While the German Air Force was demobilized after the end of the first world war, and eventually dissolved as a condition under the treaty of versailles in 1920 – the German Luftwaffe made an unsurprising comeback in 1935 after years of secret training and rearmament […]
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While the German Luftwaffe had 70 military air bases and airfields spread around Berlin and Brandenburg alone at the end of World War II, the newly created Air Force of the East German NVA seemingly wasn’t so focused on (re)establishing its air power. By 1989, […]
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The year 1944 was the single most destructive year for both the RAF and USAAF during the strategic bombing of Germany. Combined, over 900 thousand tons of bombs were dropped – more than in all previous years combined. The German Luftwaffe had mostly lost air […]
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Few places in and around Berlin highlight the complex german history layer cake like the Bogensee. Situated a good 15 kilometers north of Berlin, the Bogensee served as the scenic backdrop for Joseph Goebbels “Waldhof” – also known as the Villa Bogensee – from 1936 […]
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The forests around Berlin harbour a great many secrets. The Prussian, Nazis, East Germans and the Soviets – all of them have lurked around Brandenburgs expansive Oak and Birch forests, hiding everything from art to nuclear missiles. At the height of the cold war, fueled […]
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On the south eastern edge of the picturesque city of Templin, nestled in a small forest next to the Lübbesee lies the MFS Buchheide – also known as the Stasi Hotel. Originally intended for the East German State Security as a luxurious retreat, the abandoned […]
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Urban Exploring has become quite a mainstream activity over the years, thanks to its ever growing presence and popularity on sites like youtube, reddit and even tiktok. Even this website contributes to people gaining interest in exploring abandoned factories, soviet military bases and train stations […]
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Directly along the scenic Oder-Neiße border between Germany and Poland lies the concrete remnants of the Kraftwerk Vogelsang, a crumbling symbol of the destructive madness of the Third Reich. While most passersby probably dismiss the abandoned Power Plant as just another ruin – one of […]
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Berlin and its immediate surroundings have always been at the forefront of german aeronautical innovation and are steeped in history. Germany’s first Airport opened in (the now Berlin district of) Johannisthal in 1909, the first “stealth” aircraft were tested in Oranienburg, and the first non […]
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Often by chance we pass by seemingly inconspicuous structures not giving them a second look. But these structures don’t just appear out of thin air and more often than not – especially when travelling through Wünsdorf Zossen – they have an interesting history behind them. […]
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Seemingly forgotten by its surroundings, hidden by a dense growth of trees lies the Jagdschloss Schwarzhorn. Its Rapunzel-like tower pokes above the treeline – just like it did over 100 years ago – signaling to the boats and ferries on the Scharmützelsee. Sadly, today the […]
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Wünsdorf and its surroundings have a magical hold over us. Its long military history and abundance of Soviet Military “leftovers” keep pulling us back into its orbit. While Zossen and Wünsdorf Waldstadt are well known and documented, the surrounding forests which had been used as […]
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Even 97 years after his death, Lenin still makes an appearance in the most unusual places. But considering that at one point, 1.5 million Soviets were stationed in Germany – it shouldn’t be too unusual to bump into a Lenin or two. If you pass […]
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There are few places in Berlin that I both equally hate and love driving along – one of them being the route of the legendary AVUS in West Berlin. The Autobahn along this section is always plagued with congestions and roadworks which makes it a […]
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Fürstenberg – or to use its full name Wasserstadt Fürstenberg/Havel – has a long and difficult history. Its founding dates back to at least the middle of the 13th Century, but regardless of its achievements – its history is overshadowed by years of Nazi rule, […]
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Wünsdorf could have been just like any other city in Brandenburg – but if it was we probably wouldn’t be writing about. Its location, close enough to Berlin – but also just far away enough made it the ideal location for the Nazis to establish […]
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There are few places that have left us with a deep sorrow after we’ve visited them – but the Gut Gentzrode (also known as Herrenhaus Gentzrode) possibly tops our list. We’ve first heard of Gentzrode almost 10 years ago, and the images we saw were […]
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In June 1939, a group of Kriegsmarine technicians set out into countryside outside of Bernau – a good 20 kilometers north of Berlin – armed with a mobile radio truck. The Navy Technicians were carrying out a series of radio tests in the area, which […]
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Germany had always been at the forefront of Nuclear Research with Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Straßmann being the first to discover Nuclear Fission on the 17th of December 1938. After the second world war, many of Germanys nuclear scientists were “drafted” into the […]
