Tag: Геббельс

Soviet and East German Relics North of Berlin

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For the full span of the Cold War, the communist German Democratic Republic has been a highly militarized region.

Due to its position right on the European border between NATO countries and the USSR-led eastern bloc, this relatively small state was kept in high consideration by the Soviet military staff in Moscow. In the re-organization of Soviet forces following the end of the Great Patriotic War (i.e. WWII), of the four Soviet groups of forces stationed in all satellite countries outside the Soviet border, one was specifically named ‘Group of Soviet Forces in Germany’. This group was headquartered in Wünsdorf, the former location of the German OKW south of Berlin (see this post), and had under its command a force of some hundred thousands troops, divided in two tank armies, an entire air army, three mixed armies and a supplementary artillery division. Supplies were in no shortage either, with some tens of fully operational airbases/tank polygons, academies and housing for all the troops and respective families.

Despite the very significant Soviet presence, the GDR invested a huge capital of its own in the development of a full-scale military strength. The East-German National People’s Army (NVA) received top-tier technology from the USSR, and did of course manufacture military supply of all sorts. Sustaining this army, together with the enormous para-military organization of the internal Ministry of Security – the ill-famed STASI – and other governmental organizations, military expenses undoubtedly contributed to the economical crisis hitting the GDR in the 1980s, setting the scene for its final demise.

The region north of Berlin was particularly rich in military and governmental installations, some of them highly classified, their history shrouded into mystery. You can find some information in dedicated posts on this website (see this post, also here and here).

In this chapter, some more items of interest are featured. Four of them are abandoned tokens from Soviet occupation. A nice belle-epoque villa on the shore of the Röblingsee in Fürstenberg, where the headquarters of the 2nd Guard Tank Army was headquartered since Stalin’s era to the withdrawal of Soviet forces in the 1990s, is the first of them. The second is a unique, forgotten Soviet monument, to be found less than two miles south of Fürstenberg. Two more are memorials and cemeteries, for Soviet troops who perished in the last stage of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) around Berlin.

Other three points of interest are instead GDR-related. The first is the former academy for future leaders of the communist party, established in Wandlitz in the years of Stalin, and initially led by Erich Honecker, later to become the omnipotent leader of the GDR for two decades. In the same area north of Berlin – and precisely in Waldsiedlung, today a nice clinical campus in the countryside – are the former private houses of the members of the central committee of the communist party of the DDR – personalities like Walter Ulbricht, Erich Honecker, Erich Mielke and Egon Krenz lived here with their families. Finally, you will find a glimpse from the so-called ‘Honecker bunker’ in Prenden. This big and highly classified installation was prepared in case of war, to protect the leadership of the GDR and ensure safe communication with Moscow.

Photographs were taken in summer 2019 and 2021.

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Sights

Soviet 2nd Guard Tank Army Headquarters, Fürstenberg/Havel

Among the Soviet forces permanently stationed in the GDR in case of war, there used to be two entire tank armies, the 1st and 2nd. The former was headquartered in Dresden, whereas the 2nd – named ‘Red Banner’ – in Fürstenberg/Havel.

The headquarter in Fürstenberg is basically an old villa, possibly dating to the late 19th century or a slightly more recent time. The villa is somewhat unusual in the panorama of todays Fürstenberg. This is a nice and lively touristic town, where many Berliners come to find a retreat in nature, less than 1 hour driving from home. Thanks to tourism-related activities, the area has got rid of the Soviet/East German grayness, and is now a typical village in the German countryside, graced with a creek and a small lake, where canoes and small boats are always roaming around.

In stark contrast with this, the villa is today completely abandoned, with overgrown vegetation almost hiding it from the main road. Access to the premises is easier from the back, where you first meet a typical Soviet prefabricated wall, and service buildings with evidence of a communist design – the usual yellow paint and railings on the windows with the stylized ‘radiant dawn of communist revolution’.

2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue

Getting closer to the house, you meet an access door, possibly going to a bunkerized area underneath. The house is in a really bad shape, with rotting walls, plants growing on the balconies and roof. The inside has been made completely inaccessible. A typical East German light is still hanging from the back wall.

2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue

To the front, a temple-like decoration contours the main door. It is difficult to say whether this decoration was there since the beginning, since it appears rather different in style from the rest of the villa.

2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue

A highlight of this site is the statue of Lenin still standing ahead of the front facade. The statue is in a relatively good shape. It looks like the man was portrayed during a discussion.

2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue

The concrete sculpture was accurately made, as witnessed by the facial expression and details in the embroidery of the tie.

2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue
2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Soviet Headquarter Furstenberg Havel Berlin Lenin Statue

On the front side, the villa used to be reachable with a large flight of steps climbing uphill, with Lenin on top. Today this perspective is gone, for vegetation has totally invaded the steps, and the front of the house is not visible from the street.

Getting there and moving around

The villa is located in central Fürstenberg on Steinförder Strasse (possibly) 44, on the southern side of the road. The house and its large garden estate are abandoned, but all other houses around are not. Getting closer without being spotted is easier from the backstreet. Technically speaking, the latter is accessible for residents only, so you may park somewhere else and come closer by foot. Visiting may take about 30 minutes with time for the pictures, for the house is not accessible inside.

It should be remarked that this site is probably not public, and at an unpredictable time it may be either restored or demolished – so checking it out may be not possible for long.

Soviet Monument, Fürstenberg/Havel

A rare example of Soviet commemoration monument can be found very close to Fürstenberg. Apart from the monumental sites in Berlin (see here), a number of smaller Soviet monuments are to be found around the GDR – impressive ghosts of a bygone era.

Among the best preserved are that in the former tank base of Zeithain (see this post), and this one in Fürstenberg.

The monument is composed of two parts, basically two concrete curtains facing each other on the sides of a small apron.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

The smaller panel to the south is the most intriguing. It is apparently a celebration of an economic plan of the Soviet Union. It is all about the growth in production in several areas of industry and farming, likely resulting from careful planning by the top of the Soviet government.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

Between a citation from Lenin and a stylized image of the Kremlin, several panels cite one by one the increases in production of anything from oil to weapons, from milk to corn.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

To the back of the monument, the only remaining feature is a remarkable head of Lenin, with yet another citation. It is likely that other features have been removed by vandals, as empty frames can be seen aligned along this face of the monument.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

The larger panel to the north is a celebration of the march to Berlin during the Great Patriotic War, likely related to specific actions of the Guard Tank Armies. The central slab features an image of the Soviet monument in Treptower Park, Berlin – one the most famous commemorative monuments in the Soviet Union, as witnessed by numerous images to be found still today in many museums in the former USSR (see for instance here).

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

Close by, reproductions of decorations and captions of what happened on some days of 1944 and 1945 are reported.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

On the left panel you can see a reproduction of the march to Berlin, from the battlegrounds in the USSR, through central Europe and Germany. It is likely that some metal parts of the monument once used to connect the ‘points of interest’, but these have disappeared due to vandalism.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

On the right wing of the monument the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union possibly from the Guard Tank Armies are cited one by one. Close by, the image of the ‘Soviet Motherland Calling’, pretty usual in Soviet war iconography, can be found together with other typical emblems.

Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory
Soviet Memorial 2nd Guard Tank Army Red Banner Abandoned Furstenberg Havel Berlin Victory

Getting there and moving around

This monument is not maintained nor protected. It is open air, unfenced and freely accessible. It will be hopefully restored or moved to a museum, as the weather and vandals are taking their tolls. It can be reached along the road 96 about 1 mile south of Fürstenberg, immediately to the west of the road. A small unofficial parking area can be found ahead of it, making a quick visit really easy.

Soviet Memorial and Cemetery, Rathenow

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The Soviet memorial in Rathenow is one of a number of smaller military cemeteries for Soviet troops in the region around Berlin. Soviet soldiers perished in the area in the thousands in the final stage of WWII (1945), when the Red Army entered the northeastern part of todays Germany from Poland, pushing towards Berlin and fighting against the agonizing but still fierce German Wehrmacht.

Apart from the gigantic and formal monuments in Berlin (see this chapter), more modest shrines are scattered around the German capital city, all built roughly in the same period, between the end of the war in Europe and 1950, in the years of Stalin.

The Rathenow site is a small town cemetery, a proportionate, down-scaled version of its larger counterparts in Berlin – especially Schönholzer Heide (see here) – and can be found in the center of the sleepy town of Rathenow. A central obelisk with a commemoration plaque is topped by a golden five-pointed star, the symbol of the Red Army.

Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow

A number of soberly designed grave stones for as many Soviet troops are aligned in rows, creating an elegant perspective. Most of the graves bear complete names, as well as the birth and death years. Similar to the war cemeteries dating also from WWI (see for instance here and here), the very young age of most of the troops in the final struggle around Berlin is readily apparent.

Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow
Soviet Red Army Memorial Rathenow

Despite being fenced and of course not left in a state of disrepair, the green areas immediately outside of the perimeter of the monument in Rathenow are somewhat neglected, perhaps reflecting a fading interest for this monument.

Getting there and moving around

The Soviet monument in Rathenow can be reached at the crossing of Ferdinand Lassalle Str. with Friedrich Ebert Ring, in central Rathenow. The monument is very compact and can be toured in a few minutes.

Soviet Memorial and Cemetery, Blumberg

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The monument in Blumberg, in the northern outskirts of Berlin and really close to town, is smaller than the one in Rathenow (see above), but shares the general arrangement with it.

A central pillar with a commemoration slab is surmounted in this case by a statue of a Soviet soldier, holding a Red Banner flag.

Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg

Ahead and around the pillar, gravestones put flat on the ground are aligned in a perspective. However, the overgrown vegetation is basically hiding these lines of tombs, so that even from a small distance the central monument appears as an isolated item, put in the middle of a grassy area.

Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg
Soviet Red Army Memorial Blumberg

Actually, the major difference with other monuments of the kind lies in the rather remoteness of the one in Blumberg. It is a listed historical landmark, and therefore at least minimally cared for, but on the other hand, it is located relatively far from todays nearest settlement, hidden in the trees, and out of sight for anybody except people going there specifically for it. This makes it rather mysterious, a silent memento of old memories.

Getting there and moving around

The monument is conveniently located just out of the A10 highway (the external ring of Berlin), in the settlement of Ahrensfelde. You may reach Chausseedreieck and drive to its western dead end, where you can conveniently park. From there a grassy path points south into the trees, and in less than 150 yards you will find the monument. The size of the monument is small, hence no further walking is needed. A mosquito repellent is highly recommended in the warm season.

Free German Youth Academy & Joseph Goebbels Manor, Wandlitz

Deep in the countryside about 25 miles north of Berlin, about 3 miles from the small touristic village of Wandlitz, you can find a couple of highlights from the troublesome past of Germany, sitting side by side, close to the small Bogensee lake.

The first is the country estate of Joseph Goebbels, the famous minister for education and propaganda in the years of the Nazi dictatorship. This villa has been built in the war years, and often used by its owner, also for receiving guests. Goebbels obtained the estate as a birthday present from the Nazi Party.

Incredibly, the manor, built in a typical German country style, was not demolished after the war – so unlike other residences belonging to Hitler or his fellows, it is still there to see. It survived denazification, Soviet occupation and 40 years in the GDR as part of a school (see below).

The outside is the only part you can see. The appearance is sober, with simple lines and not much vertical elevation – it nicely integrates in the natural setting.

Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present

Access to the courtyard is from a small road, now part of the inner network of the larger complex surrounding the manor.

This complex is actually the other peculiar item you can find in Wandlitz. This enormous academy was built in 1951, on behalf of the Free German Youth (FDJ), a youth-training organization founded and originally run by Erich Honecker, later to become the general secretary of the communist party of the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s.

The academy was designed by Hermann Henselmann the same architect who designed Karl-Marx-Allee in the Soviet sector of Berlin – one of the most iconic ‘Stalin’s-style’ perspectives in the world. The complex is composed of two large opposing buildings, on the short sides of an internal courtyard. These hosted common areas, lecture rooms and a theater.

German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann

Along the longer sides of the courtyard are buildings with bedrooms and services for around 500 students.

German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann

The academy was for the future staff of the communist party, and in later years of the Cold War it was attended also by international students from communism-leaning nations, or sometimes even from NATO countries.

German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann

Following the collapse of the GDR, the building went on hosting educational institutions until the early 2000s, owned by the regional government. It was then mostly shut off, with some ancillary buildings still hosting institutions connected with the administration of the natural preserve around. It was put up for sale, for a while, but all potential customers failed to present satisfactory conversion plans. An expensive and inconvenient ghost from a forgotten era, as of 2019 its fate has not been sealed yet.

Today the place is not completely abandoned. Basic preservation works are being carried out, thus avoiding the roof to collapse or the walls to rotten. The names of the blocks are likely not from the GDR years. Similarly, a board with notices and maps dating from later than 1989 can still be seen, a witness of the post-GDR activity.

German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
Joseph Goebbels Manor Nazi Leader Bogensee Wandlitz Hitler Present
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann
German Communist School Academy Bogensee Wandlitz FDJ Jugendhochschule Jugendleiterschule DDR Honecker Henselmann

The garden is not growing totally wild, and some architectural addition must have been tried in a recent past – like a small modern fountain ahead of the common building to the southwest of the complex. The buildings are still supplied with electrical power – there are lit lights above some doors – and it is discretely guarded to avoid vandalism.

Getting there and moving around

Accessing the area is possible following the L29 from Wandlitz. About 1 mile from the village, the road changes its name to Wandlitzer Strasse. There is a local road with limited access taking to the east. You may park there, and proceed along the road by foot for about .5 miles to reach the heart of the complex. This is surrounded by private houses. There is no fence, but there are proximity sensors which trigger an inspection. I was reached by a warden on a car soon after my arrival. He spotted me, but did not come close, likely noticing I was just taking pictures outside.

The site is rather mysterious and well worth a quick visit for interested subjects. Touring the site will not take more than 45 minutes, taking all the pictures.

Private Homes of the Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the GDR, Waldsiedlung

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Similar to other top-ranking figures in the Soviet chain of command – like Stalin and others in his communist entourage, who did not spend much of their time in public or close to crowded places in central Moscow – the masters of the communist party in the GDR had their homes in the trees north of Berlin, relatively far from the city center and from the governmental buildings.

Actually, many of them lived together in a rather compact residential district, called Waldsiedlung. Access to the area was obviously controlled, but once inside the place was somewhat similar to a holiday settlement, with smaller single or two-family houses located along quiet alleys in a rural setting. The architecture is far from lavish – all houses are very similar to one another, and are designed in a plain typically East-German style from the post-WWII era.

Today, the settlement in Waldsiedlung has been converted into a campus for clinical studies. However, the original architecture of the place has been left mostly untouched, and explanatory panels telling quick information about the history of the residence have been planted ahead of most of the housing once occupied by old communist big brasses.

The office by the gate, and the metal gate itself, are totally original, as can be seen from historical pictures.

Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes

Among the first buildings past the gate is a former congress center/clubhouse/gathering facility for the inhabitants of the residence.

Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes
Waldsiedlung – GDR Communist Party private homes

Moving on to the northern part of the settlement, the modest house of Erich Honecker and his wife Margot can be easily found. The two-storey construction has a patio on the backyard. A mystery wooden hut can be found next to the latter.

Waldsiedlung – Erich Honecker’s Home
Waldsiedlung – Erich Honecker’s Home
Waldsiedlung – Erich Honecker’s Home
Waldsiedlung – Erich Honecker’s Home

The Honeckers were forced to leave this house in the turmoil following the collapse of the wall and the starting of the reunification process. Honecker fled to the Soviet Union in seek for protection, quickly departing from the Soviet base in Sperenberg (see here). He was trialed in absentia, in connection to the order issued to the GDR border guards to used deadly force against people trying to pass the ‘anti-fascist wall’, and the ensuing deaths. He remained in the USSR until also that dictatorship collapsed, and he was forced to escape to South America, where he died soon after.

To the far end of the same alley is the house of Walter Ulbricht and his wife Lotte. Somewhat larger than Honecker’s house, it is however not much more evolved in adornments or architectural fantasy.

Waldsiedlung – Walter Ulbricht’s Home
Waldsiedlung – Walter Ulbricht’s Home
Waldsiedlung – Walter Ulbricht’s Home

On another alley, parallel to the previous one, is also the house of Erich Mielke, the uncontested head of the ill-famed STASI, since its early years to the end.

Waldsiedlung – Erich Mielke’s Home
Waldsiedlung – Erich Mielke’s Home

The man was captured and trialed for an old case of homicide, after the shut-off of the STASI monstrous machine. He died soon after.

Today even these smaller buildings have been converted for a new function in the clinical campus. Therefore, they cannot be toured inside. However, strolling in this inconspicuous, quiet village where a huge concentration of power used to be seated, provides a strange feeling.

Getting there and moving around

The Brandenburg Clinic, which has now taken over the Waldsiedlung residence for the members of the GDR government, is on the road N.273, between Bernau and Wandlitz. The clinic in Waldsiedlung is rather busy, and the parking ahead of it may be crowded. However, since the place is guarded and access regulated, that is the only credible parking option also for a historically-themed visit. You can access the area by foot undisturbed, and take photographs of the exteriors. There are explanatory panels ahead of many of the former residential homes.

Honecker Bunker, Prenden

Geographically very close to the academy in Wandlitz (see above) – less than 1 straight mile away – the bunker in Prenden is the central piece of a network of bunkers and military hardware, designed an built on behalf of the National Defense Council (NVR) of the GDR from 1973 onward, and named ‘komplex 5000’. The purpose was protection of the leadership of the GDR in case of a crisis or attack from the West.

