Tour Report: The Chateau by the River

One week after exploring a former Naval Air Base to bridge the time until our vacation, the long-awaited day had finally arrived. Our vacation had begun! For our first tour, we had chosen two promising locations: an abandoned factory owner's villa and a Soviet bunker.

We started the day with a relaxed breakfast before packing the car. The first location was only about 30 minutes away, making for a short and easy drive.

Our first stop was the abandoned villa. Information about the building is scarce, but it was most likely constructed in the early 20th century as the residence of a factory owner. During the GDR era, it may have been repurposed as the administrative building of a local VEB (state-owned enterprise). Since German reunification, the villa appears to have been left to decay.

The property lies between a quiet river and several still-active industrial buildings – a striking contrast between past and present. Although it would have been possible to approach by car, there were no official parking spaces nearby, so we decided to park a little further away. Fortunately, we found a public parking lot within walking distance. From there, it was about a 15-minute walk along a combined pedestrian and cycle path that runs right beside the river. The peaceful scenery and the gentle sound of flowing water provided a calm and almost deceptive introduction to what awaited us.

As we approached the villa, we were surprised to find no real barriers keeping people out. The old cast-iron fence had largely disappeared, and numerous well-trodden paths across the grounds suggested that the place was no secret among explorers.

Following one of these paths, we quickly discovered several possible entry points. At some stage, the doors and ground-floor windows had been boarded up, but many of the wooden panels had been forcibly removed, leaving multiple openings.

The moment we stepped inside, we were speechless.

Intricate woodwork, richly patterned fabric wallpaper, and beautifully crafted Art Nouveau windows immediately caught our attention. Despite visible vandalism and the unmistakable signs of decay, the villa still radiated a quiet elegance and hinted at its former grandeur.

The large stained-glass window was mostly concealed behind wooden boards – likely the only reason it had survived at all. I was also relieved to see very little graffiti inside. Perhaps we were simply lucky – or perhaps time and crumbling plaster had already claimed what once covered the walls.

We spent well over an hour exploring the rooms, taking our time to capture the atmosphere in photographs. Eventually, we made our way back to the car, ready to continue our day at the next location.

To find out more about the history and to check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.

Tour Report: Naval Air Station E.

Early in November 2020, it had been more than a month since our last tour, and our next vacation was still a week away. It was a Sunday, the weather was unusually good, and we felt the familiar urge to get out and explore. So we decided on a quick trip to visit a former naval air station not far from our hometown.

The airfield had been closed by the German Air Force in 2005. Since then, the site had been undergoing major changes: parts of it were being transformed into a solar park, while other areas were gradually being repurposed as a business and industrial zone. Because of that, we didn’t expect many untouched spots - or great photo opportunities.

The upside, however, was that the entire area was now publicly accessible. We could simply drive around, take our time, and see what was left of the base.

And the situation was pretty much exactly what we had expected: Several companies had already moved into the former aircraft shelters, parts of the runway had been turned into a solar field, and cattle grazed peacefully on the wide open land next to the control tower—an oddly surreal contrast to the site’s military past.

Our first stop was the parking area near the tower. We parked the car, set up our camping stove, and brewed a strong cup of coffee - one of those small rituals that instantly makes an exploration feel like an adventure.

After that, we started looking around. There was no way into the tower building itself, and the cattle in the nearby field made it impossible to get a closer look at the underground bunker next to it.

There were, however, two large bunkers nearby that we could at least approach. One was the electronic warfare bunker: a massive concrete block so large it even had its own vehicle ramp leading inside. The second bunker belonged to the supply and transport squadron of the local naval air wing. Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what its function was - but it was almost as big as the first one. Judging by the vehicle ramp and the truck parking bays outside, it was most likely used for storage and logistics.

We started with the larger one - the electronic warfare center. Using the ramp, we were able to enter the bunker complex, and we even found an open door leading inside. Unfortunately, it only gave access to a small section containing part of the ventilation system. Climbing onto the roof would have been possible, but it didn’t feel safe enough at the time, so we decided against it.

The second bunker was tightly locked as well, with no chance of getting in.

So in terms of accessibility, this sunny Sunday in November 2020 wasn’t exactly a success. But we still had a fantastic little excursion: great weather, delicious coffee, and a few nice photos - even if most of them had to be taken from a distance.

To find out more about the history and to check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.

Tour Report: Anti-Aircraft Missile Site FRA-134

As the last location on our tour of various Cold War relics in northeastern Germany in October 2020, my buddy Andreas and I explored the remains of an anti-aircraft missile unit of the National People's Army of the GDR.

From the abandoned maintenance unit at the former Soviet air base, it was just over 30 kilometers to the former site of the GDR air defense.

The site is located a good distance outside the nearest town and can be reached via an old paved road. We found a parking spot right at the entrance and set out to explore the grounds.

First, we reached the accommodation area and the service and utility buildings. Unfortunately, we discovered that cable thieves and local vandals had done a thorough job – it really wasn't a pretty sight, so I didn't even bother taking any photos inside these buildings.

Passing a large vehicle hall, we made our way through the now heavily overgrown grounds to the command post. This consists of a garage bunker with six garages built next to each other, connected at the rear by a cross corridor, as well as two smaller annexes.

Here, too, we were confronted with a scene of destruction: the exterior is covered in graffiti, the garage doors have been torn out, as has the electrical installation inside the bunker.

On the bunker hill, we discovered the location of the “PW cabin,” the missile guidance radar of the S-75 “Volchov” anti-aircraft missile complex.

It was getting late, so we decided not to search the heavily wooded area for further relics and headed back.

On the way to the car, our assumption that the area was used by local youths as a party location was confirmed: a group of young people with mopeds and cars had gathered in the parking lot and were ending the weekend with music and drinks. It didn't look like they planned to take their trash with them...

To find out more about the history and to check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.