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Just a few kilometers outside of the city limits of Berlin, in the city of Rüdersdorf lie the ruins of the Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf – a former cement turned phosphate chemical factory – with a history dating back over a hundred years. Since its closure in […]
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Just a few kilometers outside of Oranienburg – in the middle of the forest lie the ruins of what used to be one of Germanys most modern Lung clinics, the Lungenheilstätte Grabowsee, most commonly referred to as the Heilstätte Grabowsee. Having survived both the first […]
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Bernau, just a few kilometers outside of Berlin was a city once known for its extensive Beer and Cloth Production skills. Today its known for being conveniently located on the S-Bahn line to Berlin and its UNESCO World Heritage site. But between 1941 and 1994 […]
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Berlin hasn’t always been a very “hygienic city”. Some say it still isn’t, but considering it boasts over 67 public baths today (83 if you count the members only / non-communal ones) then I’d think you’d be safe to say a lot has changed over […]
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An hour south of Berlin lay the ruins of the Adolf Hitler Lager – a sprawling military complex known more commonly as Forst Zinna. Between the 1930s and the early 1990s, thousands of Nazis, East Germans and Soviets absolved their military and political training in-between […]
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The quaint Oranienburg, just an hours drive north of Berlin has a long history dating back to the 13th century when it was still known as Bötzow. Sadly the period between the early 1930s and late 1940s has tainted its history for time to come. […]
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Just a few kilometers outside of Berlin stands what’s left of the Rangierbahnhof Wustermark – once one of Germanys largest and most modern train shunting yards. Allied bombing in World War II, and the division of Germany into east and west sectors afterwards took their […]
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The name Elstal might ring a bell for some – mainly due to it being the home of the (not so) abandoned 1936 Olympic Village. But the small village actually has a deeper, specifically military, history due to its proximity to the Truppenübungsplatz Dallgow-Döberitz. The […]
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The vast forest and fields around Berlin have had a long military history. The Döberitzer Heide (also known as Dallgow Döberitz), just on the border to the West of Berlin saw its first large scale military maneuvers in 1753. This development continued through the first […]
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When venturing out into the forest surrounding Berlin you can never be quite sure what lost and abandoned places you’ll stumble upon, especially when you head just a few kilometers west of Berlin to Dallgow-Döberitz. The first large-scale maneuver – with over 44,000 soldiers – […]
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I’ve never really been a fan of Circuses. I’ve been to a fair share, including some in Russia, and I’ve always felt slightly uncomfortable with the often-dubious animal shows. Historically, Berlin had always been known to be a “Circus” City – with dozens of traveling […]
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The seemingly sleepy town of Eberswalde, and hour north of Berlin has a lot more history than one could expect. Eberswalde saw a rapid industrialization in the middle of the 19th century with factories and industries ranging from Ironworks, a Paper Factory (now abandoned) to Silk […]
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Oranienburg, 35 kilometers to the north of Berlin is a city with a heavy heritage. Not only was it home to two concentration camps – the KZ Oranienburg (one of the first in Germany) and the KZ Sachsenhausen, but it also housed a varied assortment […]
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Nothing could be dug up about this little abandoned railroad switch house. We stumbled across this lost place by chance looking for another abandoned structure a while back. While there might not be any information online, we can make a few assumptions based on its […]
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When the KZ Sachsenhausen was constructed in 1936, it was intended to be used as a blueprint for other concentration camps, both in its design and management. Just outside of its triangular walls, an SS-Truppenlager was established (along with the SS communications bunker Karo-Ass and a SS Dog […]
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Theres not much information to be found about the Heating Plant, but theres enough information about the surrounding area that one can speculate about its history. Judging from its architecture, the building was most likely constructed sometime after the late 1940s, early 1950s. The land […]
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When the KZ Sachsenhausen was constructed in 1936, it was intended to be used as a blueprint for other concentration camps, both in its design and management. Just outside of its triangular walls, an SS-Truppenlager was established (along with the SS communications bunker Karo-Ass and […]
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Hohenschönhausen is one of those areas in Berlin that one rarely traverses these days. Wedged above Lichtenberg and Marzahn, one struggles to come up with a reason to visit this district – aside from the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a former State Security Political Prison. But there is […]
