Tour Report: The Halls of Carpets [Revisit]

In June 2020, we met up with two very good friends for a little exploring. We thought that it would be nice to pay a revisit to the abandoned carpet factory that we had first explored about a year before. At the time, we hadn't seen everything, because at some point, someone started driving around the premises with a black van, and we didn't know if it was the owner or copper thieves or a security service, so we decided to cut our visit a bit short.

Little did we know that we were going to come across that black van again during our second visit...but one thing at a time.

We met up with our friends Katto and Marco late in the morning. The parking place that we had used the first time was occupied, so we had to look for another one, and we did find one a little farther away, which was okay, because we didn't want to arise an suspicion.

We had first planned to use the access that we had found the first time, but unfortunately that ladder that allowed uns to climb over the wall was gone. So we had to find another way in. Around the side of the premises we found a construction fence through which we could easily enter the site.

From there, we made our way through the huge halls of the once flourishing carpet factory. The architecture had lost none of its appeal for me the second time around, so I really enjoyed this exploration. What's more, we found some areas that had eluded us on our first visit, but which we were able to see at our leisure this time, such as the administration building and the water treatment plant.

As we were examining the latter, the black van suddenly drove up, a door opened and a dog jumped out and ran into the building barking.

Regardless of the situation, it was a funny sight: We had hidden to the side of the hallway to avoid being spotted immediately, and the dog didn't manage to stop due to extremely slippery tiles on the floor. So he then slid on all fours down the corridor into the next room, struggling to stop as he saw us standing right there. It wasn't an aggressive dog, he was just sent in by his owner to scare us.

Of course, we went out, because obviously we had been seen, and we have made it our policy to never run away, but to approach people and be friendly.

The driver of the van was friendly as well. He asked us if we were just taking photos, which we confirmed. He was fine with that and allowed us to go on. He also asked us how we got on the premises and asked us to please close the access when we left.

This situation shows once again that if you are friendly and don't make extra work for people by running away, you usually don't have a negative experience, but on the contrary often even get permission to continue with your exploration.

So we continued our exploration for another hour or so, before we left the place on the same way he had entered it - and of course, we closed the conctruction fence after we left.

To find out a bit more about the history of the place and to check out all the photos, click the button below.

Tour Report: Soviet Tank Army Headquarters

Only about 200 meters away from the stone bust of Lenin you can discover another relic of the Soviet occupation, and Lenin has a place there too. It is the headquarters of a Soviet tank army, which was located in a luxurious housing estate during the Cold War. The officers' mess was housed in a former rest home, while other departments were housed in buildings in the surrounding park.

Due to the short distance, we didn't even have to go back to the car, we could go straight there. The grounds were densely overgrown with trees and bushes, but were not cordoned off, so we could simply walk from the road to the mansion-like building that was once the officers' mess. It was here that we crossed paths with Lenin again. A statue of the revolutionary stood in the middle of the thicket, as if he was still watching over the grounds 30 years after the withdrawal of the Soviet troops - his gaze stoically fixed straight ahead.

At first we couldn't find an entrance to the building. At the back, however, we discovered two entrances: an air-raid tunnel that led via a staircase into the bunkered basement of the building, and a direct entrance via a staircase into the said basement.

The listed former rest home is architecturally really beautiful to look at - the Soviet officers probably had a very good time here. However, with the exception of the bunkered cellar, there aren't really many relics of the Soviet army left to discover in the building. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed exploring it, as it is a really beautiful place.

From the officers' mess, we explored the rest of the grounds. The other buildings were not nearly as beautiful; they were brick-built and plastered office barracks like those found in many Soviet bases and garrisons.

However, there were still a few relics to discover in these office buildings: a few pieces of furniture, maps, the classic newspapers on the walls and even some clothes had been left behind by the Soviets.

We hadn't expected the area behind the officers' mess to be so large. It was probably bigger, but part of the area is already being reused.

All in all, it was a very exciting exploration in beautiful weather and with some great surprises!

To find out a bit more about the history of the place and to check out all the photos, click the button below.

Tour Report: Goodbye, Lenin!

Lenin's head stands in an overgrown meadow in a small town in Brandenburg - alone, half-hidden behind a bush, as if history itself had become entangled here. The stone bust rises silently from the ground, almost absorbed by nature, and yet it is impossible to miss. The sight of it is irritating and captivating at the same time: in the middle of this hidden area, far from any official place of remembrance, it seems to be a fragment from another time - resistant, forgotten and yet unbrokenly present.

It is as if the head has found shelter in this place - a kind of silent exile after the end of the ideological age that once elevated it. The bushes and growing trees seem like a natural veil, like they are protecting something that does not want to be found. The fact that this memorial has survived hardly seems coincidental: since the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the region has been systematically cleared up - memorial plaques removed, statues toppled, traces erased. But here, in a no man's land between consciousness and oblivion, the head remains. Neither officially preserved nor destroyed, it seems to have stolen itself from the field of vision of time - like a silent witness waiting for something that will never happen again.

Not far away are a few residential buildings that were expropriated by the Soviet army after the Second World War. After reunification, they underwent extensive renovation and were converted into modern living spaces. Behind the largest building is a small green area with playground equipment - a place of everyday life. But behind it begins an undesigned wilderness left to its own devices. The bust lies right on the threshold between a cultivated habitat and a natural mess - without a pedestal, marked by decay. Its nose is damaged and a gaping hole in the back of its head reveals a hollow interior with only dried leaves and scattered pebbles. The view inside is sobering - and yet there is something mysterious about it, as if this place holds a secret that eludes quick access.

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