ceremony, there was a symbolic "roof covering" for the renovation. Among others in attendance: Regional Health Councillor Karlheinz Kornhäusl (3rd from right), Kages CEO Gerhard Stark (4th from left), Michael Lehofer, Medical Director of LKH Graz II Süd (2nd from right).(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The historic main wing of the psychiatric ward at Graz II South LKH (formerly LSF) is being further extended and renovated at a cost of ten million euros. The 14 new two-bed rooms will primarily accommodate women who have committed crimes as a result of mental illness.

The psychiatric clinic at Feldhof - as the mental hospital site in Graz is still popularly known - went into operation exactly 150 years ago. On Wednesday, the ground-breaking ceremony took place for the further renovation of the historic building on the site of today's LKH Graz II, better known to many as the Sigmund Freud State Mental Hospital (LSF). 

The mental hospital has been continuously renovated and expanded in recent years. For example, three modern buildings were constructed entirely from wood, a first in the Austrian hospital sector, for which LKH Graz II was also awarded the title of "climate-friendly healthcare facility". 

The historic wing of the psychiatric clinic dates back to the 19th century and is being renovated step by step.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Space for mentally ill offenders
When the wooden buildings went into operation, the two wards that are now being extensively renovated were shut down. The basic structure of the listed buildings will be retained, but otherwise everything from the cellar to the roof will be "cleared out" and modernized. Over 300 square meters will be added. 

In the course of the refurbishment, 14 new double rooms as well as therapy and staff rooms will be created. The ward section will be adapted so that patients can be admitted in accordance with the Hospital Accommodation Act. "Women in particular who have committed crimes as a result of mental illness will be cared for here. There has never been a ward like this in Styria before," explained Operations Director Bernhard Haas at the ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday.

The interior of the building has already been "hollowed out" and now the renovation work and redesign will begin.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Solar power from the roof
Ten million euros are being invested in the renovation, which should be completed in a year's time. Once again, great attention is being paid to sustainability: A photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof and the heating requirement will be halved thanks to insulation and new windows. Inside, the aim is to create as harmonious an atmosphere as possible: "Beautiful rooms are co-therapists for us," emphasizes Michael Lehofer, Medical Director at Graz II South Hospital. For example, the windows in the ward area are no longer barred as they used to be, but secured with additional glass panes in front of them. 

Regional Health Councillor Karlheinz Kornhäusl, who gained his first medical experience as a holiday trainee in the mental hospital, emphasizes the importance of the ongoing investment in psychiatry: "We are living in turbulent times, moving from one crisis to the next - which makes it all the more important to look after people's mental health."