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After receiving a patent in 1901 for a machine which was capable of drying yarn, the Industrialist Georg Lensch built himself a large representative factory in 1912. The factory was designed by the Austrian Architect Karl Josef Benirschke (who studied in Vienna with Josef Hoffmann). […]
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Not much can be dug up about the abandoned Gasthof zum Schwarzen Adler (Black Eagle Inn). The abandoned hotel and restaurant must have been quite the popular hangout seeing as it was located directly next to the entrance of a (now defunct) Phosphate Factory – […]
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The abandoned textile factory was designed and built by the architects Naumann & Kalitzki in the year 1923 for two jewish brothers. The brothers had built up their business in 1908, but needed a larger building by the early 1920’s. The building was renowned for […]
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In the heart of (one of) central Europe’s largest nature reserves – the Schorfheide – lie the ruins of Carinhall – Herrmann Göring’s luxurious villa, attracting treasure hunters, Neo-Nazis and the curious alike. While nature has reclaimed what belongs to it over the past 72 […]
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Schloss Dammsmühle – an 18th century fairy tale castle to the north of Berlin slowly bidding its time. Once an illustrious home to a wealthy merchant, the abandoned castle has gone through all the un-pleasantries modern German history can offer. But lets start at the […]
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Hidden in a thick overgrowth and a fast growing forest in the northeast of Germany lies one of the last remnants of what Hitlers world capital Germania could have looked like. Hitlers secret city – known as the Weiße Häuser Rechlin – the White Houses, […]
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The history of the VEB Milchhof (Dairy Farm) begins with the construction and opening of another famous (and now abandoned) Berlin location – the Säuglings und Kinderkrankenhaus in Weißensee in 1911. The Berlin Milk War Before we get into the details we need to go back […]
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The Wernerbad was Berlins oldest (abandoned) open air swimming pool. The term Swimmingpool might be a bit of a glorification as the origins of the Wernerbad are a kettle pond – a pond that’s formed by the water of a melting glacier. The origins of […]
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Hidden in a small overgrowth in a luxurious suburb of Berlin lie the ruins of an abandoned villa. Built at the turn of the of the 19th Century, the luxurious villa was just one of many in this sleepy part of Berlin. While its inhabitants […]
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Founded in 1867, the now abandoned nail factory specialised in manufacturing horse shoe nails. In 1871, the owners decided to relocate the factory to a new production site as they had developed a machine that allowed for a far more cost-effective and efficient production of […]
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Berlin and its Airports – a never-ending saga. First they killed off Berlins most central Airport, Tempelhof in 2008, then they wanted to expand Schönefeld and close down Tegel in 2011. While closing down Tempelhof gave Berlin its “Abandoned Airport Park” , everyone knows how […]
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Wedged between some trees in a little forest stands a stripped Soviet helicopter. A Mil Mi-8 to be exact. As rumors have it, the Mil Mi-8 was pushed as a project after Nikita Khrushchev was so impressed by a flight he took in the American Presidential helicopter […]
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When it comes to abandoned structures, it always struck me as odd why cities let Hospitals go to waste. Industries come and go (especially in East Germany), but everybody needs a Hospital right? Berlin has its fair share of abandoned childrens hospitals, clinics and sanatoriums – […]
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It seems like nobody likes to go swimming anymore these days. Or at least one gets that impression when looking at the amount of abandoned swimming pools Berlin has. The city has no money to repair them (or is just unwilling to spend it)- and […]
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Sicily – an explorers dream. Stunning landscapes, beautiful coastlines with crystal clear water and lots of abandoned villages and factories. Just a short walk from one of Sicily’s most stunning beaches – san vito lo capo – lies a historic (and abandoned) reminder of the […]
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Built in 1873 by one of the richest Germans of the Bismarck era – the White Castle was one of the only buildings in northern Germany at the time to be built out of massive sandstone, granite and real marble. Costing over 4 million Goldmark […]
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Once home to a wealthy industrialist or Businessman – this once stunning Villa has been left to fend on its own for several decades. Rotten to the core, its roof has collapsed taking the stairwell with it. Not that you would want to go upstairs […]
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When the DDR erected the „Antifaschistischer Schutzwall“ – aka the Berlin Wall in 1961, the 160 Kilometer long fortification was overlooked by 302 Watchtowers. The East German Watchtowers weren’t only used for guarding the Berlin Wall, but served as Guard-posts for Prisons, Storage Facilities and a wide […]
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Hidden in a small overgrown forest on the outskirts of a sleepy village lies Rapunzel’s Tower. Or at least what’s left of it. Rubble of the former castle is still visible here and there, alluding to its former size. Hints of the former entrance path […]
