Urban Exploring or Urban Exploration (often shortened as UE or urbex) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment.
Ever since we moved to Berlin more than a decade ago, we've been transfixed with its history. The abundance of historic locations - especially abandoned places - dating back 50, 100 or in some cases even 200 years instantly had us hooked. The accessibility (and availability) of these urban exploring locations has sadly dwindled over the years – but there is still an abundance of abandoned places to be found and documented.
While Berlin has become a touristic hotspot for new and old urbex-ers alike (though not quite yet rivaling the allure of our neighbour Belgium) – the Brandenburg region around Berlin, as well as Saxony and several of the other former East German States hold a treasure trove of lost and abandoned places to be found.
Considering that Berlin is our Urbex “home” – it’s only natural that we focus most on the locations that are right at our doorstep. It’s no secret though that we love Brandenburg – and whenever we get the chance, we head out for some urban exploring and check out the abandoned historical remnants.
While we do appreciate abandoned factories and other lost industrial places, our special focus lies on former military installations – specifically military bases left behind by the Third Reich and the Soviet Red Army. Visiting these abandoned places – from Jüterbog to Finsterwalde – allows us to trace some family connections and possibly answer some open questions. But that's a story for another day.
Bellow is the full selection of (public) urban exploring posts that we've currently published - but if you want to browse by region you can either select a region in the Urbex Menu, scroll down to the footer, or click on one of the three links here: Urban Exploring Berlin | Lost Places Oranienburg | Lost Places Brandenburg. Of course we also have a small selection of urbex posts from other countries such as France, Italy and Hungary below in the footer.
Be sure to check back on a regular basis - sign up to our Newsletter or subscribe to our Website and stay up to date whenever we go out urbexing and document a new abandoned place. And don’t forget to check out our Urbex Berlin Map if you feel like you need some urbex inspiration.
Flugplatz Werneuchen
NVA Flugplatz Löpten
The Avro Lancaster Crash Site
Villa Bogensee
NVA Flugabwehr-Raketenabteilung 4123 Klosterfelde
The MFS Buchheide – The Stasi Hotel
9 Legal Lost Places to visit in and around Berlin (and 10 that you can’t)
Kraftwerk Vogelsang
Flugplatz Rangsdorf
Olympiastadion Wünsdorf
Jagdschloss Schwarzhorn
The Abandoned Soviet Training Tank
The Lenin of Fürstenbergs School Nr 27
Fürstenbergs Soviet Murals
Bunker Wünsdorf Zeppelin | Bunkeranlage Maybach
Gut Gentzrode
Lager Koralle
Kernkraftwerk Greifswald
Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf
Heilstätte Grabowsee
Panzerkaserne Bernau
The abandoned Stadtbad Lichtenberg
Adolf Hitler Lager – Forst Zinna
SS Schießstand Sachsenhausen
Rangierbahnhof Wustermark
Löwen Adler Kaserne
The White Maria
The Abandoned Forest Tram
The Winter Home of the State Circus of the German Democratic Republic
The Artillerie Kaserne
The Versuchsstelle für Höhenflüge
The Switch House
The SS Hundertschaftsgebäude
The Heating Plant
The SS Bath and Boiler House
Villa Heike
The Machine Factory
Gasthof zum Schwarzen Adler
The Textile Factory
Carinhall – The ruins of Herrmann Görings Villa
Schloss Dammsmühle
Die Weiße Häuser Rechlin – Hitlers secret city
The VEB Milchhof
The Wernerbad
The Abandoned Children’s Home
The Nail Factory
Berlins Abandoned Boeing 707
The Abandoned Helicopter
The Jungle Hospital
Schwimmhalle Pankow
Tonnara del Secco – The Sicilian Tuna Fishery
The White Castle
The Classical Villa
The Stasi Tower
Rapunzel’s Tower
Il Grande Cretto di Gibellina
The Nazi Eagles of Berlin
Flugzeughallen Karlshorst
The School of Anatomy
VEB Kühlautomat
Ausländerlager Schönholz
VEB Bärensiegel
Heeresbekleidungsamt Bernau
The Cinema Directors House
Checkpoint Bravo
The Abandoned Friedhofsbahn
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 68: The Müggelturm
Munitionsdepot Oranienburg
The BVB Freibad Lichtenberg
Funkbunker Karo Ass
SS-Hundeschule Sachsenhausen
Flugplatz Oranienburg
VEB Kabelwerk Köpenick
Truppenübungsplatz Döberitz
VEB Fotochemische Werke Berlin
The Abandoned 1950s Gas Station
The Abandoned Iraqi Embassy in Berlin
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 86: The S-Bahnhof Siemensstadt
The Abandoned Childrens Hospital in Weißensee
Párizsi Udvar – The Hidden Treasure
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 5: The Ballhaus in Grünau
L’église du Bon-Pasteur
Bahnbetriebswerk Pankow Heinersdorf
VEB REWATEX
Kino Sojus
Papiermühle Wolfswinkel
The Lost Cabaret
Stadtbad Oderberger Straße
The Eisfabrik
U6 Tunneltag
Sanatorium E
Kaserne Krampnitz
Urbex Brandenburg: Adolf Hitler Lager / Forst Zinna - Avro Lancaster Crash Site - Bunker Wünsdorf Zeppelin | Maybach I - Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf - The Artillerie Kaserne - Flugabwehr-Raketenabteilung 4123 - Flugplatz Löpten - Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Carinhall - Fürstenbergs Soviet Murals - Gasthof zum Schwarzen Adler - Gut Gentzrode - Heeresbekleidungsamt Bernau - Jagdschloss Schwarzhorn - Kaserne Krampnitz - Kraftwerk Vogelsang - Lager Koralle - Lenin Bust Fürstenberg - Olympiastadion Wünsdorf - Panzerkaserne Bernau - Papiermühle Wolfswinkel - Sanatorium E - The Stasi Hotel - Truppenübungsplatz Döberitz - Abandoned Soviet Training Tank - Villa Bogensee - Flugplatz Werneuchen
Urbex 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
Urbex Germany: Kernkraftwerk Greifswald - The Machine Factory - The Nail Factory - The Textile Factory - Rapunzel’s Tower - The Soviet Helicopter - The White Castle - Weißen Häuser Rechlin
Urbex France: L’église du Bon-Pasteur
Urbex Hungary: Párizsi Udvar
Urbex Italy: Il Grande Cretto di Gibellina - Tonnara del Secco