The Black Forest Clinic
Encyclopedia
The Black Forest Clinic is a German language
medical drama television series that was produced by and filmed in West Germany
. The series was produced between 1984 and 1988 with the original airing being from October 2, 1985 to March 25, 1989 on (at that time) West Germany's ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen)
television channel.
The series' storyline follows the inner workings of a small fictional hospital in the Black Forest
region of Germany
as well as the lives of the Brinkmann family of doctors who work at the hospital.
Shortly after broadcasting had begun in 1985, The Black Forest Clinic became a highly popular television event, reaching audiences of over 20 million viewers. 25 years since its debut, it is still highly regarded in Germany. The series had been re-broadcast several times since 1985 and has spawned two television films released 20 years after its initial airing.
n medical drama series Hospital at the End of the City
which originally aired from 1977 to 1981 and was broadcast in both East Germany and West Germany. Actor Klausjürgen Wussow
in interviews cited long-running American daytime television drama General Hospital
as a major influence on The Black Forest Clinic.
The setting for the fictional hospital was the real-life Glotterbad Clinic in the town of Glottertal
located in the Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg
. Only the exterior of the Glotterbad Clinic was photographed and shown in the series, the filming of action inside the hospital was done in a studio in Hamburg
. The name for the fictional hospital was borrowed from the location as well — Schwarzwald being the German language name of Black Forest.
The idea for the The Black Forest Clinic was conceived by Herbert Lichtenfeld
who also wrote the teleplay
. The producer of the series was Wolfgang Rademann who had, at that time, been known in Germany as the producer of the German version of The Love Boat
. Rademann had for several years attempted to pitch to television networks the idea for a medical television series but with little success due to a lack of interest by the networks.
Principal photography for the series began in the summer of 1984 in Glottertal. Polyphon Film-und Fernsehgesellschaft production company was producing the series for both ZDF and Austria
n broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF).
, Germany's largest circulation daily newspaper, has proclaimed The Black Forest Clinic "the epitome of German television bliss". The Black Forest Clinic is estimated to have had over 20 million regular viewers. The popularity of the series also spawned two television films that were released in 2005 in time for the series' 20th anniversary.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
medical drama television series that was produced by and filmed in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The series was produced between 1984 and 1988 with the original airing being from October 2, 1985 to March 25, 1989 on (at that time) West Germany's ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen)
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
television channel.
The series' storyline follows the inner workings of a small fictional hospital in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as well as the lives of the Brinkmann family of doctors who work at the hospital.
Shortly after broadcasting had begun in 1985, The Black Forest Clinic became a highly popular television event, reaching audiences of over 20 million viewers. 25 years since its debut, it is still highly regarded in Germany. The series had been re-broadcast several times since 1985 and has spawned two television films released 20 years after its initial airing.
Background and development
The creation of The Black Forest Clinic was influenced by the popularity of the CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n medical drama series Hospital at the End of the City
Hospital at the End of the City
Hospital at the End of the City is a popular television series first released in Czechoslovakia in 1977, it featured an ensemble cast and received much viewer praise in central Europe. The series ran from 1977 to 1981 for a total of twenty episodes. The success of the series inspired the German...
which originally aired from 1977 to 1981 and was broadcast in both East Germany and West Germany. Actor Klausjürgen Wussow
Klausjürgen Wussow
Klausjürgen Wussow , Germany, since 1945 Kamień Pomorski, Poland - June 19, 2007 in Rüdersdorf) was a German theatre- and very popular television actor. From 1960 until 1991 he was married to Austrian actress Ida Krottendorf. Together they had two children...
in interviews cited long-running American daytime television drama General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
as a major influence on The Black Forest Clinic.
The setting for the fictional hospital was the real-life Glotterbad Clinic in the town of Glottertal
Glottertal
Glottertal is a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.-History:From 1567 till the Napoleonic Wars the area was part of Further Austria and therefore part of the Habsburg Monarchy...
located in the Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. Only the exterior of the Glotterbad Clinic was photographed and shown in the series, the filming of action inside the hospital was done in a studio in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. The name for the fictional hospital was borrowed from the location as well — Schwarzwald being the German language name of Black Forest.
The idea for the The Black Forest Clinic was conceived by Herbert Lichtenfeld
Herbert Lichtenfeld
Herbert Lichtenfeld was one of the most successful television screenplay writers in Germany. He wrote over 300 film scripts. Many of his scripts were successful in Germany.-Life:...
who also wrote the teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
. The producer of the series was Wolfgang Rademann who had, at that time, been known in Germany as the producer of the German version of The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
. Rademann had for several years attempted to pitch to television networks the idea for a medical television series but with little success due to a lack of interest by the networks.
Principal photography for the series began in the summer of 1984 in Glottertal. Polyphon Film-und Fernsehgesellschaft production company was producing the series for both ZDF and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF).
Reception and viewership
The Black Forest Clinic quickly achieved a high level of popularity among its viewers. From the series' debut until 2009, the broadcast of the series had been repeated in Germany seven times in its entirety and the series had also been broadcast in 38 countries. On its official website dedicated to The Black Forest Clinic, ZDF has called the series "the first and most popular German medical drama". In 2008 Süddeutsche ZeitungSüddeutsche Zeitung
The Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
, Germany's largest circulation daily newspaper, has proclaimed The Black Forest Clinic "the epitome of German television bliss". The Black Forest Clinic is estimated to have had over 20 million regular viewers. The popularity of the series also spawned two television films that were released in 2005 in time for the series' 20th anniversary.
Cast and characters
- Klausjürgen Wussow — Klaus Brinkmann
- Gaby Dohm — Christa Brinkmann
- Sascha Hehn — Udo Brinkmann
- Barbara Wussow — Elke
- Evelyn Hamann — Carsta Michaelis
- Jochen Schroeder — Mischa
- Eva Maria Bauer — Hildegard
- Alf Marholm — Mühlmann
- Gabi Fischer — Ina
- Karin Eckhold — Mrs Meis
- Horst Naumann — Dr. Römer