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In the middle of nowhere, accessible only through one treacherous country road split and cracked by the Sicilian sun lies the Ghost Town of Gibellina. This place has many names – Gibellina Vecchia, il cretto di Burri or gli Ruderi di Gibellina, but it is […]
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Reichsadler. The word (unfairly) conjures up images of a Nazi Eagle and the Third Reich. Yet the Eagle as a symbol of Power has existed in the Germanic Realm for centuries. The Reichsadler (the Imperial Eagle) made its first Heraldic Appearance on the Banner of […]
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Berlin-Karlshorst has always had a long history in aviation. Between 1907 and 1911, Georg Wilhelm von Siemens ordered the construction of the first rotating Airship Hangar on a plot of land in Biesdorf. Around the same time, a small airport known to locals under both the names […]
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Despite having only closed its doors a few years ago – vandals have found their way into this abandoned anatomy school. All that remains are the shards of glass and medical tissue papers strew across the floor. And some old medical machines. Too heavy to […]
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Back in the day, Berlin had 6 Airports – Schönefeld, Tegel, Tempelhof, Gatow, Staaken, and Johannisthal. 4 of those have since been closed, some converted into parks and nature reserves, others into museums – and some, such as the old Airport Johannisthal turned into the […]
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Berlin is made of Bunkers. Where ever you go, chances are pretty high that you’ll stumble across some signs or remnants of a Bunker. Be it the Volkspark Friedrichshain, underneath the Alexanderplatz, the Boros Bunker or the remnants of the Flakturm at Gesundbrunnen, the city […]
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Everybody loves a drink or two – and Berlin was (and still is) a city for drinkers. 150 years ago, the city had over 200 breweries and distilleries – today only a fraction of them remain. While many abandoned and disused breweries and distilleries have […]
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With more and more abandoned places in Berlin being converted into apartments and offices (or just outright being torn down) – it’s becoming increasingly more uncommon to find “untouched” and forgotten places in Berlin. Thankfully Startups and Hipsters don’t want to live in Brandenburg (yet), […]
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From the outside it looks like any other closed down villa – but this 2 story house is more than that. Upon closer inspection this run down Villa turns out to be an Abandoned Cinema. The villa was built in 1894 as a restaurant with […]
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The Berlin Wall didn’t go up on the 13th of August 1961. What actually happened was that East Berlin Closed all its borders with West Berlin that day. Roads were torn up, barbed wire barriers were erected and combat troops were stationed along multiple checkpoints […]
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Berlins rail based public transport network is huge. Combined, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn have over 477 Km worth of tracks, 25 lines and 339 stations – something very few cities can match. Dating back to 1838 – the network expanded with the rapidly growing city, […]
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Spotted – Berlin, Germany
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Berlin is best enjoyed from the top. Not that there are that many opportunities within the city aside from the Fernsehturm and the Weltballon. But if you venture out to the fringes of Berlin and stumble down hidden Forrest paths long enough, you’ll be greeted […]
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After the Soviets liberated the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in April 1945, they immediately occupied all buildings and structures in and around Oranienburg which they thought they could profit from such as the Sachsenhausen Camp, The SS hundertschaftsgebäude and the SS Bath and Boiler House, the Flugplatz Oranienburg and […]
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Schools out for Summer and everyone’s heading to the pool. But not this one. The Freibad Lichtenberg has been closed for a good 20 years, the ground is still rumored to be littered with bombs from the second world war and the only ones going […]
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When the Nazis set up the Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen in Oranieburg (35km North of Berlin), the SS swarmed out in search for suitable space to settle their units. A small forest was conveniently located between Oranienburg and Friedrichsthal so the SS decided to set up […]
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While the horrors of the KZ Sachsenhausen in Oranienburg have been documented for posterity, and the KZ itself has been preserved as a memorial for future generations – many of the structures used by the SS connected to the Camp lie hidden in a forest, […]
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Oranienburg is one of those German Cities whose not so distant history casts a very dark shadow over it. It was home to not one, but two Concentration Camps – the KZ Oranienburg (one of the firs Camps in Germany) and the KZ Sachsenhausen (with […]
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*Update 19.7.2013* Just as I was about to post this I stumbled across some bad news. Some asshole set the VEB Kabelwerk Köpenick on fire on the 7th of June 2013. 200 sq m of the Roof went up in flames, and according to the […]
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Spotted – Oranienburg, Germany