The bunker is Prenden, technically listed as ’17/5001′, was a control center of incredible sophistication, designed to withstand nuclear blasts, and with direct communication with other sub-nodes of a larger communication network, thus granting safe communication and broadcasting ability, allowing to lead the country in case of a crisis. The bunker was intended to host the general secretary of the communist party, i.e. Erich Honecker, when the bunker was commissioned in 1983 – hence the unofficial name ‘Honecker bunker’.

The premises of Prenden are now largely in private hands, but some parts are apparently publicly accessible – the original fence has been completely torn down. The bunker itself is sealed, and can be accessed only on a few days per year with a guide.

The official entrance to the area is through the original GDR-made gate. This is closed however, for it is now the entrance to a small private industrial complex.

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

Traces of the original fence, as well as piping and vents for underground rooms, can be found around the hill on top of which the installation is standing.

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

Some service buildings in typical communist style can be still found, despite demolition works having taken place. Proximity sensors and signs delimit the private property area.

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

The three-storey building on the southwestern corner of the complex used to be the ‘front office’ of the bunker. Today, it is in a really bad shape.

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

Inside, traces of the original furniture and services can still be found, albeit much deteriorated.

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

Access to the bunker is on the underground floor. You may notice the prison-like railings ahead of the access stairs. A feature that might make you jump when you are exploring alone – if walking in a forgotten communist government building, deep in the silent German countryside, was not enough… – is the lit bulb hanging over the entrance to the bunker – really unexpected!

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

Besides the building, a shelter-garage for trucks and cars is still in a relatively good shape.

Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin
Honecker Bunker Objekt 17/5001 Prenden DDR Berlin

Getting there and moving around

The Prenden bunker is not publicized, but it can be neared easily with a car, about 1 mile south of the small village of Prenden, along Utzdorfer Strasse. The gate can be clearly spotted, but it will be likely closed, and there are obvious ‘no trespassing’ signs and labels of private companies. You may park outside and proceed along the side of the property to the back of it, where the abandoned building mentioned above can be found. Whether this is still on private land or not is not very clear. There are proximity sensors between the abandoned building and the rest of the complex, likely to trigger inspection if you get too close to the (surely) private part of the complex.

Venturing in the building is definitely not safe, and the bunker entrance is usually closed. Official visits to the bunker are possible on guided tours arranged irregularly about once per month (please browse the internet for more info on visiting, cause I could not find an official site of the place to link here).

Soviet Depots for Nuclear Warheads in the GDR

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Despite their great destructive potential and strategic relevance, nuclear assets were deployed far from the ‘centers of power’ in Moscow and Washington by both the USSR and the US. As the front of the Cold War was especially ‘hot’ along the border between the Warsaw Pact and NATO Countries in central Europe, large arsenals of nuclear weapons were deployed to the area, on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and in several instances over time.

On the western side this was not hidden and led often times to protests in Countries like the UK, West Germany and Italy, so that the history of the presence of a nuclear arsenal in those Countries can be traced with some accuracy, albeit not easily. Conversely, much less is known about the deployment of Soviet nuclear arsenals over the territory of the former Eastern Bloc, making this segment of Cold War history especially mysterious.

History – in brief

In this Cold War scenario, the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or DDR in German) received special consideration by the Soviets. Thanks to its advanced position in Europe and the local, much trusted ‘hardcore’ communist regime, the USSR planned the deployment of early strategic missiles – SS-3 Shyster and SS-4 Sandal – starting already in the late Fifties, the years of Khrushchev. Traces of an actual deployment exist in Vogelsang and Furstenberg, about one hour driving north of Berlin (see this post about Vogelsang, and this about the mysterious deployment of missiles in the area).

Later on, in the early years of Brezhnev as leader of the USSR, it was decided that for a prompter and more flexible response in case of an attack, nuclear warfare especially for tactical use should be deployed outside of the USSR borders, to Countries in close proximity with the West. On the other hand, strategic warheads and missile systems could be withdrawn to within the USSR, as more technologically advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles had become available, making a hit of a foreign objective possible even from deep inside the Soviet borders.

Consequently, deployment of air launched nuclear warfare started in selected Soviet airbases, which were really not in any shortage in the GDR – considering both the national air force (NVA) and the Soviet aviation, the DDR used to be one of the world’s top countries in terms of airbases per square mile, or per resident. You can see several posts on former Soviet bases in the GDR on this website (look here, here and here).

For military corps not operating from airbases – especially missile brigades – the headquarters of the Red Army in Moscow deemed necessary the deployment to the GDR of nuclear warheads for tactical or theater missiles.

Two depots were built anew in dedicated installations specifically for hosting such warheads. One was in Stolzenhain, codenamed ‘Objekt 4000’ and sometimes referred to as Linda (the name of a village nearby), close to the highly-militarized area of Juterbog (see this post) and Kloster Zinna, about one hour driving south of Berlin. The other was again close to Furstenberg, and named Lychen-2, and codenamed ‘Objekt 4001’.

The nuclear bunkers in Stolzenhain and Lychen were payed for by the GDR – through a governmental agreement with the USSR – which always detained official property of the facilities, and were built by German workers, around the year 1967. Once ready, in 1968 the bunkers were handed over to Soviet staff, and the corresponding areas totally closed to non-Soviets. The bunkers, as other similar facilities in other Countries of the Warsaw Pact, communicated directly with Moscow, as similarly to the US, only the top of the command chain could authorize the use of nuclear forces.

The facilities were kept running until the end of the Cold War. Control was officially given back to the agonizing GDR in 1990, the Soviets having transferred all valuable material to the (agonizing) USSR.

Here the story splits for the two installations. While the Lychen bunker has been selected for interment, the installation largely being demolished around 2015, forgotten and reclaimed by nature, as of 2019 the Stolzenhain bunker is in a far better condition, apparently in private hands, and albeit plans for it are sadly similar to Lychen, it may be still in time to be turned into a unique, world-class museum.

About this post

This post covers both Lychen-2 and Stolzenhain bunkers. The former was explored in the summer of 2019. The latter was explored a first time in 2019, and in a second instance with the guidance of its owner Manfred van Heerde and the nuclear scientist and historian Reiner Helling in 2021. As the Stolzenhain installation is still in a relatively good shape, you can also get an understanding of what the inside of these bunkers looks like, their design and specific features. Pictures of this installation from above can be found in another chapter (see here).

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

Sights

Objekt 4000 – Stolzenhain

The Stolzenhain bunker, aka ‘bunker Linda’, due to the name of a nearby village, is a perfect specimen of this type of construction (codenamed Monolith-type – see also this post for similar sites in nearby Poland, including one open as a museum). It is composed of two adjoining sub-parts – an area with larger barracks and ‘soft’ constructions, and a larger area were two twin bunkers for warheads are located, together with smaller service buildings and smaller service quarters for the troops. The two areas are arranged along a north-south direction, with the bunker area north of the barracks area.

Today, access to the barracks area is mostly interdicted – you may venture in by foot, but there is a gate which does not allow getting in by car, despite the relatively good condition of the road. The premises are in private hands, and some demolition/reconstruction/conversion works are being carried out here. There is also a service building, looking like a private residence, built in recent times.

Main Gate and Outer Buildings

The main access road features typical prefabricated concrete slabs, found in most Soviet/communist installations everywhere in eastern Europe. Halfway between the external gate and the barracks area, traces of an external wall can be found, with a couple of ‘welcome stones’.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

A closer look to the slabs reveal a rather poor quality material used for manufacture. Writings are excerpts of the Soviet constitution, presented as mottoes in Russian, with some communist symbols.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The barracks and some softer constructions date from the Seventies – the frieze on the sidewalls of the buildings tells it quite clearly. The area is protected by a concrete wall, bearing a probably original greenish camouflage.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

In the years of operation, there used to be four large apartment blocks aligned in a row, just ahead of the entrance to the area of the barracks. These buildings were for the officials and their families. While still inside the external fence of the base, these apartments allowed more privacy and convenience, forming a de facto little Soviet village in the GDR, segregated from the surrounding German community. This housing has been completely demolished today. However, some trace of correlated ‘civilian’ facilities can be found to the south of the barracks area.

In particular, a swimming pool was built at a certain point in the history of the base, and it is still in a relatively good shape. Changing rooms for men and women are still there. A tall springboard and starting blocks still face the pool, which is apparently watertight, despite the greenish water not being really attractive!

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The pool features an outer fence, with a service gate bearing a characteristic Soviet ‘diverging rays’ motif.

Another facility put specifically for comfort in this area is a sauna/bathing house, a widespread Russian tradition. The sauna building in Stolzenhain features several smaller adjoining rooms, with pools, sauna/Turkish bath areas, a central heater, as well as more general purpose sitting rooms with fireplaces. A video studio was also featured in this multi-functional building.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

An interesting specimen of Soviet naive art, some frescoes adorn the walls of some of the rooms, with subjects ranging from sea life to women performing ‘spa activities’.

Still outside of the innermost military part, yet inside the external fence of the base, a training ground is to be found to the east of the military area, not too far from the spa building. A walk in the trees along the inner perimeter of the wall of the base is needed to reach this part. A control building with an observation post on top features plenty of instructions for tasks to be performed in a training exercise – in Russian!

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Close by, a shooting range for light weapons (rifles, guns) can be found, again with precise indications on the distances to be taken from the target, marked by colored lines on the ground.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Back to the gate to the military barracks area and stepping inside, among the few surviving buildings is a former gym. Despite used as a storage today, the larger hall is clearly a former volleyball/basketball court. A referee chair is still hanging from the sidewall, and sport-themed frescoes decorate the walls.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Former hangars for trucks or technical vehicles can be found in the eastern part of the former barracks area, similar to traces of a fuel pump. As said, most of the former buildings here are now gone.

A special feature in the barracks area is a manhole with traces of a set of cables, pointing towards the highly secretive and guarded bunker area. Communication is of paramount importance for military practice. In the case of nuclear depots so far away from Moscow, a cable connection was implemented not to loose contact under any circumstances between the Soviet headquarters and this peripheral, yet so valuable facility. Pressurized cables were used, such that when an attempt to severe or intercept cable signals was carried out by the enemy cutting the cable, the external jacket was pierced, a loss of pressure was sensed, and an alarm was triggered immediately. Similarly, in the case of an accidental degeneration of the ground where the cable ran, the pressurized jacket was pierced triggering an alarm, allowing the technicians to repair the cable and restore contact.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

An old and forgotten Soviet standard service container, typically transported by truck, can be found close to the manhole totally invaded by vegetation. From here, a view to the perimeter concrete wall around the innermost part of the site can be easily seen, with clear traces of camo paint.

Bunker Area

The area of the bunkers is fortified with a concrete wall with barbed wire on top running along all its perimeter. The size of the bunker is immediately apparent from above – you can look at some aerial pictures from a dedicated flight over the area, see this report. There is a gate connecting it to the barracks area. The only other gate to the bunker area, located north on the other end of the complex, opposite to the first gate, is partially obstructed.

For its entire length, the external wall of the bunker area is almost perfectly preserved, and abundant traces of camouflage can be easily spotted all along.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Inside the wall, you soon find a fence of barbed wire with concrete posts, again standard for Soviet military installations. Some sections of the barbed wire are very well preserved, albeit rusty. The overgrown vegetation looks like the only difference between now and the years when the bunker was in operation!

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Inside the barbed wire fence, you find traces of an exceptional system of trenches and turrets, which should have granted protection to the innermost part of the complex – the storage bunkers. There are turrets of many kinds, including one which looks like the dome of a tank, re-used for the purpose – a feature also of the Atlantic Wall and the Salpa Line (see here). Such a degree of protection is extraordinary also with respect to other military installations. Abundant traces of barbed wire-holders along the tranches can be easily spotted. The site was clearly considered as an objective of special value, to be seriously defended in case of an attack from the West.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Close to the center of the large fenced area, you soon reach the bunkers (there are a western and an eastern bunker, described below), which despite being mostly underground, feature a small mound on top which allow spotting them from the distance.

Western Nuclear Storage Bunker

Access for the warheads is at the level of the ground. There are two large tight doors corresponding to the two ends of the main hall of the bunker. Below you can see a 3D sketch of the bunker, from a placard found close to Objekt 4001 (the Lychen bunker), describing the inner layout.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany

By one of the entrances to the bunker is a small loading/unloading platform for two trucks. The apron connecting the platform to the bunker door used to be covered by prefabricated roof tiles – rich in asbestos – and covered with artificial vegetation, of which some traces remain.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The area is overlooked by a firing turret, seating above the front of the bunker.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The external tight door gives access to an airlock, a small square compartment closed to the opposite end by another identical door. This is explained in view of the need to protect the innermost part of the bunker from attacks by means of high-yield weapons. A similar architecture can be found in a Soviet nuclear depot in Szprotawa, Poland (see this post).

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

From the airlock you get access to a suspended platform, from which you can appreciate the storage facilities of the bunker. There is a main hall, where the warheads were lowered by means of a motorized crane from the suspended platform down to the underground level. From there, they were moved to one of the four long storage chamber, all accessible on the same side of the main hall.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Temperature and humidity of the main hall and storage rooms were perfectly controlled. Ventilation pipes and an impressive array of hangers for heat exchangers can be seen in the main hall.

Access to the underground floor from the suspended platform is only possible with a ladder, passing through a narrow hatch – as usual, it’s hard to understand why the Russians (or the Germans in this case) built passages so narrow and uncomfortable, considering they are not among the shortest human types on Earth… – see this post for another brilliant example…

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The storage rooms are very long, and traces of strongpoints for anchoring the warheads safely on ground can be seen surfacing on the floor. The doors between the main hall and the storage rooms, where present, don’t appear to be tight. Most writing is in Russian, but some labels are in German. This can be explained with the bunkers being realized by GDR personnel, upon requirements by the Soviets.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The blue cabinets and piping in the pictures are part of the warhead monitoring plant. Each warhead – the actual number is part of the mystery, but there used to be several tens of them in each of the two bunkers on site! – was kept in a sealed shell, to keep sensitive nuclear material precisely in the required climatic condition. Constantly checking the condition of the warheads was part of the duty of the bunker personnel. For the task, each warhead was moved to the hall and connected to the piping, to take measurements of temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition and similar parameters. In case of an anomaly, the warhead was resent to a major technical facility in the USSR (in particular, in Belarus for the Stolzenhain warheads), for fixing.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

To the opposite end of the main hall from the entrance is another identical entrance, with a suspended platform and an airlock. In the case of this bunker, the most external tight door to the far end has been taken off its hinges and put on the floor, whereas that between the airlock and the main hall has been permanently shut.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Back to the main hall, on the opposite side of the storage rooms on the underground floor, it is possible to access a service area, with several smaller rooms connected by a narrow corridor. The function of each room is not difficult to argue, and looking at some details it is possible to make some easy hypothesis.

Electric actuation for the ventilation system may be the function of a first room.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

What looks like a kind of hydraulic pumping/water filtering system is located next door, split over three adjoining rooms. The system has been pulled down to the ground, but it is not severely damaged.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Next you can find a reservoir for water, placed in a room close by, painted in green and highly damaged.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Going further along the corridor, you can find a toilet. Poor drainage – don’t forget this floor is entirely underground – meant that the troops spending their shift in the bunker did not use the toilet much, and climbed out of the bunker for their necessities.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Further on, you can see a room which is probably a sleeping room for the troops stationed inside the bunker. A heat exchanger and traces of a sink on the wall may support this theory. Air ducts leading to the surface can be found in recesses close by.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

A room with traces of electric material and an electric panel outside may have been an electric power control facility, maybe even a cable communication facility.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Further on, you get access to a power station, where clear traces of a diesel system for supplying electric energy to the bunker can be found. A big reservoir painted in yellow may have been the diesel fuel tank. A stator of an electrical generator can be seen on the floor. Parts of a diesel engine can be found, and what may have been tanks for lubrication oil can be seen on the walls. As it often happens with defense bunkers – even for larger defensive forts since before WWII – the installation was usually powered from the outside grid in peacetime, but it had to be capable of staying active in case of an attack and failure of the external grid. Hence backup generators can be found in most underground bunkers since the 20th century. Especially in the atomic age, when a nuclear attack on the installation was considered a potential scenario, a stress was put on this type of countermeasure.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The diesel engine is earmarked with a Soviet label, witnessing its origin! Similarly, electric motors and components scattered on ground – part of the ventilation system – are ‘made in CCCP’.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Traces of lubrication oil can be found on panels on the floor. Between the power station and the main corridor, a side door gives access to a ladder going up. This was likely the ‘normal’ pedestrian access to the bunker.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

A few more service rooms can be accessed from the main underground hall, through doors on its short sides, under the suspended balconies. There were mechanical workshops, but also facilities for dealing with contaminated or poisonous material, in particular that of nuclear warhead triggers. This is further witnessed by traces in the eastern bunker (see below), and by special valves installed on the ventilation system in those rooms.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Getting out and climbing on top of the bunker, it is possible to spot several air hatches for the ventilation system (including that of the power station), as well as a metal cabin covering the ladder giving access to the service rooms in the bunker – the ‘normal’ pedestrian access cited above.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

A loading/unloading facility, larger than the one on the other side and with platforms of different sizes numbered from 1 to 4, can found also by the other gate of the bunker, which as noted is sealed.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Also here, an asbestos-rich roof can be found in the truck docking area, but there is no superstructure covering the apron leading to the door of the bunker.

Eastern Nuclear Storage Bunker

A large concrete road forms an ‘8’ around the two nuclear storage bunkers. The bunkers are identical, but for protection the eastern bunker was built tilted by 90° with respect to the western one – this way, it was not possible with a single attacking wave to hit the entrance gates of both bunkers.

