Tour Report: The Theater of Nature

At the beginning of April 2020, Germany was in the middle of the first CoViD lockdown. However, our need for wild garlic did not want to be subordinated to this regulation, so we set off to our traditional collection point in defiance of death, so to speak.

From the end of February to the end of April (depending on when the flowering season begins) you can harvest fantastic wild garlic around the then abandoned open-air stage - there are fields of it there! And in the end, it's only about an hour's drive through the beautiful northern German countryside.

So we set off and parked the car in the legal parking lot, which was also used by other collectors. However, we must have had a good day because there was very little going on. We met the occasional walker and a few wild garlic collectors, so we had our peace and quiet when we finally entered the deserted open-air stage.

I can't help myself - even though the motif is the same every time, it's a little different every time - be it the weather, the light or the amount of plants that have spread out between the rows of seats.

So of course I took a few pictures. The area is now in use again - but I'll report on that in the next post from this location - so it may take a while ;)

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

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.