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Gut Ding will Weile haben – a good thing is worth waiting for. That is until you wait too long. When I first moved to Berlin I heard about an abandoned army training base dating back to the 19th Century – the Truppenübungsplatz Döberitz. What […]
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The steady decline of film photography and production has become a mere side note in today’s digital world. Every so often you’ll see a small news article pop up stating that Kodak has sold off some patents here and closed down another facility there, or […]
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Virtually untouched – hidden in a courtyard lies an old abandoned Gas Station, an 80-year-old Berlin time capsule. A trio of old Arab men guard the courtyard entrance, suspiciously eying up every passerby while casually circulating a joint. A rather comical scene but a casual […]
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It’s a scene akin to the ransacking of Iraq. Broken glass, smashed doors, charred ceilings, and paper. Lots of mouldy paper strewn across every room on every floor. Everybody knows about the abandoned Iraqi embassy in Berlin, its become a staple tourist destination for the […]
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Berlin has its fair share of Geisterbahnhöfe – Ghost Stations. Some are hidden underground, behind brick walls, or in overgrown forests while others are hiding in plain sight. The Second World War scuttled many U and S-Bahn projects, and the Cold War with the division […]
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The Abandoned Childrens Hospital in Weißensee Berlin or as its was officially known as: The Säuglings- und Kinderkrankenhaus Preußens (Childrens Hospital Prussia) was the first communal run childrens hospital in Prussia. The Childrens Hospital was designed by Carl James Bühring (who played a major role in […]
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It’s no secret that I am a huge Hungary Fan. Every year I visit Budapest at least once – which might be because my lovely partner is Hungarian – or just down to the fact that the Summer in Budapest is just so much better […]
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1920s Berlin was the place to be – it was the epicenter of culture and vice. The Weimar era brought out some of the best in German Culture, from Bauhaus Design, to Films such as Metropolis and The Blue Angel, to Literature and Art and […]
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So I spent a few days in Lyon again in December and January, enjoying the weather, good food, and some well needed rest. On the brink of cabin fever (read: jesus I need to get out of the house) I decided to go for an […]
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It seems like i’m slowly turning into a train spotter – or something akin to that. Though i’m not that interested in the trains themselves, i’m interested in the structures that used to house them. While browsing through some Forums, I came across a photo of an interesting […]
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By now everyone should have realized that Berlin is a large urban wasteland dotted with specs of “civilization”. With a little research and some light reading you will easily stumble across an Abandoned Industrial Ruin or a deserted S-Bahn Station. Quite some time ago I […]
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Marzahn. The last Bastion of old Berlin. Cold, Ugly, and Unwelcoming. Plattenbauten as far as the eye can see. Unless you are a fan of giant east german housing estates, there isn’t terribly much to see. You would think – but then you’d be wrong. […]
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Most people living in Berlin will be familiar with the name Eberswalde – mainly because of the U2 U-Bahn Station Eberswalderstraße (and the fact that Konopkes Currywurst and the Mauerpark are located there). Eberswalde is more than just an U-Bahn Station in Berlin though. The […]
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Berlin is a truly wonderful place. No matter where you go there, there’s always a secret bit of history to be discovered. Not too long ago a curious property investor stumbled upon a bricked up building in the courtyard of a residential property in Berlin […]
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On every second sunday in September, Germany (and several other european countries) celebrates the “Tag des offenen Denkmals”(Day of the open Monuments) as part of the European Heritage Days. Monuments, buildings, and Institutions which are generally closed off to the General Public open up their […]
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Walking along the Spree you’ll find an ever decreasing amount of crumbling factories and halls. All are destined to make way for the MediaSpree Project, for luxury Hotels and Offices in the name of Urban Renewal. Yet one of these rotting factories has managed to […]
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Germans Love Tunnels. They simply go apeshit for them. Theres simply no other explanation as to why over 7000 people queued up on a Sunday Morning after the BVG invited 5000 enthusiasts to take part in a “Tunneltag” and walk through 500 meters an old […]
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The “Sanatorium E” was constructed as a Lung Clinic between 1912 and 1914 by the Jewish Doctor Walter Freimuth and his wife. After the German Reich introduced the first form of public health care, hospitals and sanatoriums sprung up all over Germany – such as the Beelitzer […]
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After the end of the Second World War, the Allies – and especially the Soviets started a mad scramble to repurpose former Nazi Military installations. Never letting a good Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe base go to waste – the Soviets inadvertently ended up with a luxury […]
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