The Austrian Hospital... When Abbasiya Was a Healing District
After Austria’s defeat in World War I, the building became an orphanage affiliated with the American Mission. Then, in 1970, it became affiliated with the Egyptian Evangelical Church.
On Masoud Street, near Abdo Pasha Square in Abbasiya, there is a very old building that cannot be seen from the street. It is the Austrian Hospital.
The foundation stone of this hospital was laid on March 26, 1881, in the presence of Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf, and construction was completed at the end of the same year.
After Austria’s defeat in World War I, the building became an orphanage affiliated with the American Mission. Then, in 1970, it became affiliated with the Egyptian Evangelical Church. A church and the Cairo Christian Youth Center building were constructed in the hospital’s garden, leaving the original building hidden behind them and impossible to see from outside.
The Austrian Hospital, after which the street was formerly named, is one of many hospitals built by foreigners in Abbasiya, perhaps because it was considered a suitable district for recuperation, as it was located in the desert at the time and characterized by dry air.
Location: Abbasiya.