Pionierschule Dessau-Roßlau

Wedged in between neatly renovated, and slightly imposing stone clad buildings lies a suspiciously derelict and neglected building. While the city of Dessau-Roßlau (alt. Rosslau) is internationally known for being the home of Bauhaus, these buildings represent the antithesis of that.

The remnants of an etched out eagle and a swastika above one of the renovated buildings, as well as the faded face of a soviet solider in front of the ghostly ruin give us a strong indication of who once occupied these structures. As interesting as all the buildings are – our main interest lies with the sole derelict one, the Offizierscasino Roßlau – the former officers casino of the Pionierschule Dessau Roßlau of the Wehrmacht and later the Soviet Military.

Dessau and Roßlau

Before delving into the Military history of Roßlau, heres a brief explainer how the akward naming structure of Dessau-Roßlau came to be. Both Dessau and Roßlau were once seperate villages, then cities – with the former having is first documented mention in the year 1213, while the later was first mentioned in 1215. In 1935, the Nazis incorporated Roßlau into Dessau, so that its population count would be high enough (above 100,000) to be made “Gauhauptstadt” (akin to a regional capital). In 1946, Roßlau became a separate city again, only to be made a “county town” in 1952. In 2007, Dessau and Roßlau merged and became Dessau-Roßlau.

Pionierschule Dessau-Roßlau

Dessau has a long military history, dating back to the 17th century, but its first prominent military barracks – the Leopold Kaserne and Friedrich Kaserne were built in 1853 and 1895. By the 1930s, the Wehrmacht would establish 3 more barracks in Dessau, the Hindenburg Kaserne in 1934, the Encke Kaserne in 1935, and a barracks for the Flak-Regiment 43 in 1936. These installations, alongside the Junkers Aircraft Works, mean that the city was highly militarised and would provide a valuable military target during the war.

Not quite content with its military presence, the Wehrmacht decided to establish a Garrison in Roßlau, the Pionier-Übungsplatz Roßlau (Pioneer training area Roßlau). Between 1935 and 1938, the Pioneer Training Ground in Roßlau was established for the Wehrmacht pioneers. The components of the Roßlau Pioneer Training Ground were divided into the garrison area itself, the testing and training area outside the garrison grounds, the accommodations for officers and non-commissioned officers, as well as the quarters for the Wehrmacht civilian employees.

The garrison consisted of the following “facilities”:
– Pionierschule
– Semendria-Kaserne
– Rohr-Kaserne
– 2 Pionierlager
– Heimat-Pionier-Park

While the Pioneer training ground contained the following test and training areas:
– Wasser-Übungsplatz Wurzeleiche (Water Training Grounds)
– Wasser-Übungsplatz Pappelwerder (Water Training Grounds)
– Land-Übungsplatz Pappelwerder (Land Training Ground)
– Land-Übungsplatz Quirlkiefer (Land Training Ground)
– Versuchs-Straße und -Brücken (Test Road and Bridges)
– Russendorf (“Russian Village”)
– Nahkampfbahn (Close Combat Training Course)
– Tschechenwerk/Bunker (Czech Bunker)
– Sturmübungsplatz Nord mit Übungsdorf (Storm Training Ground North with Training Village)
– Bunkerdorf (Bunker Village)
– Schulgefechtsstand (Command Post)
– Schießplätze (Shooting Ranges)

For those not familiar what a Pioneer is and does:
A military pioneer is a soldier who specializes in engineering and construction tasks, often in support of combat operations. Their duties include building and maintaining infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and fortifications, as well as clearing obstacles (like mines) and conducting demolitions. Pioneers may also assist with mobility operations, helping troops move efficiently through difficult terrain. In some cases, they also serve in combat roles, providing support for infantry and other units during military operations. Their versatility in both engineering and combat makes them essential for ensuring a military force can move and operate effectively on the battlefield.

The Pionierschule Roßlau was built between 1937 and 1938, for the purpose of moving the Pioneer School 2 in Rehagen-Klausdorf to Roßlau. At the Pioneer School, non-commissioned officers coming from military schools were trained as pioneer platoon leaders in 3- to 6-month courses. Additional courses were offered for the training of reserve officer recruits, short courses for officers and technical officials, courses for motor sergeants, motor vehicle and pioneer machinery instructors, Motor and Stormboat instructors, as well as leaders and instructors of pioneer platoons from other branches of the military (e.g., parachute pioneers, SS pioneers).