The gate on one end of the bunker has been partially interred. The large apron leading to the truck loading facility is not covered. Traces of a fire emergency system can be found. Many hatches can be seen on top of the bunker, not all well conserved. One of them carries the curious inscription ‘Baku’, the capital city of the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan, written in Russian – as elsewhere in Soviet military installations, maybe the troops stationed here marked the place with the name of their city of origin (see this post).

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The bunker is slightly better preserved than the western one. The motorized cranes can be see on top of the main hall – nominal capacity is 32 tonnes.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The array of heat exchangers for temperature control on the side of the hall is clearly visible. A pressure gauge dates back to 1967. The storage rooms keep trace of a ventilation system, yet today humidity is damaging the inside of the bunker.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

An exploration of the service rooms, accessible from the main hall opposite the storage rooms, reveals a water pumping/filtering system and a water tank in their original positions.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The toilet, complete of toilet brush, is placed on top of a platform – the composition is so perfect that it looks like a weird ‘monument to a toilet’!

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Here the air pumps are better preserved than the in the western bunker, with fans still in place and air ducts pointing upwards to the roof of the installation.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

A room possibly for the shift on duty, with a heat exchanger and sink, features a supporting structure possibly made for beds. The electric panels in the adjoining room confirm its function as a control center for electric supply.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Before reaching the power station at the far end of the service corridor, a side passage gives access to a room with bulky air filters. This looks very similar to the filtering system of other military installations elsewhere – see this post for instance. Big greenish canisters are still there with writings in Russian. These were needed for survival inside the bunker, in case of an attack with nuclear or chemical weapons, which would have made outer air poisonous.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The area of the power station is similar to that in the other bunker, except the diesel engine, which is somewhat in a better shape. A big radiator, looking from an old-style truck, has been put alongside a large fan. More radiators can be found in the room, which is also stuffed with air ducts in a bad shape and tanks.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

The smaller service rooms accessible from below the suspended platforms are basically empty, except one with a transparent case, likely for manipulating poisonous material. This was required for older-style nuclear bomb triggers. Soon after the bunker was built, triggers were redesigned, and this room with its facilities was no longer needed. Holes for thick rubber gloves, and even remains of the gloves themselves, can be clearly spotted. The ventilation system in this room features particular valves.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Outside on the far end you can find a docking station for trucks. This has been used more recently as a deposit for asbestos tiles, and venturing should be avoided. On top of the bunker, the metal case with the ladder descending into the underground part, as well as the ladder itself, have been demolished to hamper access.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Other Buildings

In the premises of the fortified bunker area are also other smaller service buildings. Their function is hard to guess at a first glance. Most of them display writings in Cyrillic.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

One of these smaller constructions contained ‘poisoning charges’. These were special ‘weapons’ which could be put on the shell of the warhead and, when triggered, were capable of making it totally inert and ineffective. This was an extreme emergency move, in case a capture of the nuclear warheads was deemed possible due to enemy action. The name of the person responsible for this special action is painted on the gate of the storage.

A low-profile building with a curved roof, not far from a softer construction dating to the 1970s, looks larger and with a mainly pedestrian access. This was a storage for light weapons.

Turrets and defensive buildings are abundant, and all are connected by concrete roads which look pretty good in spite of the decades of disrepair.

Closer to the wall of the inner part, hatches giving access to underground bunkers can be spotted, when exploring with accuracy. These underground bunkers, service rooms or resting rooms for the many troops constantly guarding this installation, are of different size.

A first one, rather convenient, is made of concrete. Nothing remains inside, except traces of a Soviet-style electric plant, made with a questionable safety standard…

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Another is made of prefabricated corrugated tubes, with a sealed entry hatch. This is rather well-preserved, with berths, a stove and a small living area, all accessible via a corridor from the outside.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Finally, close to the barracks area described above, but still inside of the innermost part of the installation, is the access to another underground bunker. Here many smaller rooms, including communication rooms of great importance for triggering actions in the bunker area, are located along a straight tunnel. In the origin, the tunnel went all the way to the barracks area, passing under the fences and wall separating it from the innermost bunker area. The outer entrance was clearly deceived for improved safety, and today it is totally gone.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 East Germany

Getting there & moving around

As the place is private property, no detail will be provided concerning access. Moving around the area is dangerous, due to difficulty of access, proximity with local activities and residents, bad phone signal for emergency, plus tons of rusting material, barbed wire, pits, pierces in the ground, asbestos, slippery soil, etc. scattered over the area. The bunkers are wet and completely dark inside. Obviously, the fact that nuclear ordnance and diesel fuel used to be stored there does not help making the place healthier.

That said, the place is in a fairly good shape for the age and vicissitudes, and hopefully it will be at least partly restored and opened to the public in the future, once suitably sanitized.

If you are interested in a legit visit of a Monolith-type bunker, you may consider going to Podborsko in nearby Poland. See this post for pictures and info.

Objekt 4001 – Lychen-2

The Lychen bunker was built on a design basically identical to that of Objekt 4000. The only difference was the orientation, this time along an almost east-western direction, with the ‘softer part’ towards the east and the bunkers to the west.

Historical pictures – actually, even from the early 2010s, when the installation was still mostly untouched – show a very peculiar monument with the head of Lenin and other emblems, marking the entrance to the bunker area.

Today this installation has been completely wiped out. All soft constructions have been demolished, and the ground has been leveled – there is basically no trace of them at all. The monument is gone too. The turrets and protection systems have totally disappeared, similarly to the truck loading and unloading stations.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany

Even more surprising is the great care taken to make all walls and fences disappear completely. There are no walls, nor barbed wire fences. What you can still – barely – spot is where the external wall and inner fence used to be, as vegetation has not yet covered the perimeter.

Looking with great care, and knowing where it used to be, if you are lucky you may find scant remains of barbed wire on the ground.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany

Instead, the concrete access road and inner service roads are still there. In the middle of the ‘8’ shaped road around the two bunkers, a placard with information has been put by the regional administration. The placard concludes saying that being there should ‘provoke thoughts’ – for instance, why wasn’t this installation preserved somehow for posterity, instead of leaving it slip into oblivion?

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany

The bunkers, made to withstand a nuclear blast, are too expensive to be demolished. However, the doors have been completely sealed and covered with land and concrete. The camouflaged concrete fronts of the bunkers are the most visible trace of Objekt 4001.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany

On top of the bunkers some metal ventilation hatches appear to have resisted the demolition works. More interestingly, the metal cabin with the ladder for pedestrian access has been demolished, and access blocked with a concrete slab in both bunkers. In the southern bunker the concrete slab has been broken recently, and maybe a difficult access re-opened. However, this is not practicable if you are traveling alone – and is extremely dangerous in all other cases.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Warhead Bunker Lychen-2 Objekt 4001 East Germany

Getting there & moving around

Going to Lychen-2 is easy from the small nice town of Himmelpfort, about 1 hour driving north of downtown Berlin, in the heart of the natural preserve and nice tourist district of Oberhavel.

An access road is marked on the map attached to this post. You may see the Lychen-2 bunker from the satellite map, just north of the road, at the level of the launch platform for the SS-4 Sandal marked as ‘Furstenberg’. The latter post lists also several other Soviet-related destinations in the area, which may be more rewarding than Lychen-2. The (once) prominent secret Soviet base of Vogelsang (see this post) is also a highlight of the area, despite significant demolition works having taken place also recently, pushing also that part of the story towards oblivion.

Forgotten Cold War Bases Around Prague

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Todays Czech Republic was born from the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia in 1993. The latter was founded after WWI from the ashes of the Austrian Empire. Its well-developed industrial plants and proximity with Germany made it a primary target in the expansion phase of the Third Reich – in fact, after the Munich Agreement a large part of the territory of Czechoslovakia was annexed to Germany in 1938.

Towards the end of WWII, Czechoslovakia was conquered by both the Soviet Red Army and US troops. As a result of diplomacy moves soon after WWII, a new free republic was founded. Unfortunately, as soon as 1948 the local Communist Party conquered power with a coup d’état, turning this Country into a Soviet satellite.

From a military viewpoint, this period saw the adoption of Soviet supplies and organization standards. Czechoslovakia shared a border with the Ukraine, hence with the USSR. Yet the stability and reliability – from a USSR standpoint – of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, differently from other countries under soviet influence – like Poland – meant a certain level of autonomy in the setup of the armed forces, which were not massively present over the territory of the country during the 1950s and 1960s, until 1968.

The Prague Spring, triggered by the announced reforms of the leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party Alexander Dubcek, brought Brezhnev-led USSR to fear a loss of control of that industrialized region, creating a dangerous diplomatic affair and a bad example for other Soviet-controlled countries.  The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, codenamed ‘Operation Danube’, was launched in August 1968.

The operation led to the successful occupation of the country by more than 250’000 troops from the USSR, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Since that time, and until 1989 with the overthrowing of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, the Red Army was present over the territory of this country, taking control and developing bases formerly managed by the local armed forces. The two largest airbases in the country, Ralsko and Milovice, both less than 40 miles away from Prague, were among the installations taken over by the USSR.

Despite this, the already developed Czechoslovakian Army maintained a high standard of proficiency and supply, thanks also to the local production of top-quality weapons. The local army was responsible of the Czechoslovakian sector of the anti-aircraft barrier of the western border of the Eastern Bloc, which was built in the 1980s based on advanced Soviet material, namely the SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missiles. Furthermore, the city of Prague was protected by a network of anti-aircraft missile batteries based on the SA-3 Goa. Anti-atomic bunkers were built both in Prague for civil defense (see this post), and in more remote areas of the country for the government and for the military chain of command (see this post).

After the end of communism both in Czechoslovakia and the USSR, the departure of the newborn Czech Republic from the influence of Russia, and the reconfiguration of the Czech Army in view of the new geopolitical situation in the 1990s, the majority of the former military installations were shut down and abandoned – a scenario totally similar to all former Soviet-controlled countries, which had known an exponential increase in the military presence over the years of the Cold War, which could not be supported any more by the economies of the new independent Countries (see for instance here or here). Furthermore, like in every other country in the Eastern Bloc, the retreating staff of the Red Army and their families left extensive ghost towns (see for instance this post).

Today, after substantial demolition works and years spent under the action of the elements, a few traces remain of these witnesses of the Cold War. Yet as of 2018 some notable relics of this bygone era could still be found, conveniently reachable from Prague.

This post covers Milovice Red Army airbase, possibly better known through the name of the local Soviet town of Bozi Dar, two abandoned anti-aircraft missile batteries for the protection of Prague – Tocna and Miskovice – and an anti-aircraft battery in the vicinity of Dobris, south of Prague, once a focal point of the anti-aircraft defense of the European border of the Eastern Bloc, against NATO forces. Photographs were taken in summer 2018.

Map

The following map is very basic, and helps just to highlight the location of the four subjects of this chapter in the Prague region. The reason for not being more explicit is that the Dobris and Milovice bases are possibly not publicly accessible. Concerning Tocna and Miskovice, they are rather small installations, thus not difficult to explore.

As usual with this kind of attraction, approaching by car is the only way possible, due to the remoteness of the locations. Once there, much walking on uneven terrain is required. A tripod and torchlight are highly recommended for indoor exploration, and a cell phone with a GPS may be handy for moving around especially in Dobris and Milovice.

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

Sights

Milovice Airbase

Much before being turned into one of the busiest and largest Soviet airports in central Europe, the airbase in Milovice had experienced a long history of upgrades and developments. Activated in the 1920s on military grounds previously established by the Austrian Emperor, the airfield was actively used by the Luftwaffe in the years of the Nazi occupation and WWII. Later on, it was turned into a major base of the Czechoslovakian Air Force, with MiGs reportedly operating from there as soon as a hardened runway was built in the early 1950s.

Before the Soviet invasion of 1968, the staff of the base used to stay in the village of Milovice, on the southwestern corner of the base.

After the Soviets came to occupy the field, they built from scratch a new, self-sufficient village on the northern side of the base, where Soviet troops and their families could live segregated from the local community. This village was named Bozi Dar. The Soviets developed the facilities of the base enormously, lengthening the runway to almost 8’500 ft, building about 40 reinforced hangars sized for MiG-21 and later MiG-23/27, and more than 25 open-air landing bays for Mi-8 and Mi-24 attack helicopters. The base featured also large open-air aprons for transport aircraft, which reportedly operated many military transport flights to and from the USSR with larger cargo aircraft.

A storage for nuclear warheads for tactical weapons was built to the south of the runway, with two Granit-type concrete containers.

Today this once prominent base is largely abandoned. The village of Bozi Dar, while surprisingly still hosting some form of business in a few surviving smaller buildings, has been almost completely demolished, leaving behind the depressing view of piles of rubble. The village had been ceded to private owners after the withdrawal of the Russian troops, but all proposed restoration ideas have come to nothing, and the by-then rotting buildings have met their fate in the early 2010s.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The northwestern corner of the airport is the richest in relics. Approaching the airport from this corner, you first meet significant remains of the double fence once delimiting the perimeter of the airbase.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

In the same area, it is possible to find the helicopter aprons, almost untouched, with scant yet visible remains of tarmac repairs and typical airport area signs and delimiters painted on the ground.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

From the same northwestern corner, you may go ahead along a former main road of the base looking east. South of the road you may soon spot the reinforced aircraft shelters built in this part of the airbase.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

North of the road, you can see two unusual constructions, looking like fortresses of the Atlantic Wall (see here). These are likely part of the reinforced fuel resupply system, a pretty interesting feature of the Misovice airbase. These two reinforced tanks were only a part of a huge network of pipelines and reservoirs, which allowed to store most of the fuel in the vicinity of the base, but not on it, to prevent damages in case of an attack. The two reinforced tanks served only the immediate needs of the aircraft and helicopter fleet, and were designed to withstand a direct hit. This system was put in place by the Czechoslovakians, before the Soviets took over the base. You can spot the reinforced concrete roofs of the two reservoirs emerging from the bushes.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The aircraft shelters of this area are all shut. You can walk around, ahead and over them as well – useful for getting a panorama view of the base.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

From the top of the shelters you can get a view of the open-air apron, and of part of the runway. The airport is today closed, but after the military quit, some ultra-light and RC aircraft activities were carried out from the area.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Having a close look at the gates of the hangars, you may notice they are made of concrete, really sturdy. Small engines to operate the gates can still be found on the sides of most of these hangars.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

In the same area you can find a former cabin, probably hosting a power generation unit or something alike.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Further west, you can find a large unarmored hangar, most likely from older times than 1968. This was probably for maintenance activities. The windows on top of the front façade bear ‘KPSS’ in Cyrillic – this is the Russian acronym for the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This is probably only part of the original writing. Further right, there is a Czechoslovakian flag, possibly from the later years when the base was operated.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The building of the maintenance hangar is composed of a very large main hall, and many smaller rooms all around its perimeter.  Electric plugs and switches bear writings in Cyrillic. Today, there is also monumental pile of used tires!

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

On the walls of the main hall there are traces of Soviet murals and Cyrillic inscriptions – most of them are fading.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Image00577
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The rooms along the long side of the hangar are mainly heavily damaged and spoiled.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The rooms along the short sides are in a bad shape, but something more remains of the original furniture, including some doors and windows. The traces here suggest a more aesthetically pleasant design, not just purely functional – look at the doors and handles, more like those of a canteen than of a mechanic workshop.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Especially on the eastern side of the hangar, evident remains of a sauna and steam room tend to confirm the function of this area as a recreational facility. Having such facilities close to the runway would not be strange – something similar can be found for instance in Soviet airbase in Wittstock, in the former GDR (see here).

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Leaving the hangar to the north you can find several fences, and leaving the airport you may meet the original double fence with barbed wire – almost untouched from Soviet times, so may you need to walk along it to find a way through!

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

All around the former airport it is possible to find memorabilia and items of interest – mugs, metal pieces, fuel tanks,…

Getting there and moving around

As said, while largely abandoned and mainly unfenced, this area is likely all private property. Moving around does pose some safety issues, for when walking in the bushes and wild grass you may stumble due to abandoned cables or barbed wire at the level of your ankles. The main hangar is not completely rotting, but it is unlikely that it underwent maintenance in recent years. The adjoining small buildings are probably even more dangerous due to risk of collapse.

The village of Bozi Dar does not deserve any attention, unless possibly if you are looking for memorabilia – all buildings are completely gone. The area to the south of the runway where the nuclear facility used to be has been completely demolished. It was reportedly similar to the one preserved in Grossenhain, next to Dresden in the former GDR (see here).

Approaching the airport from the northwest is convenient, for there is chance of parking on the side of the perimeter road, far from the unwanted attention of the locals. There are some local businesses insisting in the last buildings of Bozi Dar, and possibly on the apron, but probably there are not real security issues in entering the base area by foot – there are no barriers nor prohibition signs whatsoever, except for cars. The area of the base is very large – it is an airport after all… – and visiting the northwestern corner may take about 2 hours for a well-trained subject, including time for all the pictures.

Tocna Missile Battery

This is part of the former network of missile batteries for the anti-aircraft defense of Prague, operated by Czechoslovakian 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. This ring of protection was established in the 1970s. The base in Tocna was equipped with approximately 12 batteries of 5P71 two-rocket trolleys for the Soviet SA-2 Goa, which in the Soviet classification is known as S-125 Neva (or Petchora for the exported version). This is a popular model from the early 1960s, adopted in many countries outside of the USSR and the Eastern Bloc over the years, and still deployed today. These 24 missiles had a range of roughly 20 miles and a ceiling of more than 50’000 ft. The electronic gears for target acquisition and missile guidance comprised the trailer-mounted P-15 acquisition radar and SNR-125 tracking and guidance radar – all Soviet supply.

