The region of Brandenburg in Germany has a rich and diverse cultural history dating back to the 9th century. The region saw its largest expansion from the 18th century onwards thanks the Kingdom of Prussia, with a large part of its territory being located in what is now Poland. The region is dotted with thousands of small castles and once luxurious manors belonging to the various local nobility - of which many have since fallen into disrepair and obscurity.
The end of the Second World War saw a large territorial loss on the German side, with the majority of the land being ceded to Poland (and the region of Königsberg to the Soviet Union, now Russia), often splitting cities in half. The Soviet occupation and the establishment of the German Democratic Republic saw a large scale dispossession of wealthy land owners and the destruction of their property as well as the establishment of the largest Soviet Military Installations outside of the Soviet Union - often by simply repurposing former Nazi Military Barracks and Bunkers - like the former U-Boot Command Center Lager Koralle or the Adolf Hitler Lager in Forst Zinna.
After German Reunification in 1991 and the Soviet Withdrawal in 1994, the vast majority of Soviet Military Bases in Brandenburg have been left abandoned and have become so called lost places. They are joined by thousands of factories, hotels and infrastructure given up or sold out after the demise of the East German Industry - giving urbexers a wealth of tragic motives.
Below are some of the abandoned and lost places that we've explored and documented in Brandeburg during our urbex trips - but our list is by far not complete. Be sure to check back on a regular basis - or sign up to our Newsletter and stay up to date whenever we explore a new Lost Places in Brandenburg.
Fürstenbergs Soviet Murals
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 […] Read More
Bunker Wünsdorf Zeppelin | Bunkeranlage Maybach
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 […] Read More
Gut Gentzrode
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 […] Read More
Lager Koralle
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 […] Read More
Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf
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 […] Read More
Heilstätte Grabowsee
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 […] Read More
Panzerkaserne Bernau
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 […] Read More
Adolf Hitler Lager – Forst Zinna
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 […] Read More
SS Schießstand Sachsenhausen
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 […] Read More
Rangierbahnhof Wustermark
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 […] Read More
Löwen Adler Kaserne
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 […] Read More
The White Maria
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 […] Read More
The Abandoned Forest Tram
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 […] Read More
The Artillerie Kaserne
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, […] Read More
The Versuchsstelle für Höhenflüge
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, […] Read More
The SS Hundertschaftsgebäude
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 […] Read More
The SS Bath and Boiler House
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 […] Read More
Gasthof zum Schwarzen Adler
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 […] Read More
Carinhall – The ruins of Herrmann Görings Villa
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 […] Read More
The Nail Factory
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 […] Read More
The Abandoned Helicopter
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 […] Read More
The Classical Villa
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 […] Read More
Heeresbekleidungsamt Bernau
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 […] Read More
Checkpoint Bravo
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 […] Read More
The Abandoned Friedhofsbahn
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 […] Read More
Munitionsdepot Oranienburg
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 […] Read More
Funkbunker Karo Ass
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 […] Read More
SS-Hundeschule Sachsenhausen
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 […] Read More
Flugplatz Oranienburg
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 […] Read More
Truppenübungsplatz Döberitz
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 […] Read More
Papiermühle Wolfswinkel
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 […] Read More
Sanatorium E
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 […] Read More
Kaserne Krampnitz
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 […] Read More
Lost Places Brandenburg: Adolf Hitler Lager / Forst Zinna - Bunker Wünsdorf Zeppelin | Maybach I - Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf - The Artillerie Kaserne - Carinhall - Fürstenbergs Soviet Murals - Gasthof zum Schwarzen Adler - Gut Gentzrode - Heeresbekleidungsamt Bernau - Kaserne Krampnitz - Lager Koralle - Panzerkaserne Bernau - Papiermühle Wolfswinkel - Sanatorium E - Truppenübungsplatz Döberitz
Lost Places Oranienburg: The SS Bath and Boiler House - Flugplatz Oranienburg - Funkbunker Karo Ass - Heilstätte Grabowsee - Munitionsdepot Oranienburg - SS-Hundeschule Sachsenhausen - The SS Hundertschaftsgebäude - Veruschsstelle für Höhenflüge
Lost Places Germany: Kernkraftwerk Greifswald - The Machine Factory - The Nail Factory - The Textile Factory - Rapunzel’s Tower - The Soviet Helicopter - The White Castle - Weißen Häuser Rechlin
Lost Places France: L’église du Bon-Pasteur
Lost Places Hungary: Párizsi Udvar
Lost Places Italy: Il Grande Cretto di Gibellina - Tonnara del Secco