Tour Report: Nuclear Weapons Depot K.

About two weeks after the start of the first CoViD lockdown in March 2020, the ceiling started to fall on our heads. It was time for us to get out again, so we set off.
As it wasn't allowed to leave the state and contact with other people was potentially harmful, we looked for a far-flung location nearby.
Our choice fell on the abandoned American nuclear weapons depot, which we had visited several times in the past - mostly to celebrate New Year's Eve with light painting in one of the large weapons bunkers.
The last time we explored the site in daylight was in May 2013, about seven years earlier.

As every time, we parked next to the barrier that originally marked the border to the outer protective area of the weapons camp. From there, it is about a two-kilometre walk to the armory and the weapons bunkers.

As the site is an official recreational area, you can move around without any problems and don't have to worry about being bothered by security guards or the police. We soon realized that we weren't the only ones who wanted to take advantage of the old military site for an excursion with as little contact as possible.

The weather was sunny and you could literally smell that spring was in the starting blocks, just waiting to get going. Of course, some families took advantage of this beautiful day to go on excursions, as far as they were possible and permitted.

People were relatively well spread out on the large grounds, so that we didn't meet many other people and we had our peace and quiet. And we made the most of this peace and quiet, taking plenty of time to explore every corner of the site. I don't remember how long we were out and about, but I think it was probably a good two to three hours before we made our way back to the car and drove home.

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

Tour Report: School "Eastern Engineering"

The last location we explored on our tour before the first CoViD lockdown in March 2020 was originally built as a military barracks. It was only after the war that the tank garages were converted into classrooms. A residential building was also added for the apprentices of the local steelworks. From the mid-1950s, the ensemble of buildings then served as an engineering school.

The area around the school is mostly wooded and not easily visible, so we were able to get close enough by car without being spotted. Of course, we still parked a little further away so as not to attract too much attention.

There wasn't really a fence, so we were able to seep in unhindered, so to speak.

When we entered the first building, we were immediately disappointed. Most areas of the school had been almost completely vandalized. There was graffiti everywhere - most of it of no artistic value whatsoever. Windows had been smashed, doors and walls had been kicked in, and the cable thieves had also left their mark.

So there was relatively little natural decay and correspondingly few worthwhile photo opportunities. Only the auditorium with its large stage and paneled ceiling still showed that the school was once a prestigious educational institution.

And so, after a relatively short time, we made our way home. We only found out later that there is also supposed to be a bunker on the site - but who knows, maybe there will be an opportunity for another visit at some point in the future...

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

Tour Report: Nauen Transmitter Station

This place is not really abandoned, but is nevertheless very interesting. These are the huge antennas of the world's oldest continuously operated broadcasting station. As we still had some time after our visit to the knacker's yard and the station was on the route we still had ahead of us, we decided to make a brief stop here.

We could see the huge antennas from far away, but getting close wasn't easy. Some of the roads leading to the area are blocked by barriers or gates, so we had to drive around a bit until we found a path that led us to one of the antennas.

We even found a hole in the fence that allowed us to get a bit closer to the impressive structure.

Since the place was still active, we only stayed for a few minutes and took only a couple of pictures to avoid discovery.

To find out about the history of this place, click the button below.

Tour Report: The Pet Crematory

On the second day of our short tour in February 2020, we explored a rather unspectacular place in a rural area of eastern Germany. I had marked it on a map years before that, but we were never near enough to check it out.

The place is a knacker's yard - also known as an “animal carcass processing plant” in official jargon. 

The site could be recognized from afar by the large chimney. However, the search for a parking space proved difficult. There is a residential area nearby, and with our license plate from “far away” we would certainly have stood out in front of the location.

So we parked a long way away and walked the rest of the way. The area had been fenced in at some point, but the fence was only rudimentary, so we made our way without any problems.

Only walls or supporting beams remained of some of the buildings. The rest were full of graffiti and some rooms were very littered. So this exploration was not particularly fun. At least the incinerator was still there as a motif.

After about half an hour, we heard voices. A group of teenagers had obviously chosen the site as their personal adventure playground and were making a lot of noise. That was the signal for us to leave, especially as we had already seen everything and wanted to visit more locations that day.

So we set off and left the premises, giving one or two teenagers a good scare with our mere presence.

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