Soviet Airbase B.

The third day of our summer vacation started out beautifully. The weather was beautiful - almost a little too sunny at first since a completely blue sky can be a bit boring in photos. But that got better as we started packing our stuff.
We left the hotel and drove for about an hour until we arrived at the first spot of the day.
I really like the Soviet relics you can find in Eastern Germany for their historical relevance. A lot of them have been built by the Nazis before World War II, and some even as early as World War I, so they were used by the military of two different nations over the years, and each had its own impact on the location itself.
So when we planned the trip and I found this place, naturally I had to include it in the plan.

There were "Do not enter" signs right at the road that leads to the airfield, so we parked the car about half a kilometer away by the road and walked. The "off limits" road led us through the garrison where the soldiers were living. Some buildings were from the Nazi period, others had been added by the Soviets.
After a while, the forest cleared and we spottet one of the hangars and started taking photos right away. At some point, a couple of "tourists" who were about 60 years old stumbled into the hangar and started taking photos as well. We had a short chat with them and went on outside.
The second hangar is obviously being used as storage for the solar field that has been built on the former runway.
We found the tower almost overgrown by trees, but bathed in sunlight. It was a really nice sight, I think. Some parts of it are pretty derelict, but we managed to check out most of it. The interior wasn't too spectacular, so we were out pretty quickly and started walking back to the car. On the way I checked out two of the garrison buildings, but they had also been thoroughly vandalized.

As we got back to the car, the sky began getting cloudy, and we were hoping that the weather would hold for the next location...


To find out more about the history of this airbase and to check out all photos from this interesting place, click the button below!

Railyard W.

The weather hadn't been too good since we'd left the hotel that morning, but the rain really started as we were leaving the airfield to go to the next location, a Soviet garrison in the middle of the city.
Unfortunately, that place has been turned into a construction site and cameras have been set up all over, so there was no chance and we drove off to the next spot.
The next possible location was an old railyard whose earliest beginnings date back to the early 1840s.
We found a place to park near the location, but the rain got worse. So we put on some rain clothing and went on anyway. After a few minutes we got to the railyard and found a way in right away.
The first part we explored had a roof, so the rain didn't matter anymore, and as we went on, the rain stopped and even the sun came out!
The railyard was huge, with lots of buildings to explore and two engine houses. One of those doesn't have a roof anymore and nature has really done a great job conquering it.


To find out more about the history of this railyard and to check out all photos from this interesting place, click the button below!

To find out more about the history of this railyard and to check out all photos from this interesting place, click the button below!

Airport L.

On the second day of our summer vacation, my wife and I didn't want to drive too far because of the long ride south the day before, so we had decided on two possible locations that were not too far away.
The first one was an abandoned airport about which we knew there wouldn't be too much to look at if there was any chance at all at getting in.
The old airport lies pretty much right next to the new airport. There is no runway left of the old one, only the pilots hall and the tower along with the terminal building remain. The area is surrounded by logistics and service companies for the new airport, so there is a lot of traffic around the old buildings.
The good thing was that there was a public parking lot right next to the fence surrounding the area of the old airport. We parked right in front of the hole in the fence, and I went in for a quick peek.
The buildings are locked tightly and are obviously being used for storage by various companies in the area.
So this was no real success, although I got a couple of outside shots anyway.


To find out more about the history of this airport and to check out all photos from this interesting place, click the button below!

Ashes to Ashes - Crematory D.

For our summer tour last year, my wife and I had planned to spend a couple of days in the state of Saxonia. We had rented a room in a hotel in a large city and the plan was to visit locations in a star pattern from there.
Our list of possible locations had a considerable length, but the very first location really turned out to be one of the highlights of our six-day tour.
It was a location that I had first set my eyes on in 2013 when I first saw photos of it. The old crematory really had made an impression on me.
Since it was located conveniently close to the autobahn, it was a great spot to visit on the way south.
The ride south went surprisingly smooth; there wasn't too much traffic, so we arrived at the place around noon.
I have to say, I had counted on having a lot of trouble getting into this location, but it was really a walk in the park - literally.
Logically enough, the abandoned crematory is located right next to  a cemetery, and the gate to the cemetery was open. So we first walked around and checked out the old cemetery. Right next to the crematory, there is a small urn cemetery. Some of the urns have either been dug out by vandals or have been exposed by the weather. From the urn cemetery we walked along the walls of the crematory. There was no fence around the crematory itself and there was a hole in the wall that had been built to secure the front door.
When we entered, it really was more than I had hoped for. The mood in this place was unique - especially after we made our way down to the basement. It was fascinating to find out how this crematory - and probably other crematories of the time as well - worked.
For my wife and myself, this was a spectacular location and a great start of a wonderful summer tour.


To find out more about the history of this crematory and to check out all photos from this beautiful place, click the button below!

