Tour Report: Vacation Camp "Beds of Decay"

I have to say: in terms of decay, this abandoned vacation camp was a real hit. We hadn't even planned to visit - in fact, we didn't even know this place existed. We had met two people at the location we had visited first that day, got talking to them and they gave us the tip to visit this vacation camp.

The route there wasn't really far, which suited us well, as we had spent a lot of time in the old foundry and didn't want to spend too much time on the road given the still short daylight hours. 

We were on site in just 15 minutes. However, the search for a parking space proved to be somewhat difficult, as there were almost none. The residential area only offered enough space for - the residents. So we had to search a bit until we found a parking space, and we had to walk a few minutes to get to the old vacation camp.

The camp is located in the middle of a residential area. There are residential buildings to the north, south and west, and the eastern area is almost impassable due to the forest and dense vegetation.

It was therefore virtually impossible to enter the site without the risk of being discovered by the neighbors.

So we did what we usually do: find an entrance and go in. The outside area of the camp was so big that we would be seen anyway. 

There was an “open” path onto the site and we just walked straight into it.

There were several small cabins and a larger communal building with a large kitchen. First we looked around the huts. The long vacancy in combination with the rather light construction of the huts had caused some fantastic decay. There was hardly any vandalism - probably due to the location in the middle of the residential area.

Even pillows and blankets were still available on the double bunk beds - but no longer recommended for an overnight stay ;)

In the outdoor area we found the obligatory concrete table tennis table, which we felt existed in every GDR vacation camp. Time had covered it with a beautiful carpet of moss.

Unfortunately, the communal building no longer lived up to the promise of the other buildings - one part had already collapsed, the vandals had already struck, and the local teenagers seemed to be using the building as a substitute for a club.

As we left the property, we saw a neighbor watching us from the property across the street. We greeted him kindly and politely, and he asked if we had taken any photos, to which we replied in the affirmative. We struck up a conversation with him and he was at least able to tell us that the vacation camp belonged to a large leather factory in Saxony-Anhalt. Unfortunately, as he wasn't from the area himself, he couldn't tell us much more. Nevertheless, it was a very nice conversation, which once again showed that openness and friendliness usually go a long way. 

After this positive conclusion to our exploration, we made our way back to the hotel to get going again in good time so that we wouldn't have so much trouble finding a restaurant that day...

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

Tour Report: Foundry B.

At the end of February 2020, the “coronavirus spectre” really haunted Germany. Uncertainty was high, incidences were rising, and there was growing evidence that a lockdown was more or less imminent. At this point, I suggested to my wife that we take a short weekend trip before travel was restricted and the opportunity would only arise again at an unknown time in the future.

So we spontaneously booked a hotel in a small town that we'd had on our list as a possible destination for a while - not too far away, well laid out and with lots of deserted places nearby.

We packed our things on Thursday evening and set off on Friday afternoon. We arrived at the hotel about four hours later. The check-in process was very simple and we took our bags and equipment to the room.

We then set off to find something to eat.

It was amazing how few restaurants we found that were willing to make us something to eat at 21:00. In fact, we only found one. But this restaurant was very good and made us feel welcome.

The next morning, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and then made our way to the first location we had chosen.

It was a former foundry of the German Reichsbahn, which had originally been built as part of a huge powder factory. Part of the huge site is still in active use, so we parked a little further away on the road before making our way into the building. The way in was very easy - there were a lot of doors open; there was no fence or other barriers.

Of course, this place has also been used as an illegal garbage dump, and metal thieves and vandals have done a "great job" over the years. Nevertheless, there was a lot for us to see: huge factory halls, changing rooms, warehouses and training rooms for apprentices. The weather was cold, but the sun provided beautiful light in the individual rooms.

During our investigation, we noticed that two other people were on the premises. They were obviously there to take photos, so we weren't worried. Just before we were about to set off again, we met them and struck up a conversation. They were a bit younger than us, were very friendly and we chatted a bit about the locations nearby. Finally, they gave us a tip for an abandoned vacation camp nearby, which we promptly put on our list.

Then we made our way back to the car, took a quick look inside one of the old powder factory buildings and headed off - to the vacation camp.

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

Tour Report: Compound Feed Factory G.

2020 began somewhat cautiously in terms of Urbex excursions. After our New Year's tour and a short day trip to Denmark, it took four whole weeks before we were able to hit the road again.

My wife and I have a bit of a thing for old industrial buildings, which is why we chose an abandoned concentrated feed mixing plant for this trip.

It was February, the days were short and dark, so we set off relatively early to make the most of the available light.

Two hours and two hundred kilometers later, we parked in a parking lot near the historic center of a small town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The building we wanted to explore was right opposite. Directly on the road and visible from all sides.

So first we discussed our strategy. We didn't have too many options, so we decided on “cheekiness wins”.

We crossed the road, climbed over the small fence and headed straight for the front door. To our delight, it was open, so we were inside the building very quickly. At this point, we thanked the weather gods for the gray, drizzly weather, which meant that there were very few pedestrians out and about who could have spotted us.

From this point on, we had complete peace and quiet. We explored the old mill from the cellar to the attic.

Most of the rooms were empty, but there were still some machines, conveyor belts and other things that pointed to the former operation as a feed mill.

Probably due to its central location in the heart of the village, vandalism was very limited, which is why the decay was not as advanced as I would have liked.

Nevertheless, it was very nice to find a building in such good condition after a long period of vacancy - in this respect, the trip was really worthwhile.

After about two and a half hours, we left the building the same way we had entered it - even now without being noticed.

As the rain was getting heavier and we still had a two-hour drive back, we decided to call it a day and make our way home.

To check out all the photos from this place, click the button below.