Similar to other batteries of the kind, Tocna was divided in two smaller sectors, one with the barracks, parking, living facilities for the troops and fuel storage, and one with reinforced shelters where the missiles were stored, and open-air aprons from where they could be launched. Today, the former sector is part of a local institution, and is separated by a fence from the latter sector, which is totally abandoned and can be accessed.

The missile area is located on top of a small hill. You can get access to the area starting from the gate of the former guard sector (still in use, inaccessible). Taking uphill you will soon meet the old inner wall of the base, which originally divided the guard part from the missile sector. Traces of the camo paint still adorn the concrete wall.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

The storage facilities are basically four barrel-vaulted halls inside a shelter. The shelter could be accessed from two opposite sides. Each of the four halls could host three twin-rocket trolleys.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

Dark and narrow passages connect the blind ends of the vaulted halls, and give access to a small protection area, where personnel could stay for protection in case the base was attacked from the air.

As you can see from the pictures, unfortunately the halls are in a very bad shape, covered in stupid graffiti and full of rubbish.

On top of the halls, there is a circular wall probably intended for the guidance radar. The missiles could be extracted from the shelters and prepared for launch from predetermined areas of the base.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

On the western side of the shelter you can find a command building, which today is barely accessible due to piles of rubbish obstructing the door. This is used as sporting ground by paint-ball teams. The emerging foundation wall of the shelter area was covered in camo nets, with some remains still in place today.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

On the northern end of the base you can find two more smaller shelters, with a large round hole in the roof giving access to where two large antennas can be found still today. These do not look like highly directional radar antennas, but more like usual communication antennas – maybe they are not originally from the time, yet they look unmaintained and rotting. The two shelters were possibly for control/communication trailers, or for power generators. These too are in a very bad shape today.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

Getting there and moving around

The former base has been split into two parts. One is still run by some public service, and cannot be accessed. The other – the rocket storage part – is totally abandoned and can be accessed without clear restrictions. Some paint-ball activities are (or used to be) carried out around here – but apparently only rarely. During my visit I came across two people walking their dogs, and was alone for the rest of the time.

The place can be easily reached by car in the southeastern outskirts of Prague. Parking is possible right ahead of the gate of the public service in the still active area – there is a large apron where your car will not be noticed.

The site is rather compact, but the terrain is uneven and steep. Anyway, considering also the very bad shape of the installation, visiting will not take more than 45 minutes.

Miskovice Missile Battery

This site is similar to the one in Tocna both in history and function. Unfortunately, possibly due to the immediate vicinity to a nearby village, this site was completely demolished. Only few traces remain of the original installation.

Accessing via the only way possible, you will soon meet traces of the outer fence, with vertical concrete posts and barbed wire.

Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech

The framework of inner roads can still be seen, albeit invaded by vegetation. The only visible remains are the round wall for the radar, and part of the access door to one of the shelters.

Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech

Getting there and moving around

I went to the Miskovice site as I expected it to be in a much better shape. Clearly, demolition works have hit here months before my visit, so that basically nothing remains here to see – just another lost occasion of sparing a piece of military history from total oblivion. While not far from Prague and easy to reach, I would not suggest to waste time in this location.

Dobris Missile Base

Together with another sister site in the vicinity of Brno (Rapotice), the Dobris base was part of the Czechoslovakian stronghold of the anti-aircraft defense line of the Eastern Bloc, countering intrusion from the nearby NATO forces operating mainly from West Germany.

This defense line was implemented in the final years of the Brezhnev leadership in the early 1980s, and comprised of ten missile bases, located in Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. It was based on the advanced SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missile, known in the Soviet archives as S-200 Vega. Designed in the late 1960s, this massive anti-aircraft missile is still in service in many countries, offering a range of over 180 miles, a top altitude over 120’000 ft and a peak speed over Mach 4. It can carry a 450 lb warhead of conventional explosive, or a 25-kilotons nuclear warhead.

The missile battery of the SA-5 is typically composed of six 5P72 launchers, and a single radar 5N62 illuminating the target up to a distance of 180 miles.

The Dobris site, operated by the Czechoslovakian 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, is an example of a really advanced launch facility for the SA-5 type. It is composed of three launch areas, with six launchers each, and correspondingly three 5N62 Square Pair radar antennas, making the three launch areas capable of working in parallel. Further antenna systems included a O-14 Tall King and a PRV-17 Odd Pair early warning radars, providing a seeking range of more than 350 miles at an altitude of 100’000 ft.

The area of the base in Dobris is correspondingly pretty large. The most notable feature are the incredible 60-ft-high concrete platforms where the square pair radars used to be placed. These structures are really unique, and clearly date from the latter, hi-tech stage of the Cold War era. The base was operative only in 1985, after four years of construction, carried out in secrecy by a force of 1’500 men. The areas was protected from intrusion by land, with a barbed wire fence and a concrete wall with watchtowers. All technical trails for operating the radar antennas and coordinating an attack, plus all power generators were sheltered in concrete bunkers, dug in the ground and covered in camo paint.

The base was deactivated at some point after the end of communism, for sure by the early 2000s. A private business has taken over the property, and a modern research center has been erected on the southern part of the former base. Thanks to its secluded location, sufficiently far from the city and deep in the trees, the area has come to our days in a relatively good shape. Due to the vicinity with a running business, exploring the launch part of the complex may be risky. This post covers only the more remote northern part, with the radar facilities and the control bunker.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Accessing the site from the north through the external fence and concrete wall still in good shape, you soon come to the first bunker, connected with the early warning O-14 Tall King. The bunker features two halls, which could host a control and signal processing trailer, and a power generation unit for the antenna. A corridor leads to a back door emerging to the ground level.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Holes in the ceiling allowed signal and power cables to reach the adjoining apron, where the antenna used to stay anchored. The Tall King was a massive 100-by-40 ft radar antenna, kept in place through six anchor points.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Pits and concrete pipes emerge from the ground all around the base. Moving southwest from the position of the Tall King radar, you will meet the monster structure supporting the Square Pair radar for one of the southernmost missile launch battery in the base (battery number 18 in the original maps). The support structure is accessible by a steep ramp, which allowed trailers for further electronic systems to climb on top of the platform.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

The round wall on top of the platform provided the foundations of the radar antenna. Caution is needed here, for the center of the pavement is covered with some rubbish, deceiving a hole which allowed the power and signal cables of the antenna to run below the platform, and down into the nearby shelter.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

The Square Pair operation trailers were hosted in that shelter, dug in the ground and featuring a single vault. Behind the main vault you can find smaller rooms with traces of technical gears – possibly for ventilation – and a service area for controllers and operators. A back door made access easier for the technical staff.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

The service roads leading to the three high platforms for the Square Pair radar antennas meet in the same point, where the control bunker of the base can be found. This bunker is interred and very large. It features three entrances on the front façade, leading to as many vaults.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Each vault contained a power generator close to the entrance. The right vault contained the K-9 combat control trailer, with sensors and computers, from where the whole Dobris site was controlled. The central vault hosted a K-21M electrical distribution group, and the left vault the K-7 control group, which was used to monitor the status of the base and the accuracy of the targeting system. The graffiti on the sidewall of one of the vault clearly date to later than 1993, the year of Stephen Spielberg’s Jurassic Park feature!

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

To the blind end of the vaults a network of corridors and rooms can be accessed. This is interesting, for it features a protection system likely to be used in case of a serious threat to the base. This includes a system of tight doors, a ventilation system, showers and services typical to a decontamination facility.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Image00299
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

This area is great fun to explore, but it is completely dark – a great environment for bats, like the one captured in this pic, purely by chance!

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

A powerful torchlight is mandatory for safely finding your way out. Traces of a control room – besides the trailer, which is clearly gone – can be found among other features of this interesting part of the bunker.

Just out of the control bunker you can find a building which served as a relax area for the troops. Traces of a gym can be found in one of the rooms.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

To the back of the same bunker you get access to another platform for the Square Pair radar of the westernmost (number 17) missile launch area. The bunker for the control trailer can be found on the side of the platform, together with a soft cover for trucks or light vehicles.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Due to time constraints, the last platform was not explored. Leaving is convenient from the same point used for entering the area.

Getting there and moving around

As pointed out, the Dobris site has been partially converted into a modern research center, funded by the European Union and involving national universities. This occupies the southernmost part of the former base, close to the launch complexes.

Accessing the northern part of the site during the week-end is probably not very risky, yet you can immediately notice that the original external fence and wall have been repaired in recent times more than once, and inside there is an unpaved road kept free of any vegetation running along the wall. Coming close to the research center is not recommended, but the parts of the base portrayed in this post are clearly unused, with overgrown vegetation, dusty surfaces and rust everywhere.

Due to the intriguing history of the base and the good state of conservation, visiting is very rewarding. The area is a national park, and in case you miss the entrance you can relax with a walk in the trees. The area is pretty large, and visiting the only part portrayed in this post may take more than 2 hours, excluding time to and from the base. Much more would be needed if you decided to explore the rest of the base. A torchlight and a tripod are mandatory to explore the inside of the bunkers.

Soviet SS-12 Scaleboard Nuclear Missiles in the GDR

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A little known fragment of Cold War history concerns the deployment of ballistic missiles by the Soviet Union outside of its national borders. Considering the case of the GDR, aka DDR in German language, during the Cold War the westernmost communist dictatorship in Europe, this happened in several instances.

History – in brief

Two such episodes took place in the 1950s and early 1960s with strategic missiles – Shyster and Sandal – in the area of Fürstenberg and Vogelsang, located one hour north of Berlin by car (see this post), in the territory of the GDR. This deployments lasted only briefly, cause strategic missiles of much longer range were developed soon, allowing targeting western Europe and the US from within the USSR.

Since then, a nuclear striking force was allegedly present over the territory of the GDR at all times, as testified by a number of now abandoned nuclear warhead bunkers built on the premises of major Soviet airbases (see for instance this post, and links therein). This  force was mainly based on tactical warheads intended to be launched from aircraft.

From the 1960s to the early 1980s the USSR deployed also SCUD-A and SCUD-B short-range nuclear missile systems over the territory of some Soviet-controlled countries. This mobile-launched light weapons were stationed in the GDR in Königsbruck, Bischofswerda and Meissen, close to the border with Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as around Wünsdorf, were the high command of the Soviet forces in Germany was located (see this post). The improved SS-21 Scarab was added to the arsenal in Königsbruck in 1981, with a range similar to that of the SCUD systems.

Nuclear missiles appeared again in the GDR towards the end of the Cold War, in the years between 1984 and 1988. This time the Soviets used intermediate-range theater missiles, in the form of the SS-12 Scaleboard, a 500 kilotons, single-warhead tactical system, with a range of 500 miles and launched directly from a mobile launcher. The reason for this deployment was a kind of retaliation following the choice of the Reagan administration, together with some European NATO Countries including West Germany, Italy and Britain, to deploy intermediate-range missiles provided by the US in Western Europe.

This move by the western allies was part of the complicated and lengthy negotiations which would culminate in the INF treaty in late 1987, between the US and the USSR. In the end, this agreement led to a bilateral dismantlement of intermediate-range nuclear forces (‘INF’), including both the American Pershing II and the Soviet Scaleboard.

Talks aiming at counterbalancing the Soviet nuclear deterrent in Europe represented by the SS-20 Pioneer mobile-launched missiles, with a range of more than 3,000 miles, had been started in the closing phase of the Carter administration, with the USSR still led by Brezhnev. The goal of the operation from a western standpoint was the deactivation of this missile by the Soviets. The deployment of a huge force of hundreds of Pershing II tactical ballistic missiles and Gryphon cruise missiles by the US, ordered in 1983 by the Reagan administration in agreement with some European Countries, should stand as a precaution in case the desired deactivation of the SS-20 would not be obtained (see also this post). The NATO move was perhaps not interpreted as desired, and in response the USSR deployed the Scaleboard in the GDR, close to the border with the West in 1984, putting a halt to the talks.

Following the change in the leadership of the USSR, the INF treaty was later signed in 1987 by President Reagan and Gorbachev. The involved missiles deployed by both the US and the USSR, and not limited to the Gryphon, Pershing II and Scaleboard, were soon withdrawn starting in 1988. They were later decommissioned and physically destroyed.

Sights

Today, a few relics of this late episodes of the Cold War can be found in the former German Democratic Republic. The quick deployment of the Scaleboard meant that an existing Soviet missile brigade (119th) was relocated in mid-1984 from Gombori, in the Soviet Republic of Georgia, to locations in the GDR, namely Königsbruck and Bischofswerda near Dresden, and Warenshof and Wokuhl in Mecklenburg. Thanks to the improved mobility of the Scaleboard system, launched from mobile platforms, not much hardware was necessary for storing and operating the missile. Light shelters were quickly built to store the nuclear warheads and the missiles. These were connected by a network of short service roads made with prefabricated concrete slabs.

Following the withdrawal of the missiles, and later of all Soviet troops from the former GDR, these missile sites were demolished or invaded by nature. Apparently, nothing has survived in Königsbruck and in the bases in Mecklenburg, whereas in Bischofswerda significant remains are to be found, albeit not publicized at all, with a short walk in the trees.

This post provides a map and a few pictures to reach the former Bischofswerda missile base. Photographs were taken in late summer 2018.

Map

The following map highlights the location of the bunkers and the access points to the Bischofswerda site. During my visit I tried three accesses by car, and the northern access road – access point 1 on the map – is the only one where I could find a (small) parking area. The area is today in a forest, and there you cannot get to the bunkers with a car – prohibition signs can be found close to all three pinpointed access points. Some walking will be needed, but the area is nice and you are likely to see some wildlife – that was my case!

I noticed that the Ulmon map on my iPhone had the bunkers accurately pinpointed. In any case, a GPS and an electronic non-satellite map is strongly recommended, for the site is shrouded by high-grown vegetation, and barely visible on a satellite photograph.

Please note that the POIs related to the missile bunkers on the map above have been placed by hand, and may be not very accurate. I noticed the Google base map does not show all the service roads connecting the bunkers. These roads are not maintained any more for vehicles, but they can still be used by hikers. Anyway, I tried to reconstruct the basic network with green lines – please zoom in to see them.

Bischofswerda SS-12 Scaleboard Missile Bunkers

Accessing the site from the northernmost entry point (access point 1 on the map), you will soon meet a former service/administration building for the troops, in pure Soviet style from the Eighties – see the terminal passenger in Sperenberg here, from the same years. It was built in 1983, and today it is used in the warm season as a service building for boy scouts and other forest-related activities. A  placard quickly recalls its history. The Soviets (then Russians) left the place in 1993, and the barracks originally built in the area for servicemen stationed there were completely demolished soon after.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

From the service building, the area of the missile shelters can be reached with a quick walk along a broad and almost flat road – you might easily drive to the place, if only it was not forbidden.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

The bunkers are grouped around a small square area with concrete slabs on the ground. Despite the short distance from the square to the shelters, these are totally unapparent, and you may have a hard time getting closer to them if you do not have a GPS and some electronic map. Zoom in on the map above for some basic directions concerning this part of the missile site.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

While they have not been demolished, all bunkers are abandoned with only one exception, and they are effectively hidden by wild vegetation.

There are bunkers of three types. The majority are hangars for storage of the missiles. There were four launchers with two missiles each, totaling eight missiles on the Bischofswerda site. The nuclear warheads were stored separately from the missiles, and quickly installed only in case an order to attack was issued. Bunker N on the map is the former storage for the nuclear warheads. Access is not possible due to the wild vegetation and the partial sealing of the sliding door with a pile of land. Yet the distinctive polygon-shaped metal access door can still be seen, different from that of all other bunkers.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

The storage bunker A can be neared more easily. You can notice the totally different construction with respect to the nuclear warhead bunker N. The door of this bunker is sealed too.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

Between bunker A and B there are traces of a construction, possibly another bunker, today completely interred.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

The missile bunker B is open, and used as a storage for wood logs. There are also parts of the original ventilation system. The construction components of the shelter are similar to those you can find in other Soviet missile launch bases (see for instance this post). Yet the size of the bunker is rather small compared to similar facilities built for strategic missiles. This highlights the reduced cost of the preparation of a theater missile launch facility, with respect to its strategic missile counterparts.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

On the far end of the complex (item Z on the map), you can find another bunker, at a glance similar to the other missile shelters. It was opened when I visited, and as you see from the pics there is an intermediate frame, dividing the hangar in two parts, connected by a passage. Considering the position and structure, I guess this was a command bunker, similar to those you see in other Soviet missile bases (like again this). There is a placard remembering the deployment of the Scaleboard system in this base, and inside somebody recently put a photograph of two former high-ranking staff from the US and Soviet Armies stationed in Germany at the time of the deployment, shaking hands in front of this very bunker. The photo was taken years after the decommissioning of the site.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

Two other missile shelters, C and D on the map, close the tour. One of them is open, the other is sealed and barely reachable due to vegetation.

Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda
Soviet Missile Base SS-12 Scaleboard Germany Bischofswerda

Special Feature – 119th Missile Brigade barracks in Gombori, Georgia

As mentioned above, the Soviet 119th Missile Brigade was tasked with running the theater missile installations hastily prepared in locations in Germany. To this purpose, the 119th was relocated in May 1984 from Gombori, Georgia, then a Soviet Socialist Republic in the realm of the USSR. It left back to Gombori at the end of the German deployment in March 1988. By that time, it converted to another missile platform, following the coincidental phase-out of the SS-12. For the time of the ‘German leave’, the 119th was under the responsibility of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, headquartered in Wünsdorf (see this post).

In the following pictures, taken on another trip (2019), you can see the abandoned barracks of the 119th in Gombori. This site was code-named ‘Tbilisi Army Barracks Gombori AL 12’ by the US, due to the proximity with the Georgian capital city, Tbilisi.

Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany
Gombori Georgia Abandoned Soviet Base Headquarters SCUD Missiles Eastern Germany

The 119th Missile Brigade moved away from Georgia after the USSR broke apart. It relocated to Elanskiy, Russia.

Getting there and moving around

As already pointed out, getting close to the site is possible by car, but touring the place will require a walk of roughly 1.5-2. I suggest leaving the car at access point 1 on the map. The site missile is not maintained except for the former service building, where you can find picnic tables and related facilities. The building was closed for the season already at the beginning of September, but the area around the building is not abandoned. The former service roads in the trees are maintained as well.

On the other hand, the area of the bunkers is basically abandoned, except for the Z bunker on the map, which is not maintained, but bears a placard on the front façade. Walking around does not pose any particular difficulty, but you should go prepared to face nettles, brambles and wild vegetation around the bunkers. Carefully watch your step, for there are open manholes scattered on the ground, probably part of the original underground electric supply system.

Visiting may take a bit more than 1 hour for the interested subject – something more if you want to take good pictures. A tripod is strongly advised also for external photographs, cause the trees effectively stop sunlight, so the area is mainly dark.

Minsk – A Soviet Capital of the New Millennium

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Belarus is exceptional in the panorama of post-soviet countries. Maybe thanks to its geographical location, next to the heart of Europe yet in the closest vicinity of todays Russian Federation, this large piece of almost flat and fertile land is the contact point of two civilizations and ways of life – Russia and core Europe – which merge here in an inexplicable harmony. And this is perfectly reflected in the appearance of its unique capital town – Minsk.

If you have never been there but you are not new to former-communist countries in Europe, what you might expect from the capital of very little-mentioned Belarus, a republic once in the realm of the USSR, is a chaotic town, full of rotting, stripped buildings built with the huge volumes typical to the peripheral areas of Moscow and St. Petersburg, old and smoky Ladas and Chaikas rumbling along rough roads full of puddles, like ten years ago in Sofia or Bucharest (see for instance this chapter). Once there, you will soon understand the picture is really different.

The impression is that of a rich country, with infrastructures right at the level or even above those of western Europe, large and paved roads, modern cars, gas stations everywhere, freshly painted buildings, leveled walkways, colored lights and nightlife.

Of course, the soviet grand architecture is all there. Actually, since Minsk was totally destroyed in 1944, in a fierce battle between the Red Army and the slowly retreating German Wehrmacht – an episode which gained the town the high honor of ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’, still eagerly displayed today – after the war was over, a master-plan for the reconstruction in a perfect Stalinist style was put in place. As a result, Minsk is a rare – perhaps unique – example of a Soviet model-capital from the early Cold War era, when the USSR ruled by Stalin had just triumphed on the stage of a world conflict, and it was setting about to keep up its hold on all eastern Europe. In this sense, at least for a westerner Minsk looks today a town more soviet than others in Russia.

Another element you perceive clearly, not so typical to bigger and way more populated metropolitan areas in the nations of eastern Europe and even in Russia, is a strong sense of order. Nightlife is quiet and not bombastic, cars move around at moderate speed and without creating jams, everything is very clean and calm. Minsk is both busy and quiet, thriving and disciplined – maybe this is just how a soviet capital should have looked like? Belarus suggests how the Soviet Union might have evolved in our days, had it survived its own social and economic failure.

Still today the strong ties with the Russian Federation help feeding the economy on the one hand, but on the other make entering this country a complicated business, like the case is for Russia – anticipated invitations, visas, stringent time frame limitations, … All these rules are gradually being lifted, but the country remains oriented mainly towards its huge eastern neighbor – something you see confirmed looking at the airport timetable in Minsk, from where you can fly to anywhere in Russia, but almost nowhere in Europe. While possibly difficult to deal with, all these controls and bureaucracy help preserving some ‘soviet aura’, which may add to an uncommon travel experience.

This post presents some photographs from central Belarus, taken during a visit to Minsk and some neighbor sites – conveniently reached with a car in less than two hours – in spring 2018.

Map and Visiting

The majority of the sites listed on this chapter can be reached with a relatively short walk from whatever hotel in the city center. Nonetheless, the city is not small and some perspectives are really broad and long. For a more relaxed visit as well as for reaching Khatyn and the Stalin’s Line a car is highly recommended.

Entering the country with a car can be a nightmare, but flying into Minsk and renting a car is indeed possible – I landed in Minsk from Kiev in the Ukraine, and got my car from Avis. Differently from most former countries of the Eastern Bloc, roads are well in line with the highest European standard. Gas stations are abundant, and they accept credit cards. Plus traffic is really well-disciplined, totally different from the Balkan states or even Russia. Parking is generally not a problem, so hop-on/hop-off from your car allows for a time-saving, very effective way of moving in downtown Minsk.

Of course, if you are not planning to go beyond the city limits, you may choose to move around with the public transport system, with a fairly extensive network. Generally speaking, everything is like in the western world from the viewpoint of services, most top-tier western hotels are represented, there are shopping malls with international brands, and so on.

Minsk and its surroundings are unrealistically ordered, you feel perfectly safe both day and night – totally to the other end of the spectrum, compared to other post-soviet cities in eastern Europe.

I spent three full days visiting Minsk and its surroundings, including some historical sites not covered in this chapter, located farther west in the country. I would say this is a good compromise for getting a decent insight of this city.

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Sights in Minsk

Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi – World’s longest boulevard

The backbone of the Stalinist architectural master-plan put in place in Minsk is a multi-miles boulevard called Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi, the longest boulevard in the world at least in Minsk’s tradition, cutting through the most monumental districts and connecting the executive airport to the southwest of downtown to the eastern peripheral belt of the city. The end of the boulevard to the east is not evident, for at some point it changes into a highway, leaving Minsk behind, heading for Smolensk and Moscow.

If you are coming in town from the main airport, located well out of the urban area to the southeast, you are likely to be driven along the full length of this boulevard – with its unpronounceable name.

Along this boulevard, or very close to it, you will meet the majority of the sights described in this chapter.

You may get a really striking impression from this boulevard visiting at night, for every building along it is lighted. The pictures below give some examples.

Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard

Independence Square

Locating the actual focal point in the center of Minsk is not easy, but a choice may be Independence Square, once Lenin’s Square – as the name of the underground station recalls. This may be also a trail-head for your tour of the town.

This long and narrow square hides an underground shopping mall. The crystal cupolas on the ground are a distinctive feature of the square. The central monument is centered on the stork as a subject. This bird is not uncommon in this part of Europe, and is the national bird of Belarus.

Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University

Around the square you can find some notable buildings. On the northern side is the Roman Catholic church of Saint Simon and Saint Helena, dating from the beginning of the 20th century, and closed for the long decades of the communist dictatorship.

Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Catholic Church

In the northwest corner it is impossible to miss the huge Palace of the Government, with a prominent statue of Lenin. Similar to Russia, the father of pragmatic communism and of the Soviet Union is still kept in high respect.

Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Statue
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Statue
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Statue
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Statue
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Statue
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Statue

Continuing around the square, the tallest building to the west and the adjoining facades on the southern side are all part of the Belorussian State University. To the southeastern corner you can spot an office of the Department of Justice.

Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square University
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Court
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Court
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square

Central Post Office

Leaving the square along Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi to the east, a first distinctive building is the central post office. The hammer and sickle emblem is still proudly standing on top of the eclectic, soviet-classicism façade. You can find also an interesting clock, looking like a gigantic copy of a vintage radio alarm from the 1960s.

Minsk Belarus Central Post Office
Minsk Belarus Central Post Office
Minsk Belarus Central Post Office
Minsk Belarus Central Post Office
Minsk Belarus Central Post Office
Minsk Belarus Central Post Office
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Post Office
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Post Office
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Post Office
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Post Office
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Post Office
Minsk Belarus Lenin Square Post Office

Inside, the small cupola covers a fully functional post office, where also many items of philatelic interest from the Eastern Bloc can be found (they accept credit cards).

Stately apartment and office buildings can be found on both sides of the boulevard as you walk east.

Minsk Belarus Central District Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Central District Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus Central District
Minsk Belarus Central District
Minsk Belarus Central District
Minsk Belarus Central District
Minsk Belarus Central District
Minsk Belarus Central District
Minsk Belarus Central District Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Central District Worlds Longest Boulevard

KGB Headquarters

Yes, the name is correct. It is not an exaggeration. Differently from the Russian Federation, the Belorussian government did not change the name of the world-famous State’s security service since the time of the USSR. The huge building of the headquarters is clearly the same. The façade looks impenetrable and grim.

Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KG Building
Minsk Belarus KG Building
Minsk Belarus KG Building
Minsk Belarus KG Building
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard

The shield and sword emblem is still prominently standing on the wooden front door.

Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KG Building
Minsk Belarus KG Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building
Minsk Belarus KGB Building

The ‘soviet aura’ around here couldn’t be more intense. This building is really magnetic, a living witness of a bygone era.

Cross the street, where a nice boulevard – with the very Soviet name of Komsomolskaya Ulitsa – takes to the south going slightly downhill, you can even spot a bust of Felix Dzerzhinsky, a Bolshevik, Lenin’s friend, revolutionary, and founder of the Cheka – the revolutionary executive repression service, years later to evolve in the KGB.

Minsk Belarus KGB Building Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus KGB Building Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus KGB Building Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus KGB Building Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard

Dzerzhinsky was the armed hand of Lenin, and due to its clear and heavy responsibility in the killing of many of the early victims of the October Revolution, he was put aside even in Russia, his statue being reportedly removed from ahead the Lubjanka, the KGB headquarter in Moscow. The same did not happen in Minsk, possibly because the man was from a noble family from around here.

Crossing with Ulitsa Lenina

Moving on, you will find more buildings with nice soviet-themed friezes and decorations, including the building of the Central Bank of Belarus.

Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Bank Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Bank Worlds Longest Boulevard

The crossing with Ulitsa Lenina – not unexpectedly – is another focal point of the architectural master-plan. Clearly, here is McDonald’s – probably the neatest in the world!

Minsk Belarus Lenin Street
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus Dzerzhinski
Minsk Belarus Art Museum
Minsk Belarus Art Museum
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings
Minsk Belarus Downtown Buildings

One block to the south from this crossing along Ulitsa Lenina, you can find a house with tons of marble commemorative tablets on the front, where many notable people have lived. They include Felix Dzerzhinsky.

Kastrycnickaya Square

Taking again Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi and going west, you soon find to the north of the road a huge square – Kastrycnickaya Square – with the modern-soviet building of the Palace of the Republic right in the middle. This building was designed in the 1980s and partly built under soviet leadership. Following the collapse of the USSR, construction was halted for years, and the building was completed only in the late Nineties. It is basically an auditorium for artistic performances, conventions and public governmental meetings as well.

Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Metro Stop Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard
Minsk Belarus Worlds Longest Boulevard

To the eastern side of the square the Labor Union Palace of Culture is a great example of soviet classicism, with sculptures adorning the façade and corners of the greek-temple-like building.

Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Labor Union’s Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Trade Union's Culture Palace
Minsk Belarus Trade Union’s Culture Palace

Presidential Palace

Cross the road there is a garden going gently uphill. There is no car access to the eastern side of the garden, and you can spot the stately, grim front of a building of the Armed Forces – once the Soviet Red Army. Today this is mainly a representative building, featuring also a theater. On the southern side of the park you can find the Presidential Palace, a pure soviet-style monster occupying the majority of the block. You will see policemen discreetly keeping a watch on the area.

Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus Hotel President Palace
Minsk Belarus Hotel President Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace

There are other smaller government-connected buildings around, some with soviet insignia. On a corner of the park there is the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre, which for the location and style may be one of the few remains of pre-soviet Minsk in the area.

Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus Armed Forces Palace
Minsk Belarus Armed Forces Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus Theater
Minsk Belarus Theater
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus Armed Forces Palace
Minsk Belarus Armed Forces Palace

Television Center and Lee Harvey Oswald’s Home

Again on Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi, the road goes downhill and crosses a small waterway. The area is really nice, and looking northeast from the bridge you can spot the Television Center, with a distinctive tower made of iron beams and likely dating from soviet times.

Minsk Belarus Television Center
Minsk Belarus Television Center
Minsk Belarus Television Center
Minsk Belarus Television Center
Minsk Belarus Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK
Minsk Belarus Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK
Minsk Belarus Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK
Minsk Belarus Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK

Getting close to the center, you see the building right ahead of the tower, still today hosting a TV channel, is just another Soviet neoclassical building, still part of the Stalinist master-plan.

Minsk Television Center Belarus
Minsk Television Center Belarus
Minsk City Center Television Center Belarus
Minsk City Center Television Center Belarus
Minsk City Center Television Center Belarus
Minsk City Center Television Center Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus

The nice apartment building to the the southern side of the TV channel headquarters has some historical significance, since it was there that Lee Harvey Oswald used to live when he spent some years in the Soviet Union in the Fifties.

Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus
Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald Home JFK Belarus

Much has been said about the intricate plot leading to the shooting of President Kennedy, and the actual part of Oswald will probably remain largely unknown (see this post). Especially his relationships with the USSR are shrouded in mystery, but looking at the building – stately and very nice even for todays standard – the idea that Oswald could live there while being a poor, anonymous worker in a soviet factory does not seem very credible.

House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party

This small and modest house belonging to the pre-soviet era was until the end of the USSR a pilgrimage destination from all over the Union. It was here that the embryo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, namely the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, held its first congress. This happened back in 1898, and the reportedly largely unsuccessful meeting was held in secrecy among only a few notable political figures, known as troublemakers to the government of the Tzar.

Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus
Minsk House of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party USSR Communist Belarus

Besides the political-historical interest, the small museum offers interesting memorabilia and furniture from the late Tzar’s era. This house was visited also by communist dictators and dignitaries from around the world, including Nikita Khruschev, Walter Ulbricht and Fidel Castro, whose visits are witnessed by signed documents and photographs.

Victory Monument

Going back to Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi and proceeding slightly farther east, you immediately find an oval square, with an eternal flame and a tall obelisk in the middle. This is the Soviet Victory Monument, celebrating the triumphal march of the Red Army against the invading forces of Nazi Germany. Passing under German control soon after the invasion of the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, Minsk was hit with extreme violence by the maneuvers of both contending armies three years later, in a crucial battle which opened the Red Army the gate to the last rush through Poland to Berlin. The town was besieged by the Red Army, and as a result of the heavy fighting it was almost leveled when the front line moved west.

Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus

The monument celebrates without excesses the sacrifice of many soldiers and civilians in the struggle. Minsk and a handful of other Soviet towns – Stalingrad, Kursk and Murmansk, to name a few – were later decorated with the title of City Hero of the Soviet Union. These towns, which were the stage of as many fierce battles, are remembered here with stones bearing their names.

Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus

The monument is particularly striking at night, thanks to the eternal flame ahead of it and the accurate lighting of the buildings nearby making for a nice scenery.

Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument
Minsk Belarus Victory Monument

Yakuba Kolasa Square

Further east along the Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi buildings start to look more average, but there are also more nice examples of soviet architecture. You soon meet the Yakuba Kolasa square, with a the philharmonic theater and other office buildings presumably from Stalin’s time or a little later.

Minsk Belarus Philharmonic Building
Minsk Belarus Philharmonic Building
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Victory Monument Belarus
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings
Minsk Belarus Central Buildings

National Library of Belarus

Closer to the eastern border of Minsk, where big apartment buildings from soviet times as well as more modern ones frame the road, you can find one of the most prominent modern buildings of Belarus, the state’s National Library, dating from 2006. The large glass volume over the main building is nicely lighted at night, but unfortunately I could not get a picture.

Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library
Minsk Belarus National Library

Close to this point, the long Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi changes into the M2 highway, leaving Minsk to the east.

Mound of Glory

An incredible Soviet relic lies about ten miles along the M2, right on the interchange with the road leading to the main airport of Minsk a few miles south. This monument is a further celebration of the victorious battle of 1944 against Germany.

Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus

It is built in the form of a mound with an assembly of four bayonets on top, representing the cooperation of various armies and local partisans, and a victory crown with the faces of representatives of the branches of the army and of soviet society. The monument is really soviet in style, and while not necessarily esthetically pleasant, is not excessively bombastic either.

Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus

The monument on top of the mound can be reached with a flight of stairs. From there you can enjoy a 360° view of the hilly and relaxing countryside around.

Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus
Mound of Glory Soviet Victory Monument Minsk Belarus

The monument is lighted at night, but I could not take a picture at that time.

Belorussian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War

This fantastic museum alone may easily justify a trip to Minsk! It is hosted in a building prepared on purpose, overlooking a huge green area in the city center. At the base of the hill you can spot a kind of triumphal arch, presumably built with the main building itself and forming an interesting ensemble.

Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet

The always growing collection relocated from a previous venue, where it had been opened to the public back in 1944, before the war had ended! By the way, the Great Patriotic War is WWII in the Soviet/Russian culture. Website here.

The collection is really huge, with rooms devoted to the many major battles fought by the Red Army in WWII. There are tons of memorabilia, including a very good collection of light weapons, and even a few larger crafts – tanks, aircraft, Katyusha rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns, field cannons, …

Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet

Similar to other museums in the USSR, it is packed with material from Nazi Germany, which by comparison cannot be found in Germany, nor in this measure in western Europe or the US. Among the countless items, you can find also display cases devoted to soviet war spies in the west, modern dioramas and uniforms from the time.

Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet

On the top floor there is a large modern commemorative installation, with the names of fallen soldiers, and hammer and sickle insignia. This installation is recent – or recently refurbished – so the presence of abundant Soviet symbolism produces a strange ‘dystopia effect’.

Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet

Outside, on top of the building you can find a further monument, with an obelisk, some sculptures, and a Red Banner waving above the cupola. Behind, there is a Lisunov Li-2, a licensed  USSR-built Douglas C-47.

Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet
Belarus Museum of the Great Patriotic War Minsk WWII Red Army Soviet

Minsk hosts an excellent aviation-themed museum, centered on warplanes and transport aircraft from the soviet era. This is covered in this dedicated chapter.

Palace of Independence

This palace not far to the back from the Museum of the Great Patriotic War is apparently another building of the Government or where the president lives – not very clear. On the rare occasions when Belarus is mentioned internationally, this is what appears on TV. It is very big and carefully watched, so the only pictures I could get were from cross the road.

Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace
Minsk Belarus President's Palace
Minsk Belarus President’s Palace

Zamcyska District

This central district is located roughly between the KGB building and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. It features a large and nice pond in the middle. Here some of the few remaining notable buildings from pre-soviet age in Minsk can be found. The main group is composed of a handful of churches making for a nice sight on a low hill to the south of the pond.

Minsk Belarus City Hall
Minsk Belarus City Hall
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street Catholic Church
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street Catholic Church

There are an Orthodox and two Catholic churches, surrounding the old city hall. The area is really nice to tour, and at night it is very lively and fully lighted.

Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus
Minsk City Center Trinity Hill Belarus

Close by, the Trinity Hill displays some rebuilt or refurbished buildings from the 18th century or earlier, giving an idea of how Minsk would have looked had it not been totally destroyed. Also this district is very picturesque at night, definitely a nice place for a relaxed stroll.

To the far end of the pond you can spot an unimaginable residential building, with a façade roughly as long as an airport, made a little more digestible when lighted at night.

Minsk Belarus City Center City Hall Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center City Hall Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Church Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Church Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic
Minsk Belarus Palace of the Republic

In the same area there are a large soviet-themed metallic sculpture on the front of a building, and multiple huge banners in neon lights with celebration exclamations and slogans.

Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus City Center Trinity Hill
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street
Minsk Belarus Lenin Street

…More!

The city is full of majestic perspectives and interesting buildings. One of them is the totally ‘Stalin’s gothic’ Gate of Minsk, right behind the central railway station. It is composed of two bulky towers, with the façade adorned in a way resembling Kutuzovsky Alley in Moscow, or Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin, two eminent examples of this style. See this chapter for more examples of this iconic architecture.

Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin's Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin’s Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin's Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin’s Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin's Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin’s Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin's Gothic
Minsk Belarus Gate of Minsk Railway Stalin’s Gothic

There are also churches dating back to before the USSR era, or rebuilt after it. One of them is quite central, and surrounded by an Orthodox cemetery still used today.

Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church
Minsk Belarus City Center Church

To the west, the peripheral belt has been built functionally, with large infrastructures but also very big – let’s say, excessively big! – apartment buildings, in a style which is typical to post-soviet countries. Yet, as previously observed, even these areas do not look degraded, but on the contrary rather well looked after and actively maintained.

Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus City Peripheral Buildings
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus
Minsk Belarus

Sights around Minsk

Khatyn

Much confusion exists about this location, which is actually where the forces of Nazi Germany burned an entire village with its occupants back in 1943. By chance – or may be not – in a place with the same name but some 100 miles to the east in Russian territory the NKVD (later to evolve in the KGB) by direct order of Stalin had deported and mass executed a substantial quota of the officials of the Polish Army – in the order of the thousands – in 1940. The responsibility for this tragedy was fully recognized by Russia only after the end of the USSR.

The memorial in (Belorussian) Khatyn is a celebration monument made in the 1960s to remember the local tragedy with typical soviet pomp, with statues, stonewall retracing the area of the village and stones with inscriptions.

Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus

There are also bells producing a sad rhythmical tone. The place stands as a memorial of all similar horrible episodes for which the Nazis are responsible.

Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus
Khatyn Memorial Minsk Belarus

This location is very popular since the Cold War years, and it still attracts many visitors from Belarus and nearby Russia these days. There is also a very small indoor museum, which I had not the chance to visit.

Stalin’s Line History and Heritage Museum

Similar to other countries in the inter-war period – for instance, France and Czechoslovakia – the Soviet Union invested in the preparation of a long defensive line, to fortify the western border against an invasion from central Europe. The name of the USSR’s defensive line, which passed close to Minsk, was ‘Stalin’s Line’.

This was composed of a backbone of reinforced concrete bunkers, with a capability to withstand fire from the tanks of the enemy’s armored divisions. In these bunkers, often prepared in groups of interconnected pillboxes, anti-tank cannons and machine guns were installed for effectively counteract an invasion.

The strongholds of the line were surrounded by various obstacles, including anti-tank obstacles, barbed wire traps and so on.

Construction of the Stalin’s Line was interrupted after the Ribbentrov-Molotov agreement between the USSR and Hitler’s Germany in 1939. The unfinished line turned little effective in containing the surprise aggression by the Wehrmacht in 1941, when the country fell under German controls.

Nonetheless, parts of this line are duly preserved as monuments. The Stalin’s Line History and Heritage Museum is centered on one such fort, which can be visited thoroughly. The inside of most of the bunkers have been restored to a mint condition, and are really interesting to visit.

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

The size of the rooms in the bunkers is generally smaller than the French, Czechoslovakian or Finnish counterparts. All bunkers are painted in a camo coating.

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

The museum presents also a reproduction of the border line with the Soviet Union, with a watchtower, anti-penetration barriers and green-red posts with the emblem of the USSR. In the same area, a collection of turrets from more countries is displayed.

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

A second, very large part of the museum is composed of a world’s class collection of weapons, dating from various ages from WWII and the Cold War, and providing an insight on the USSR’s warfare capabilities.

On a first apron there are field cannons, motorized cannons, rocket-launchers and armored vehicles. Close by, you can try shooting with a machine gun or even an anti-tank cannon! This unique feature of the museum makes it very lively, for you are often distracted by the loud bang of a firing weapon!

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

In another area you can spot a group of soviet aircraft and helicopters, a steam locomotive, and a full array of prefabricated structures, intended to be buried to form bunkers with various purposes – missile storage, interred barracks, … These are extremely interesting, as you can see here the actual shape of the items often found elsewhere in the former Eastern Bloc, typically in abandoned bases covered in other chapters (see for instance this chapter).

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

Furthermore, there are both tactical and strategic missiles with their launching and monitoring equipment. Of particular interest is the SS-4 ‘Stiletto’

– involved in the Cuban crisis of 1962 – with its launching gantry. Notice the rig anchoring the gantry to the ground – you can find similar items even in Germany (see for instance this chapter), witnessing the deployment of this type of missile in eastern Europe.

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

Finally, if you dare, you can enjoy a run on an armored vehicle. The place is reportedly active with reenactments, and actually you can find a good reconstruction of a theater of war from the WWII years.

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

A striking feature, a recent bust of Stalin has been placed in the parking – close by an Orthodox chapel, to suitably exorcise his deadly presence.

Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus
Stalin Line Minsk Belarus

The place is managed like a top class museum, and reportedly there are many visitors, also due to the close proximity with Minsk. Website with full information here.

Secret Soviet Missile Bases in the GDR

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Driving less than one hour north from Berlin, Germany to the beautiful region of the Oberhavel, you can find some largely forgotten relics of an untold chapter of the Cold War, when Khrushchev secretly deployed nuclear missiles to hit European targets, for the first time outside of the Soviet Union – years before the Cuban missile crisis.

History – in brief

Germany held an undisputed lead on missile technology at the end of WWII. Similarly to the US, the missile program of the USSR started soon after Hitler’s army was defeated, and benefited from the capture and transfer of hundreds of German rocket scientists. These German engineers started by reproducing the German A-4 – also known as the in-famous V-2 -, the worlds first surface-to-surface missile to reach mass production. The corresponding Soviet design was named R-1, and similarly to the original A-4 it had a very short-range – less than 200 miles – and a payload too low for carrying a nuclear warhead, hence it could not be used to pose a strategic threat to the western enemies even in Europe from within the borders of the Communist bloc.

After long and intensive research efforts towards the increase in range, payload and accuracy of rockets, and aimed at improving yield, mass efficiency and miniaturization on the side of nuclear weapons, the Soviets finally could deploy the first intermediate range strategic missile, in the form of the R-5M – or SS-3 Shyster in the western databases – by mid-1956. With a range of 800 miles and a payload of 2800 lbs, this 60 ft-long missile could carry a single 300 kilotons nuclear warhead with basically autonomous inertial guidance, and radio correction to increase accuracy. Similarly to the A-4, propulsion was based on alcohol as fuel and highly volatile liquid-oxygen as oxidizer. Operation and maintenance of this high-technology surface-launched system was a very complicated task, requiring well-trained, specialized staff in large numbers. Several Engineering Brigades were established during the Fifties for this purpose, and their numbers and relevance went on increasing with time, as the range, yield and number of strategic missiles was rising with no pause in the following years.

For the USSR, already led by Khrushchev at that time, the commissioning of the R-5M platform meant that for the first time targets in the enemy Countries of Western Europe could be placed under the menace of a nuclear attack, carried out by means of missiles traveling at a speed so high that made them virtually undetectable and unstoppable. The Soviet Union now owned a strategic missile force, but the problem of range was still hard to tackle.

It was at this point that, after years of cogitation and secret papers, the deployment of the R-5M to the ‘border Countries’ of the communist empire started to take a tangible form. The reason was simple – while the range of the Shyster was not enough to reach any target from within the USSR, it could hit at least Britain, Northern France, Belgium and the US bases in the western half of Germany from some ‘satellite Country’, namely from the territory of the German Democratic Republic.

After inspection, the area between the small towns of Fürstenberg and Vogelsang – isolated in a pretty large, wild and unpopulated area, deep in the countryside about 35 miles north of Berlin and 12 miles from each other, but linked to the railway system – were selected by the higher ranks of the Soviet Army in 1957 for the deployment of missile launch facilities for the R-5M.

Construction works were started in total secrecy, enlarging and modifying Soviet military installations where some tank divisions were quartered. Even the top levels of the government and military staff of the GDR were unaware of the operation – codenamed ‘Atom’ by the Soviet high command. The Soviets carried out much of the work themselves, but they could not avoid to involve local civil workers for ‘unclassified tasks’, and they eventually came to suspect that something unusual was going on. Agents of – at least, but probably not only – the secret service of Federal Germany transmitted the news to their headquarters beyond the Iron Curtain. Yet documents become available decades after, following the end of the Cold War, show that not much detailed information existed in the archives of the intelligence of Western Countries about this deployment – further highlighting the ‘top secret’ level of the operation. This was actually the first deployment of Soviet strategic weapons outside the USSR ever, years before the more famous operation ‘Anadyr’ causing the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 – a scenario very similar to operation ‘Atom’, but with the US instead of western Europe directly within range of Soviet missiles.

Barracks, recreation and service buildings, concrete launch ramps, connection roads, bunkers for atomic warheads, and everything that was needed both for storing all subsystems and for supporting launch operations was built during 1958 both in Vogelsang and Fürstenberg. Two artillery units and two specialized accompanying technical units arrived in January 1959, together with 12 missiles transported by train, as reported again by secret agents. At the same time, upon reaching completion of the construction works all civil workers were dismissed, and today we know that the nuclear warheads arrived under heavy escort in May 1959 by train.

As typical in the chess game between the two superpowers in the years of Khrushchev, Eisenhower and Kennedy, after years of preparation operation ‘Atom’ was suddenly interrupted only three months after the Shyster had become operative in the GDR, in August 1959. An order to withdraw immediately was issued, and all missiles and related units were temporarily relocated in Kaliningrad, Russia, from where they were short of range and not any more a threat for the West.

But this is not the end of the story. In March 1959 the new R-12 missile, also known as SS-4 Sandal and later deployed to Cuba, became operative with a range of 1300 miles and a single high-yield, 2.3 megaton nuclear warhead. In September 1961 the Khrushchev administration issued an order to deploy a missile regiment constituted anew for the purpose with R-12 missiles to the GDR – an operation codenamed ‘Tuman’ (‘fog’ in English).

The high-ranking staff responsible for the operation inspected the bases of Vogelsang and Fürstenberg the same month, and issued orders for some preparation work to be carried out for making these facilities suitable for the new R-12 missile. As a result, two launch pads were set up in the trees between the two military bases. Each of them comprised light service buildings, concrete platforms for the launch gantries and support vehicles, fuel storages, guard bunkers. Gravel roads were prepared to connect the launch platforms with the two main bases, where Sandal missiles could be hidden and sheltered in the bunkers already manufactured for the Shyster.

The staff of the new regiment was engaged in intensive training activities and launch simulations in the USSR until the end of 1961, and all material and troops were kept ready for moving by train at the railway station of Zhitovichi, Belarus, at that time inside the Soviet Union, to the now ready bases in the GDR.

Again, after all preparations the order to deploy was never issued, and by mid 1962 ‘Tuman’ was halted and the special regiment disbanded. This second attempt to place Soviet missiles out of the USSR was canceled just months before the deployment to Cuba, and soon after the R-14 missile had become operative in April 1961. This missile, known as SS-5 Skean, had the same warhead but roughly twice the range of the SS-4 Sandal, mainly thanks to a different propellant. With this system all western Europe could now be targeted from behind the border of the USSR, making deployment to satellite Countries in Europe unnecessary.

Similarly to operation ‘Atom’, even though preparation works probably did not go unnoticed by the few people in the area, this story remained basically undisclosed until at least the mid 1990s, after the – by then – Russian armed forces left the territory of the former GDR, and both Vogelsang and Fürstenberg, which after the early Sixties had continued to work as military bases for some Soviet tank divisions, were finally shut down and abandoned.

Sights

As argued in other chapters on this website dealing with former Soviet installations over the territory of the former GDR, todays Germany – comprehensibly – does not seem interested in preserving any legacy of this inconvenient past. For the case of Vogelsang and Fürstenberg, the remoteness and amenity of the area has facilitated a new birth of these two as well as other nearby centers, which are today lovely destinations for local tourism especially from Berlin, with nice lakes, cycleways, many canals and hiking trails in the trees. As these two military bases with their weird stories have been a well kept secret since their inception, there is probably no reason for the local communities to publicize them now.

As a result, both bases are being strongly reclaimed by nature, and little remains today of these once prominent – albeit secret – installations.

Yet from a historical perspective the missile installations in Vogelsang and Fürstenberg make for a proof of the seriously dangerous and determined attitude of Khrushchev and the Soviet Union towards increasing the power of the USSR on the international scene by means of military actions. Especially in 1959 with the deployment of the Shyster, the stage for a crisis with an unpredictable outcome was prepared in Europe, but for some reason luckily this was not exploited. Furthermore, this happened some years before the Cuban missile crisis, incorrectly accepted as the first such experiment in Soviet history.

Both bases in Vogelsang and Fürstenberg present some traces of the activity of the missile units. While most of the buildings connected with the missile operations have been demolished, including unreinforced hangars for storing the missiles, bunkers for nuclear warheads can be found on both sites – these are much stronger, and demolition work would be very difficult, so these hangars have been simply closed and left there. Vogelsang is covered in a dedicated chapter, while the scant remains of the Fürstenberg barracks and the nuclear storage there will be shown in this post.

Possibly more intriguing – for more dedicated explorers – and difficult to find are the rocket launch pads. Two launch pads for the R-5M exist, on the premises of Vogelsang and Fürstenberg bases. Eight further pads are placed in two groups of four, in the large territory extending between the two military bases. These are totally abandoned, forgotten deep in the trees, possibly the only tangible testimony of the planned deployment of the SS-4 Sandal in the GDR. These are also covered in this post.

Photographs were taken in August 2017.

Map

Due to the wild vegetation and to the shape of the launching pads – which are concrete slabs today mostly covered by a thin layer of mud, moss and lichens – spotting these ‘archeological findings’ is getting more and more challenging. To ease the search I created a Google map of the launch pads. No coverage of what remains of the nearby bases of Vogelsang and Fürstenberg is provided on the map, as whether those places are interdicted to the public or free to visit is a matter of discussion.

Besides the position of the pads themselves, you can find what are car-accessible roads to get near to pinpointed POIs and suggested trail/trail-heads.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

R-5M/SS-3 Shyster Missile Launch Pad and Nuclear Bunker, Fürstenberg

There is one missile launch pad in Fürstenberg, built for the Shyster missile. The local road along the western border of the military base divides its premises from the launch pad, which today can be neared with walking on an easy trail which was probably a Soviet gravel road in its origin, wide enough to allow moving the missile on a trolley.

Like all other launch pads in the area, the central piece is a narrow rectangular concrete slab about 30 ft long, with a prominent metal crown set in it, with a diameter of about 5-6 ft. The crown is a piece of technology, even though today it is covered in rust and with an unattractive brownish color. It was used to anchor the small gantry put under the missile to keep it in the launch position. The missile was transported on a trolley in a horizontal position, and lifted to a vertical attitude before launch.

Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Launch Pad

The most visible difference between the launch pads for the SS-3 Shyster and for the SS-4 Sandal – the latter being a couple of years younger, as shown above – lies in the metal crown. The crown of the Shyster is smaller and more like a polygon, where that for the Sandal – see later – is more round shaped, mostly resembling a watch bezel.

The concrete slabs had to withstand the intense thrust and heat of the missile without breaking into pieces. I guess – but I am not sure – some of the piping leading to these slabs – not visible here but next to other launch pads – may have been installed for a water cooling system.

The launch pad is the most visible item of a more complex system, comprising fuel and oxidizer storages, an electric generator, a control cabin and other gear. All this was placed in partly interred dugouts, which in Fürstenberg are today basically all gone.

