Tour Report: Soviet Communications Base L.

After exploring the Stasi bunker earlier that day, we set out to investigate another Cold War relic. We had suggested this location to our friend Jürgen, who simply replied, “I didn’t even know there was a bunker out there – why do the folks from Kiel have to show up before we find these things?”

So this was uncharted territory for all of us.

Our destination was a communications bunker built in the 1960s by the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. It’s tucked away on the edge of a vast forest in Brandenburg, an area that once served as a major military training ground.

Because of the remote setting, finding a discreet place to park was already a challenge. Eventually we found a spot, though uncomfortably close to a small residential settlement. We suspected we might draw some attention - and at least one very loud guard dog certainly noticed us. Its barking echoed across the entire area as we stepped out of the car. We hurried into the woods, hoping to avoid further notice.

With temperatures above 35°C, the walk quickly turned into a minor endurance test - especially since we always wear long pants and sometimes even jackets, even in midsummer, to protect ourselves from thorns, ticks, and anything else a forest might throw at us.

Our GPS guided us reliably through the forest, though the route itself was anything but straight. We weaved our way forward in loose zigzags until we finally reached the first structures of the former facility.

We started at the above-ground buildings: the guardhouse, the staff building, and the heating plant. Despite heavy vandalism, plenty of traces of the Soviet era were still visible - wall paintings, maps, even pieces of clothing and old boots scattered around.

But our main goal was the communications bunker. Since we didn’t know its exact position within the site, we had to search for a bit. Eventually we found the structure, including its entrances - one of which was open.

The bunker’s interior was in poor shape. Cable thieves and vandals had clearly been busy over the years. It wasn’t a pretty sight, although a few control panels and massive cable conduits still gave hints of the bunker’s original purpose.

Nevertheless, we had achieved our primary mission: we had found the bunker.

We wanted to locate the remaining parts of the complex as well: a small USB-type bunker, the emergency power bunker, and the two switching cauldrons rumored to be somewhere on the grounds. So we continued the search.

Suddenly, a white van drove onto the site! Our immediate impression was that the driver was looking for us, especially when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. That was our cue to leave - quickly. Not only was the terrain fenced off, but we were also trespassing in a forest area under the highest wildfire alert level. Both a potential security patrol and the forestry authority would have had good reason to question what we were doing there.

So we made a tactical retreat - straight back to the cars and out of there!

This way, the second part of our trip ended sooner than planned, and by the time we reached the vehicles, we were drenched in sweat from sprinting through the sweltering forest.

Still, it was an incredible day—two fascinating locations and the best company one could ask for!

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

Tour Report: Ammunition Factory and Soviet Depot F.

As we do every year, we set off on a week-long tour in November 2019 to explore a few abandoned places in eastern Germany.

The first part of our trip took us to a wooded region near a lake. There are the remains of an air munitions facility from the Second World War, which was used by the Soviets as a trophy, fuel and ammunition depot during the Cold War.

The fact that there was a public bathing area at the lake with a public parking lot played into our hands, as it wasn't far to walk and our car didn't attract any attention.

From the parking lot, it was only a few hundred meters to the main gate of the facility, which was of course locked. We could certainly have climbed over despite the barbed wire, but decided to go further into the forest and look for a hole in the fence, which we found after about 15 minutes. From there, we first had to fight our way through quite a lot of undergrowth before we reached the normal paths.

This facility is pretty big - it extends over more than one square kilometer, so we had to walk around a little more than usual.

The complex, which is secured by fences, consists of a large number of buildings and bunkers. The buildings include an administration building, the staff area with vehicle halls and workshops, a canteen and social building, a group of ammunition workhouses, the case washing facility, several packing houses and the tarpaulin hall, as well as an engine shed and the remains of the railroad line used to transport the ammunition.

We started our exploration near the main gate with the administration buildings. From there, we went past the parking garages and followed the paths to the ammunition workhouses and the packing houses. Towards the end of our tour, we found some of the ammunition bunkers that hadn't been demolished by the Soviets. In the forest, lots of remains can be found, such as the coal bunker for the railroad and the power station.

Many of the buildings and bunkers have been turned into bat habitats and are not accessible, but the place was still very interesting to explore.

Towards the end of our excursion it started to rain, so we decided not to continue our tour of the site for the time being - after all, it's good to have a few more unknown corners to revisit.

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

Tour Report: School of the Forest

After a great first day on our tour in late October of 2016, my wife and I, as well as our friends Pixelcracker and Lost Places in Schleswig-Holstein und Umland, all spent the night at a friends' house - not after we had a nice barbecue to finish off the day.
The next morning, we all had breakfast and left at a convenient time (that means not too early!). We had two possible spots planned for the day that were on the way back home, so that we wouldn't be arriving home too late.
The first spot of the day was an abandoned forestry school. We had to drive about 40 kilomters to get to the location. Nicely enough, there was a public parking spot more or less right across the street, so we could park one car, one RV and one car with caravan without looking too suspicious.
We waited for the right moment with no cars in sight to cross the road and just sneak onto the premises through the bushes.
We quickly found an open door that granted us access to the empty building. Although the school itself wasn't really spectacular, there were some nice details to find, so we spent almost two and a half hours in there until we had explored everything.
After getting back to the cars, we grabbed a quick snack before we drove on to the next location we had planned for the day.


To find out more about the history of this li'l ol' place and to check out all the photos from this spot, click the button below.

Tour Report: Sanatorium J.

It was our (I think) fifth visit to the old sanatorium. It was after all the last full day we were going to spend in the Harz mountains this time, and although we had visited Jens a couple of days earlier just to say Hi, we had decided to drop by again.
Jens has become a friend over the years, and it's always really nice to see him, share stories over coffee or beer and go for a little stroll through the hallways of the old sanatorium.
This time was no different. We stayed much longer than we had originally planned, but since we didn't have any other spots to go or places to be that day, we really enjoyed the evening up in the forests high in the mountains.
We regretfully left when it got dark because we had reservations for dinner. It was actually too bad, because we could have stayed for a nice barbecue.
But this is a thing we will make uop for in only a couple of days, when my wife and I will be staying at the sanatorium for two days next week to meet up with Jens again and to see what more secrets the Harz mountains have in store fore us before we drive further East for this year's summer vacation.


To find out more about the history of this li'l ol' place and to check out all the photos from this spot, click the button below.

Forester's House K.

On my tour through Eastern Germany in June of last year together with Lost Places in Schleswig-Holstein und Umland, we stumbled across this little old house.
We were on the road between two locations, when a really old ramshackle house appeared by the side of the road and we decided to check it out.
We found a place to park not too far away and walked over to the old house.
It was definitely abandoned, but a sign on a post next to the house said this was the oldest house in the community and identified it as the forester's house.
We didn't have to look for a way in - the front door was open, so we walked right in.
There was a lot of trash lying around, butwe managed to get some nice shots.
Not too bad for an accidental find on the way.


To find out more about the history of this li'l ol' place and to check out all the photos from this spot, click the button below.