Paper Mill M. [Revisit]

Boy, did we have some nice locations planned for the second day of our tour with Lichtbeschatter Photography in the middle of July of last year.
The list looked cool - a command bunker of the East German secret police, a command bunker of the East German People's Army, a depot of the East German army and a castle that offered the opportunity of a legal visit.

It started with rain. Not the best way to begin a successful day of exploring, but we started anyway.
The first location lies near a prison facility, so the first thing that happened that we got yelled at by some police officers for driving on the wrong road.
We tried to be nice, but I think that guy was pissed that he had to work on a Sunday. We drove on and found a parking spot near the location.
After we had put on some appropriate attire for the rain we walked for about a kilometer until we got to the place.
What we found was something like a small business park. Damn. Whatever it was - if the bunker still existed, the building on top of it was in use and the area was fenced off.
So it was a nice walk in the rain for nothing.

So next up was the army command bunker. We found it quite quickly, but it didn't look promising in terms of a way in. I decided to check it out while the others were staying in the car.
I found an opening through the surrounding fence and made my way to the bunker. The front entrance was sealed with concrete, so my only hope was to find a way in through an emergency exit. So I climbed up the hill, walked through really tall, wet grass and found...a sealed emergency exit. This was getting frustrating.

Between the second and fourth lcoation we stopped at another possible location. The abandoned brickyard looked pretty much destroyed, but still somewhat interesting. The it started raining heavily and we spotted the video surbeillance...

The fourth location we had on our list was a so-called "Komplexlager" (complex depot). The East German army used these depots to store everyrhing that is used for the operation of an army - clothes, weapons, food and otehr equipment.
it had stopped raining, but as we approached the depot, we could already see a huge sign that said "PRIVATE PROPERTY!" and as we got closer, a huge dog started barking.
So there was no opportunity to get on the property without asking.
There was a house right next to the depot which was also fenced off, so we started yelling hoping that someone would hear us. The dog went totally wild as we kept yelling, and after a couple of minutes a man came up to the gates and greeted us nicely.
He said the old depot belonged to his son-in-law and we'd have to ask him for permission unfortunately, the said son-in-law was not home at that point, so we had to leave yet another location without photos.
We did go back to this place on another tour later in the year and did in fact meet the son-in-law. But that's another story...

So only one location remained on our list. A beautiful castle which has no access, but there is the possibility for a legal visit. An urbex colleague gave me the phone number of an old lady who is apparently the caretaker and offers to give people the opportunity to explora the castle and take photos.
So I called her up, and she picked up the phone. She was really friendly and said she'd love to let us explore the castle, but today was a really bad time because her husband just had gotten back home from the hospital and the whole family was there for cake and coffee....

It was getting late, we still had a lot of kilometers to go and we had no more backup locations.

In our desperation and hunger for exploration, we decided to play it safe and went for a revisit in the old paper mill. Conveniently located right next to the Autobahn home, easily accessible and actually a nice little spot.
Even the sun came out as we got there, so the end of the day was somewhat conciliatory.

This was without a doubt one of the most frustrating tours I've ever been on, but it was also one of the most adventurous and I'm glad that I got to share it with a great crew.


To find out more about the history of this factory and to check out all photos from this beautiful place, click the button below!

Neo-Gothic Castle B.

After we had explored the Baroque Castle I. less than we had hoped for due to the renovation measures going on, we got back in the car to check out another castle that was on our list.
On the way, we spotted yet another lordly mansion about ten kilometers before we reached our destination. But unfortunately, this one is partly being used and the owners didn't want us running around inside to take photos - which is actually pretty understandable.
The lady we asked was really nice though, but we had to drive on anyway.
After a few minutes we could see the abandoned neo-gothic castle from pretty far away, and it looked even more impressive than I'd imagined. The distinct little towers on the corners and on the median risalit give this castle a pretty unique look for the region.
The area isn't even fenced off in any way, and I think the castles park is a public park now.
We entered the building through an obvious opening in the basement wall, and the basement was also probably the most intact part of the building. The other rooms are mostly without a floor, walls and ceilings have collapsed and even if a lot of money is invested in the future, I don't think this castle can ever be saved - with the possible exception of the outside walls.


To find out more about the history of this castle and to check out all photos from this beautiful place, click the button below!

Baroque Castle I.

After the great success at the Neo-Classical castle, we drove to the next spot we had decided on. This one was a castle as well - actually more of a little palace. Historically, this castle was more of a princely residence than most other castles in the region that are often large farm houses that recieved an upgrade in the late 19th or early 20th century, which was fashionable at the time.
This one however is actually really old. The original castle was built as early as the 16th century. It was destroyed in the Thirty-Year-War but then rebuilt in the 18th century.
Unfortunately for us, the castle is being renovated, and there was no chance whatsoever of getting inside.
We tried and went around the building a couple of times, but we only managed to get a couple of outside shots.


To find out more about the history of this castle and to check out all photos from this beautiful place, click the button below!