The school also trained pioneers from other armies, such as those from Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Technical courses (Training Staff C) were held until August 10, 1943, after which they were moved to Strasbourg. On July 1, 1944, the school was renamed “Pioneer School 1.” On April 12, 1945, due to the desolate war situation, the Pioneer School was relocated to Kreuth and was dissolved on May 5, 1945.

The 7th Guards Tank Division in Roßlau

After a series of devastating areal raids by the British ( 7th of March 1945 Codename, “Shad”) – which destroyed 80% of the city and created a firestorm killing hundreds of civilians, and a follow up raid by the Americans (8th of April 1945) – American troops occupied the ruins of Dessau on the 21st of April 1945. The American troops pulled out of Dessau-Roßlau in July 1945 – as per the Yalta agreement – and handed over control of the city to Colonel Josef Markovic Romanjuk and the Soviet army.

As was tradition – the Soviets took over the various Wehrmacht installations in Dessau and Roßlau (graciously giving two of them to the GDR NVA in the mid 1950s). As part of the Soviet 3rd Army, which was headquartered in Magdeburg, the 7th Guards Tank Division (7-й гвардейский танковый Киевско-Берлинский ордена Ленина) was moved to the Pionierschule in Dessau. Along with the 7th Guards Tank Division, the Pionierschule hosted the following units:

79th Guards Tank Regiment “Dernistyi”
287th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment
146th Independent Signal Battalion
121st Independent Engineer Battalion “Karamat”
Independent Chemical Defense Battalion
183rd Independent Logistics Battalion
58th Independent Repair and Maintenance Battalion

Of course the Soviets made use off the entire garrison, and even built this exquisitely strange monument dedicated to the proletariat. Its shape is highly unusual, and I personally have not encountered a similar monument in Eastern Germany.

As for the Officers Casino in Roßlau, it essentially served the same purpose under the Soviets as it did under the Wehrmacht, though the Soviets did add a few more murals and mosaics around the place. The 7th Guards Tank Division was withdrawn back to Kryvyi Rih in the Ukraine and was disbanded in 1990, while the rest of the Soviet military troops ultimately left Dessau in 1992.

Offizierscasino Roßlau Video

As usual, heres a little video walkthrough of the building. As you’ve probably noticed from the pictures, the building has been stripped of everything and is essentially just an empty shell.

Pionierschule Dessau-Roßlau 1992 – 2022

The now empty garrison became property of the state, which had little use for it. The majority of buildings were torn down, while some were renovated and turned into local government offices and homes. The Offizierscasino Rosslau was put up for sale to the tune of 800,000 Mark (€400.000 in todays money), with the stipulation that 80% of the price would be reduced if the building would be used for charitable or public use.

The building was bought by the businessmann Hans-Robert Lichtenberg, more commonly known as Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt. At the ripe old age of 40, Lichtenberg was adopted by the the bankrupt Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt, bestowing the princely title to the Businessman. She claimed she did it out of the kindness of her heart, while other sources report that Lichtenberg payed here a monthly pension until her death in 1983.

Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt moved to LA in 1983, where he met and eventually married the actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. Upon hear death in 2016, he became her sole heir – and continues to live in LA (they used to live in the multi million dollar mansion once owned by Howard Hughes).

Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt had loudly proclaimed that he would transform the Officers Casino into a “State Music School” – but nothing ever came of the plans. The building remained abandoned and continued to deteriorate. A good 14 years and many court days later, the city of Dessa-Roßlau managed to get a court verdict that von Anhalt needs to cough up the hefty discount that he got due to the lack of development.

Offizierscasino Roßlau Today (2025)

As fate would have it, it seems like the Casino is back on the market only 3 years after its second sale. While its not entirely clear what the situation is – the latest city newsletter had a segment stating that the building was on sale again.The foreclosure announcement states that “The building is in a desolate to ruinous structural condition”. The previous – or current owner – had initially purchased the building for an anonymous 3rd party, who had planned to tear the building down and build a retirement home on the plot of land.

Its not clear what happened with the new owner, but the ad listed another interesting detail – apparently there is a bunker attached to the property, but there will be development restrictions as that area has fallen under “species protection”.

Most likely some bats or lizards have made it their home, preventing any future construction work. The nearly 11,000 m² large property is up for sale for the paltry sum of €37,000, but based on the condition of the building the new owner will have to cough up substantially more to bring it back up to shape (if they dont end up tearing it down).

Offizierscasino Dessau Roßlau Address

Gustav-Bergt-Straße, 06862 Dessau-Roßlau
51.89913027515193, 12.26882129620215