Relocation to the "New Hospital"
Construction work on the new hospital began in the summer of 1971 and was scheduled to finish 1976.
Different problems delayed the progess however, resulting in the official opening taking place on March 21, 1985. Units moved into the building step by step starting in the spring of 1982 though, so that most of the lectures could be held in the new lecture halls at the beginning of 1983.
A brochure for the Faculty of Medicine's new building, published at the time by the then current dean, Professor Meinhof, together with the medical director, Professor Reim, and the business director, Mr. Thomas, contained the following:
"The combination of idea, theory, and practice under one roof is unique to Europe. One physical structure contains all faculty institutions: hospital, institutes, research and teaching spaces, schools for medical professions and their respective joint institutions. Behind the unusual architecture is the idea that sensible collaboration between all medical, pedagogical, technical, and administrative disciplines can be achieved. Large distances fall away enabling exchange at all levels, particularly due to the spatial proximity."
Despite these ideal framework conditions for a close link between research, teaching, and healthcare, the focus of the work conducted there was on healthcare. The main reason was certainly people's initial skepticism of the new building, which applied itself to excellent services in patient care.