On the premises of the Fürstenberg base and very close to the launch site there are two bunkers, possibly for the missile and nuclear warheads. The size and construction of the larger bunker, which has two doors on the two faces, suggests a use as a missile storage bunker, possibly suitable both for the Shyster and the Sandal, which despite the totally different performance were not so different in shape and size.

Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base

Today both bunkers are totally closed and inaccessible, the smaller one – possibly for warheads – has been turned into a shelter for bats. You can see the inside of the batbunker through the batslot!

Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base

Conspicuous traces of the barbed wire fences and prefabricated concrete wall marking the perimeter of the area are still in place.

Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base

Housing at Fürstenberg Military Base

Similarly to Vogelsang (see here), in Fürstenberg there are traces of what was once a large Soviet base, with housing for many people and service buildings. There are buildings in at least two styles, suggesting construction works were carried out in different stages. Multi-storey buildings are more recent, and similar to those you can find in the former airbase of Brand (see here) – among others.

Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base
Furstenberg Lychen Nuclear Missile Base

A large part of the buildings has been demolished, and there is comparatively less to see here than in Vogelsang. Yet the place looks haunted also in clear air and bright sunlight, so the area may be worth a visit for the enthusiasts of Soviet ghosts!

R-5M/SS-3 Shyster Missile Launch Pad, Vogelsang

A portrait of the launch pad in Vogelsang from another visit is provided also in a dedicated chapter of this website. For completeness, here are some new photos.

While similar to the that of Fürstenberg, this launch pad is far better conserved, but not easy to spot from the access road of the base. The system of trenches and dugouts for all technical gear needed to prepare and control the launch can be spotted very easily all around. Note the polygonal shape of the metal crown typical of the Shyster system.

Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad

There are also traces of military material, possibly unearthed due to some more recent demolition work, like old ‘CCCP-made’ batteries, metal boxes, protective metal panels and more.

Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad

Some of the trenches have been flooded, and you would better go prepared to face thousands of biting midges and mosquitoes – take it seriously, otherwise you are not going to withstand their attacks for more than 5 seconds!

Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad

Visible traces of the barbed wire fence from Soviet times can be found along the access road.

Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad
Vogelsang Nuclear Missile Launch Pad

In Vogelsang the location of the launch pad is much farther away from the nuclear warhead storage and missile deposit area than in Fürstenberg, and from the housing and service buildings of the military base. Everything is more scattered, and much more walking is needed to find this launch site, due to its distance from the local road.

R-12/SS-4 Sandal Missile Launch Pads, South-East of Fürstenberg

A first set of four launch pads for the Sandal missile can be found in a small area deep in a forest, on a flat terrain. This was associated to Fürstenberg for supply. The pads are placed at a walking distance from each other. Differently from the Shyster sites, the Sandal sites are not close to any building, and the gravel connection roads are in many cases not visible, or they have been more recently modified by the forest service. Plus they are not maintained in any way, and are today barely visible.

Searching for these findings is very funny if you like this kind of activities. You will definitely feel like Indiana Jones – or Lara Croft – while searching for the missile launch pads, but you have no chance to find them unless you have a GPS. You won’t need more than an iPhone with a decent free GPS app and good deal of patience, but without both ingredients you’d better give up from the start. Look at the pictures where I have my iPhone in one hand to see the ‘exact’ coordinates – some tolerance is needed, since my free app was not professional, and the trees above are very effective in jamming the satellite signal.

Of the four pads in this first site – possibly identified as BSP-1 by Soviet staff – I explored only three due to unfortunate time constraints. Proceeding from the west to the east, on site number 3 on the map I could not find even the concrete slab of the launch pad! Only a small unreadable metal sign has been left for posterity.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Launch pad number 2 on the map can be spotted once you are close. The concrete platform is partly unearthed and the corners can be seen. A gap in the trees on the area also help to find the perimeter of the rectangular concrete slab, which is otherwise shrouded by low vegetation.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

The metal crown of the SS-4 Sandal is bigger and different in shape from those of the SS-3 Shyster, as anticipated – it is almost circular, not polygonal. I found exactly the same type of metal rig in some much bigger launch bases for SS-4 missiles in Latvia (see here).

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

The trenches and shallow dugouts for all components of the missile system can be spotted all around, albeit made mimetic and very difficult to capture with a camera, due to the underbrush hiding them and smoothing their profile. The trenches and the concrete pad are connected by a system of concrete pipelines. Metal frames with hinges, once made for doors giving access to the pipelines, can be spotted very close to the concrete platform. Maybe these were used also for a water cooling system to avoid the explosion of the launch pad, subject to the exhaust of the rocket engine at launch.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Walking to the the launch pad number 1 on the map you may come across what remains of a concrete booth, possibly a control cabin.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Launch pad number 1 is very similar to number 2, but here part of the side of the platform is unearthed and clearly visible.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

It is noteworthy that no trace exists of any serious fence around the Sandal launch sites, differently from all other Soviet installations of various kinds I have visited all over the former GDR. Recalling the SS-4 launch sites were never operative, perhaps the Soviets did not really complete the construction works, and the cordoned area was marked only with some ‘soft barrier’ which could be removed leaving no trace.

Please note that the access road to get near to this site is car-accessible, but it is narrow, unpaved, with muddy spots, covered with fallen leaves and in some sections with sand. I could reach my destination with a station wagon without particular difficulty on a dry day in summer, but I would say the best vehicle type for this roads in any weather would be a smaller, possibly AWD car. Needless to say, you will need some form of protection for your feet and legs to approach the launch pads, but there are no bad insects in the area.

R-12/SS-4 Sandal Missile Launch Pads, North of Vogelsang

The second Sandal launch site – possibly named BSP-2 by the Soviets, but historical sources are not very clear – is associated to Vogelsang, which is roughly 4 miles south, from which it should have been supplied. Despite the similar role, this installation is very different from the previous one.

The launch pads are almost square, not rectangular. The missile facilities are built on top of a steep small hill, not on flat terrain, with the four launch pads much closer to each other than in the previous site. They have been put along a circular pattern, not straight as for the previous installation. It looks like this site was developed further than the previous one, for much more conspicuous remains of dugouts, and even what seems to be a guard post with a firing loophole, can be spotted here.

Starting from the easternmost pad number 1, the concrete platform is pretty well conserved and the metal crown for the SS-4 is easy to find. There are traces of metal wiring, and concrete pipelines all around.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Approaching the northernmost launch pad – number 2 on the map – it is possible to see remains of large dugouts, possibly for fuel deposits or other technical stuff.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Number 2 is poorly conserved and difficult to get access to. The terrain around is muddy and covered by a thick forest of 3-feet high nettles. The metal crown has almost disappeared under a nice layer of moss.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Launch pad number 3 to the west is connected to what looks like a nearby pool by a concrete pipeline, suggesting a cooling system, but maybe this was a dugout for a generator or something electric, with wiring connecting this gear to the missile through the concrete pipe. Also here the metal crown is today barely visible.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

The last launch pad – number 4 on the map – is located to the south of the site, and poorly conserved. It was partly covered by a pile of cut branches when I visited. A strange item nearby the platform, where part of the metal crown can be spotted pretty easily, is an angle-shaped iron bar with a big bolt in it, emerging from the ground – and almost killing me, making me stumble!

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

Except for the obvious need for proper walking gear, this place is easy to reach by foot along a nice, prepared nature trail – see map.

R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg
R-12 SS-4 Sandal Nuclear Missile Launch Pad Vogelsang Furstenberg

The SS-4 launch pads are not publicized nor maintained, perhaps even somewhat voluntarily hidden, but the trail passes very close to them, so getting near is easy. There is a small lovely pond at the base of the hill, and the area is pretty wet. As a result, also here there are thousands of biting insects around – don’t forget your insect repellent!

Templin Soviet Airbase – Totally Gone

As a Cold War historian, aviation enthusiast, archaeologist, dark tourist or Soviet fan (?), you may be tempted to go to the nearby super-base of Templin, once one of the largest and more advanced Soviet airbases over the territory of the GDR.

Well, don’t waste your time. Sadly, the area of the base – in all its extension – has been converted into a gigantic solar power plant, owned and run by Siemens. It is totally fenced and full of obstacles, prohibition signs and CC-cameras. The scant remains of some housing are not accessible. There is also a small circuit track on the old apron, where some companies offer extreme driving experiences. Nothing interesting here, not any more.

Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base
Templin Former Soviet Base

The Salpa Line – Finland’s Anti-Soviet Barrier

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Possibly one of the world’s best preserved military installations from WWII, Finland’s Salpa Line – the name ‘salpa’ meaning ‘latch’ – is a defense line composed of about 700 reinforced concrete bunkers with anti-tank cannons and machine-guns, more than 200 miles of anti-tank obstacles, roughly another 200 miles of trenches pointed with over 1200 machine gun nests, 500 artillery positions and more than 700 quartering dugouts. All this, and everything necessary to operate this enormous war machine, including hundreds of miles of new roads, electric cables, dams, telephone lines, etc., was built to defend the border between Finland and the Soviet Union.

History – in brief

The Winter War

Finland enjoyed the rigors of WWII since 1939, when following the Ribbentrov-Molotov pact between Nazi Germany and the USSR, it was agreed off the records that this Country should enter the sphere of influence of Stalin’s communist dictatorship. Finding no other way to submit the Finns, Soviet troops attacked Finland from the East all along their common border, from the Gulf of Finland up north to the Barents Sea, at the end of November, 1939.

This rarely told chapter of WWII is known in Finland as the Winter War. Finland, which on a September 1939 map looked somewhat larger to the east than it looks today, fought fiercely against a numerically much superior enemy, which at the time was not engaged on any other major front. Despite the very difficult situation, with no help – except limited arm supply – from the outside, the motivated Finnish Army led by General Mannerheim recorded some marked victories especially in the central sector of the border, and managed to avoid a complete defeat. This unexpected military resistance, and the promise of Britain and France to support Finland had the war continued further, led the USSR to agree upon a peace treaty as soon as mid March 1940, basically crystallizing the military situation reached at the time. As a result, the border moved west by about 60 miles in southern Finland, with the loss of the Karelian Isthmus and the city of Vyborg, the access to lake Ladoga, Finland’s Eastern Karelia – simply known as Karelia in Russia – and a large territory in Lapland, mostly uninhabited. Finally, the peninsula and port town of Hanko, 70 miles west of Helsinki, was ceded to the USSR for 30 years.

Building the Salpa Line

It was at the end of the Winter War that Finland’s government, following the suggestion of General Mannerheim, took the decision to built the Salpa Line, to defend the new border against any possible attack of the Soviets.

Construction work on this impressive system, made not only of a chain of forts, dugouts and barracks, but also of an extensive network of communication and transport infrastructures, was carried out mainly between spring 1940 and summer 1941, Finland’s so-called Inter-War Period. Up to 35’000 workers – mainly civilians from private companies – were involved, roughly bringing the defense line to completion by mid 1941. The line was designed primarily to protect the most populated and easily accessible part of the Country in the south, and a major concentration of strong points was erected along todays border line with Russia, between the Gulf of Finland and the town of Joensuu.

At the same time, a smaller branch of the Salpa Line was erected on a much smaller scale on the new border with the USSR, along a 3 miles line cutting through the Hanko peninsula.

The Continuation War

In the period between the end of the Winter War and the surprise offensive of Germany against the USSR in June 1941, the Nazi Wehrmacht had successfully annexed Denmark and Norway to the Third Reich, thus becoming a neighbor state for Finland, just like the Soviet Union. In the process, Finland allowed Germany to transport troops and material to northern Norway moving on national land, and receiving arms in return. In the same period Hitler refused to endorse further Soviet attacks against Finland, thus further narrowing the diplomatic distance between Germany and Finland, which nonetheless managed to remain independent throughout WWII.

When the war broke out between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, Finland took the initiative and attacked the USSR, soon regaining control of basically all territories lost in the Winter War, including the port of Hanko, by the end of 1941. The German Wehrmacht attacked the Soviet port town of Murmansk and the nearby area, rich of natural resources, from the northernmost Finnish region of Lapland.

Due to the quick movement of the front line back east, the Salpa Line saw basically no fight, and was maintained until the end of the war with the Soviets in 1944 as a rear defense line.

This phase is known as Continuation War, and quickly turned into a war of attrition along a stable border line. This equilibrium was cracked when the military situation started to get worse for Germany after the defeat of Stalingrad in early 1943. After months of negotiations with the USSR to put an end to the conflict, following a massive Soviet attack on the Karelian Isthmus in August 1944 and the second loss of Vyborg, an armistice was signed in September between Finland and the Soviet Union, in favor of the latter. It restored the border line as it was at the end of the Winter War and imposed a long-term lease of Porkkala – a peninsula on the Gulf of Finland 30 miles west of Helsinki – instead of Hanko. Also included were heavy war reparations and the neutrality of Finland with respect to further Soviet campaigns. Plus the immediate expulsion of all German forces from Finnish territory.

Nonetheless, differently from almost any other Country touched by the Red Army in the events of WWII, Finland managed to retain its complete independence from Stalin’s communist empire, and part of the credit goes to the existence of the Salpa Line, a major deterrent against any further Soviet military aggression.

The request to severe any contact with Germany led to the final chapter of WWII for Finland, the Lapland War, when the Armies of Finland and the USSR attacked the Wehrmacht in the north of the Country, starting a campaign lasting months until the final defeat of Germany, causing the total destruction of many villages and of the town of Rovaniemi.

Sights

As a result of the course of events, Finland’s fortified line of defense did not see any direct military action. This spared it for posterity as a notable example of military technology of the Forties. Of course, as war technology evolved rapidly soon after WWII, the Salpa Line rapidly became obsolete and was largely abandoned. Most dugouts, soft construction works as well as most wooden, unreinforced positions have been reclaimed by nature. Only traces of the trench lines exist today, except in those spots where they have been explicitly preserved for the public.

Heavy positions are a totally different matter. Except for a few mainly in the northern part of the Country, blown up by the Soviets in the months of the Lapland War to help expelling Nazi troops from the Finnish territory, most bunkers and strong points are still there, basically intact. The majority has been abandoned, but due to a demolition work being an economy nonsense, they can still be seen today.

At least two small groups of bunkers in the very south of the Country have been turned into top-level museums on local military history, with a modern visitor center, guided tours and so on. Some bunkers, like in Joensuu, can be visited as little local museums. A good number of the reinforced concrete installations have been left open for interested visitors, stripped of any dangerous military hardware, sometimes even partly refurbished, and in most cases they can be freely accessed – provided you find them. Some are included as checkpoints along official multi-miles hiking trails, which are among Finland’s top tourist attractions. More often, either you know where they are in advance or you will hardly find them in the wilderness.

For reaching most of the non-advertised bunkers of the Salpa Line, you need to drive to very secluded locations along unprepared roads. If you like this kind of archeology, this adds much to the fun!

The good news is that Finland considers the Salpa Line a historical landmark as a whole, thus any damage or alteration is strictly prohibited and severely prosecuted. So you are not to see your search frustrated by finding a bunker covered in graffiti or used as a shelter by ravers or drug addicts – as it is often the case with the much similar Atlantic Wall in France. This is also because except for a few cases the superstite installations are located far from any urban center. By the way, Finland boasts one of the Europe’s lowest crime rates, so exploration is made potentially dangerous only because of intrinsic – rusty barbed wire, mimetic manholes, narrow passages, total darkness … – or natural causes – badgers, boars and bears!

In the following a description of a few notable points of interest along the Salpa Line is presented. The list is extremely far from complete, as it would take at least several months of dedicated work to explore the Line in its entirety! Yet this selection provides a good specimen of all basic types of sight you can find along the line. Photographs were taken during a visit in summer 2017.

Map

The following Google map was created based on the very useful information provided on this website, which is an excellent starting point for any exploration of the line. Basic info on the corresponding Salpa Line sites are provided on it almost one by one, and pinpointed on a map, but apparently there is no comprehensive map on that website. The website is also Flash-based and totally ‘iPhone unfriendly’ – it simply doesn’t load on my iPhone 6S. So I can’t take any credit except for having put together all points and having made them smartphone accessible. The red signals refer to points pictorially described in this article. The area of Hanko and the museums of Mikkeli are not covered in the map, whereas some sites will be described in another chapter.


The list below is ordered roughly from the south to the north.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Virolahti Bunker Museum, Virolahti

This site – Virolahden Bunkkerimuseum in Finnish – is among the southernmost of the Salpa Line, conveniently located on the busy E18 connecting Helsinki to St.Petersburg. The museum is a good starting point for getting an idea of the features of the line. There is a visitor center with a modern setup, where you can see a collection of light weapons from both the Finnish and Soviet sides – actually many Soviet weapons left behind by the retreating Red Army at the beginning of the Continuation War were later reused by Finland’s Army. Much information is provided in a synthetic and readable way – both in Finnish and English – on the construction of the line and about the war history of Finland, with a focus of what happened along the sector of the front closer to the Gulf of Finland.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

The outside part is organized along a short trail in the trees. The first main stop is a reconstructed trench, with an example of a spherical soft concrete bunker type, conceived to cover dugouts. Nearby you can see two small heavy metal turrets. These were designed to be partly interred, to form an armored machine gun nest. The thickness of the metal construction is stunning! There is also a line of stones put in the terrain, a typical anti-tank obstacle to be found in many sites of the Salpa Line.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

A German-made Pak-40, 7.5 cm anti-tank cannon in perfect condition is presented in a reconstructed open-top field fortification.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

Nearby, you can access a perfect example of an anti-tank bunker. Three main areas are featured in this type of bunker. First, a relatively large living and sleeping area, with bunk beds for troops, a big stove, a water sink, and an air pump. Second, a firing room with a 45 mm anti-tank gun permanently installed, with the barrel leaning out of a suitably designed blind window. Third, a firing room with a machine gun, with the barrel leaning out of an open slot cut through the thick concrete wall of the bunker. Both the cannon and machine gun fire basically in the same direction, from the front facade of the bunker, whereas the only way in is through a sealed door to the back.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

The bunker is provided with a metal observation turret on top, accessible through a ladder mounted in a very narrow vertical tunnel with a sealed door.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

Another original bunker you can visit in Virolahti is a quartering bunker, capable of sleeping 40 people. The construction is similar to the large living area of the previous bunker, but this is larger.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

Examples of original trenches which have not been refurbished can be spotted as smooth grooves in the ground between the reinforced bunkers. Finally, there is also a collection of cannons – some of them very old – and machine guns, from the USSR, Finland, Sweden, France and Italy. Heavy cannons from various ages were provided by France at the time of the Winter War, and put in place along the Salpa Line in more points, so they can be spotted pretty often in Finnish museums.

Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Virolahti Bunker Museum

Not a part of the museum, it may be interesting to check out what the frontier with Russia looks like today. You can come pretty close to the border zone driving south of E18, along the unpaved Kurkelantie road going to the small villages of Reinikkala and Kurkela. There is a well signed respect zone instituted along the border line, which cannot be accessed without all necessary papers and permits.

Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone

Nonetheless, the striped posts marking the border can be spotted with a zoom lens from the distance. I can’t guess whether in Soviet times the border did look like this, or instead it used to appear less penetrable. Of course it may be just a matter of appearance – when I was there, I personally didn’t even think to try coming close to Russia without an explicit permission, so I don’t know what may happen should you try to get near the border by entering the respect zone by foot!

Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone
Kurkela Finland Russia USSR Border Zone

The Virolahti site can be visited in something less or something more than 1h, depending on your level of interest. It is flat and easy to tour, with a large free parking nearby. Website here.

Salpa Line Museum, Miehikkälä

This is probably the biggest exhibition on the Salpa Line, and the most visited also. The visitor center proposes a series of itineraries for touring the site on a self-guided base. The highlights are anti-tank and machine gun bunkers, a plane spotting wooden turret, trenches of various types, cannons and more. Together with Virolahti (above), it is surely a place to be if you want to capture at a glance what the Salpe Line is all about.

The Miehikkälä site is unique in its own respect due to the morphology of the territory, with a rocky cliff prospecting on an area of wavy land. The two main armored positions with an anti-tank gun and a machine gun are atypical, dug deeply in the rock, accessible from the top of the cliff, with the barrels leaning out at the level of the surrounding terrain. The bunker with the anti-tank gun features an observation/firing turret directly accessible from the firing room through a very long vertical passage. In the living quarters there is a collection of rifles.

Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum

The bunker with the machine firing chamber presents preserved sleeping and living quarters, and an observation turret.

Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum

Ahead of the rocky cliff you can find two armored turrets like in Virolahti, and an example of the most typical anti-tank barrier of the Salpa Line, made of aligned big rocks put in the ground. This is a distinctive feature of the Salpa Line, and following the rocks may help to find the location of more secluded bunkers in other sites.

Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum

Another interesting item is an old Soviet T-34 tank with the corresponding shelter.

Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum

To the back of the cliff you can find a German-made Pak-40 anti-tank cannon in an open-top field fortification. Looking in the direction of the barrel, you can see a long grove aligned with it. This is a tank trap, where the tank was forced to slow down trying to cross the grove right on the line of fire of the anti-tank gun.

Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum

In a second part of the site it is possible to find a group of rare concrete trenches, mostly similar to WWI constructions you can find in northern France (see this post), a housing bunker with a water reservoir on top and a standard anti-tank/machine gun bunker. These could be seen only from the outside when I visited.

Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum
Miehikkälä Salpa Line Museum

The museum is not difficult to find, and there is a large free parking on site. The visit may take from less than 1 hour to more than 2 hours, based on your interest. While not difficult to tour for an average physical condition, you’d better go prepared to climb many stairs, move along narrow passages and walk short trails going steeply uphill. Website here.

Hostikka Site

The Hostikka site, deep in the countryside north of Miehikkälä, is composed of a handful of bunkers scattered a few miles apart along the roads in the municipality bearing this name. On each site there is a complete description in Finnish and English, and a map. Most sites can be freely accessed, a few are normally closed and can be opened on request, usually visiting with a ranger. A comprehensive map in Finnish can be found here.

From the south, item B186 is a massive anti-tank/machine gun bunker which is normally closed. The guns can cover a flat field ahead of the facade of the bunker.

Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland

A bare 300 ft north along the unpaved main road you meet B182, a machine gun bunker which can be toured freely. You can recognize the sleeping quarters and the observation tower. Climbing on top, you can appreciate the mimetic installation of the bulbous top of the armored tower. There is also what appears to be a firing hole close to the main sealed entrance.

Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland

All armored doors are still there, together with an extensive piping system.

Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland

Driving north for about 0.3 miles crossing the small village of Hostikka, you can find another site, with a preserved trench system, a machine gun and quartering bunker, open but unfortunately severely flooded, and item B166, a huge cave. This is not the only cave excavated in the rock along the Salpa Line. This multi-entry cave was intended for sheltering 80 people and providing access to open-top cannon/machine-gun dugouts. It was never finished, it is uninsulated and very wet.

Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland

The road going to Kirppu passes by items B150 and B132, standard anti-tank/machine gun bunkers. They are usually closed, but can be climbed and walked around.

Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Hostikka Area Finland

All these bunkers unwind along a north-south direction, and are easily accessible parking nearby each site. Visiting may take 15 to 30 minutes for each open site, especially if you want to take pictures inside, less for closed bunkers where you may want to have a walk round. For inside pictures a tripod is mandatory, and a torchlight highly recommended.

Lusikkovuoren Cave

This cave can be reached driving for less than a mile on a secondary road departing eastwards from 3842 in Suo-Anttila. The cave is usually closed and sometimes used for public exhibitions or performances – a very suggestive location! -, yet the place deserves to be seen also from the outside. There are actually two neighbor entrances to the cave, which has been carved deep into the rock at the base of a cliff. The cave, intended to be used as a logistic interchange point, a headquarter and a weapons storage, was never completed. There are draining holes and a concrete pavement inside.

Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave
Salpa Line Lusikkovuori Cave

Hidden in the trees, far from any village, from the outside the cave really looks like a location from ‘The Lord of the Rings’!

Askola Site

The Askola site can be spotted while driving roughly halfway between Luumäki and Lappeenranta, along a busy road called Lappeenrannantie, next to the shore of lake Kivijärvi. There is a parking area just ahead of it. Heading straight to the big bunker you see from the road, you can find a map of the site. There is an uncommon concentration of armored positions in a small area between this trail head and the newly built highway N.6 to the south.

Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta

Despite the majority of the bunkers being normally unaccessible, there are some interesting uncommon sights here. The first is a reinforced dugout, where one of the bulky armored metal turrets you can see in the museums of Virolahti and Miehikkälä is interred in its intended working position. The turret can be accessed from behind and below, and a machine gun is mounted inside.

Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta

Furthermore, there are at least two original tank turrets recycled as reinforced firing positions. These turrets are apparently from BT-7 Soviet tanks, probably lost to the Finnish Army during the Winter War or the Continuation War.

Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta

More standard bunkers and dugouts can be found, but in some cases they can be barely neared due to wild vegetation.

Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta
Salpa Line Bunker Site Toikkala Lappeenranta

About 0.8 miles to the west along the Lappeenrannantie road, you can find a small concrete dam – actually it lies in the courtyard of a private house… This is part of a system made to control the water level in the lake for military purposes.

Salpa Line Lake Kivijärvi Dam
Salpa Line Lake Kivijärvi Dam
Salpa Line Lake Kivijärvi Dam
Salpa Line Lake Kivijärvi Dam

Moving eastwards towards Lappeenranta, in the small village of Rutola it is possible to find another machine gun/housing concrete bunker, with an anti-tank barrier on the shore of the lake. This also lies on private land.

Salpa Line Bunker Rutola
Salpa Line Bunker Rutola
Salpa Line Bunker Rutola
Salpa Line Bunker Rutola

A visit to this site may take a 1-2 hours or more, depending on the level of detail and your ability to move around.

Syysphoja and Puumala Site

Along the beautiful scenic road 62 going from Imatra to Mikkeli it is possible to find two easily accessible forts of the Salpa Line. The first is located on Salpalinjantie road, departing north from the main road east of the village of Syyspohja. The facade of this well deceived anti-tank/machine gun fort, dug in a pile of land and hardly visible from the distance, is partly covered with stones. There are also partly refurbished dugouts and wooden obstacles, plus a long line of anti-tank stones.

Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja
Salpa Line Bunker Syyspohja

West of the village along Töntintie road – very narrow and unprepared – it is possible to find a small Soviet monument to war prisoners interned in a local prison camp.

Salpa Line Prison Camp Memorial Soviet Syyspohja
Salpa Line Prison Camp Memorial Soviet Syyspohja
Salpa Line Prison Camp Memorial Soviet Syyspohja
Salpa Line Prison Camp Memorial Soviet Syyspohja

Another preserved bunker can be found right in the center of the nice village of Puumala, along road Pappilantie. The bunker is basically unaccessible, but very easy to walk around. In a receptacle besides the main entrance there is also a Soviet anti-tank gun, probably captured by the Finnish army.

Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker
Salpa Line Puumala Machine Gun Bunker

General Mannerheim Headquarters and Communication Bunker

Among the highlights of the lively town of Mikkeli, you can visit here the preserved headquarters of the Finnish Army. The office of General Mannerheim and other top-ranking military staff, plus a fully equipped ‘op-center’, were installed in a local children school. Today a few rooms, including one with many original maps and Mannerheim’s personal office, are the ‘main course’ of the museum, and can be visited.

General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli

There are also informative panels, many pictures and some memorabilia belonging to General Mannerheim.

General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Headquarters Mikkeli

Almost cross the the road from the entrance of the headquarters, you can find another strictly related museum. It is a cave were the communication central of the headquarters used to be and work during WWII. This ensured an uninterrupted communication link not only with the Salpa Line but also with all positions on the line of the front. A part of the cave has been carefully refurbished to resemble what it looked like in the years of operation, including much communication hardware from the time, whereas another part has been left empty.

General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli
General Mannerheim Finland Army Communication Bunker Mikkeli

Both museums can be visited according to the respective timetables (website here for the headquarters, here for the cave). Total visiting time for both attractions is about 1.5 hours.

Raikuu Site

Two Salpa Line sites are located close to the small village of Raikuu, both easily reachable driving on reasonably prepared, unpaved roads.

The first is a massive and pretty rare heavy artillery position. There used to be four such positions scattered in the nearby area, two equipped with 299 mm mortars, two with 152 mm naval cannons. This is the only partly refurbished position. The base for the central revolving pinion where the cannon was anchored can be clearly seen, as well as rooms for the cartridges and for artillery troops.

Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position
Salpa Line Kerimäki Cannon Position

The second is a group of three reinforced concrete bunkers, maintained to a very good condition and different from one another. The first two are a machine gun and an anti-tank cannon bunker respectively. The military equipment has been taken away, but the different shape of the barrel hole and the supporting structure for the machine gun or for the anti-tank cannon make them easily distinguishable. The machine gun bunkers bears traces of camouflage on the front facade.

Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker

Some of the original ventilation pipelines are still there, and clear traces of the wooden structures can be seen on the walls.

Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker

The last bunker is partly accessible from behind descending along a steep staircase. This bunker is leaning on the side of a rock, and is well deceived in the bushes.

Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker
Salpa Line Kerimäki Bunker

The site is completed by an anti-tank wall of unusual construction, made of smaller stones put together to a very big overall thickness.

Salpa Line Kerimäki Anti Tank Wall
Salpa Line Kerimäki Anti Tank Wall
Salpa Line Kerimäki Anti Tank Wall
Salpa Line Kerimäki Anti Tank Wall

This site is very nice to visit, it is pretty remote so probably you will stay alone and undisturbed. Total time for visiting both including transfer by car may be 1.5 hours if you want to take pictures, or much less if you just want to have a look around.

Joensuu Bunker Museum, Joensuu

The museum in Joensuu is somewhat smaller than those in Virolahti and Miehikkälä (above), and when I visited it was already closed for the season – in mid-August! The good news is that in case you find it closed, you will miss only a visit to the inside of the bunker, pretty standard and similar to those you can see also elsewhere, whereas the outside can be toured for free at any time.

The first sights are two Model 1877, 90 mm French field cannons provided in a number during the Winter War and extensively used in the following years. Close by there are some steel turrets for protecting dugouts to form armored machine gun nests. These turrets, similar to those you may see also in some other Salpa Line sites, were supplied in very limited numbers and were produced in two shapes – you find both here – and three different weights. Those presented here are all intermediate-weight exemplars, weighing more than 5 and almost 8 tonnes respectively for the round shaped and the two-lobed model. The thickness is incredible, and these turrets could withstand a direct hit of a 45 mm anti-tank gun!

Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum

On the perimeter there is a Soviet 45 mm anti-tank cannon in a wooden open-top field fortification.

Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum

There are two concrete bunkers, put side by side on a promontory. One is equipped with both an anti-tank and a machine gun, the other only with a machine gun.

Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum

There are also well preserved dugouts and a line of rocky anti-tank obstacles.

Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum
Salpa Line Joensuu Bunker Museum

The site is easy to access, with free parking, and compact in size, so less than 1 hour is needed for a visit if the inside is not accessible. Some opening info here.

Huhmarisvaara Artillery Position

Many cannons of French design can be found scattered over the Finnish territory. Except relatively few offered by the French at the beginning of WWII before France was conquered by the German Wehrmacht, the majority are actually Russian cannons from before the the Revolution. When turmoil started to spread in Russia in 1917 leading to the anticipate end of WWI, Finland took the initiative and declared independence from the agonizing empire. As a result, many weapons and military stuff stationed over the territory of the newly constituted Nation were recycled by the Finnish Army.

Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons
Salpa Line Huhmarisvaara Cannons

Many such cannons were later to be placed in the fortifications of the Salpa Line. In Huhmarisvaara, roughly 13 miles north of Joensuu, a concrete fortification for a number of cannons was prepared on a vantage position overlooking a local lake. One of the three Russian-made Model 1892, 152 mm cannons remaining in Finland can still be found in this location.

Vanntajankannas Site

The northern part of the front saw an active participation of the German Wehrmacht in the years of the Continuation War. Possibly one of the northernmost heavy installations of the Salpa Line was located about 5 miles southeast of the town of Kuusamo, close to the administrative border with the Lapland district. The Germans – with the forces of the Organization Todt – built also a railway line about 85 miles long in a north-south direction, with the northern terminal in Kuusamo. The railway helped to supply the army groups operating locally.

The history of this installation, today preserved as an open-air museum with a well maintained walking trail about 3 miles long, is a bit different from others. Soon after the armistice which drove Finland out of the war with the USSR, the German forces, which had to be expelled from the Country, started retreating north towards occupied Norway. They found shelter in the fortifications of the Vanntajankannas site for a few weeks, before loosing them to the Red Army. Soviet soldiers were forced to leave by the end of 1944 in accordance with the armistice agreement, but they blew up every hardware in the Vanntajankannas area before retreating to the USSR.

What can be seen here is what remains of some big concrete bunkers, of the types you can find elsewhere along the Salpa Line. The remains of the bunkers are scattered along the trail. Close to the trailhead there are also scant remains of the local railway station along the German-built line going to Kuusamo.

Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail

The anti-tank line of stones is still clearly visible. In many points the trenches, open-top passages and soft machine gun nests have been refurbished to look like the early Forties when they were built.

Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail

In the most remote part of the site it is possible to spot remains of the original concrete preparation station, used to supply the construction works, and a small concrete sauna for workers and troops – not really welcoming in these days!

Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail
Salpa Line Lahtela-Vanttaja Trail

This site is very nice not only for war history but also for the beautiful landscape, with incredible colors. You can also experience a walk over the marshes typical of this region of Finland. The trail is easy, there is a small free parking nearby the trailhead. I would recommend about 1-1.5 hours to enjoy the hiking trail and taking pictures of both the landscape,  the destroyed forts and preserved trenches.

Harparskog Line, Hanko Peninsula

The southern branch of the Salpa Line, also known as Harparskog Line, is composed of a group of bunkers concentrated in the small area around the village of Harparskog – on the Hanko peninsula -, which found itself on the border with the USSR for the first time following the peace treaty ending the Winter War. The annexation of Estonia to the USSR and the control of the Hanko peninsula gave the Soviets the control of the Gulf of Finland, which culminated in Leningrad to the east.

Hanko was evacuated by the Soviets in late 1941 during the victorious phase of the Continuation War.

Similarly to the rest of the Salpa Line, the smaller line in Harparskog featured all types of heavy concrete bunkers, plus dugouts, field fortifications and trenches. Today you can find at least one of the bunkers preserved as a local small museum, plus plenty of barely maintained but mainly accessible bunkers, stripped of most military hardware but still in a very good condition.

The bunker museum was closed when I visited, so here you have a view of the outside only.

Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland

Some of the accessible bunkers are aligned along an unpaved road towards the northern shore of the peninsula, north of the village. A commemoration stone with an explanatory panel clearly marks the trailhead.

Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland

Besides some more standard bunkers, it is possible to find here a big assembly composed by at least two large bunkers excavated in the stone. The passages leading to the entrances are carved deep in a local cliff, resulting in a very suggestive fort, a mix of natural and artificial defensive positions. Inside this fort it is possible to see also an original stove, ventilation ducts and an air pump.

Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland

Further on you can find an anti-tank line, and also a larger deposit and a cave – unfortunately closed.

Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland

Exploring this area can be very rewarding, due to the tranquil location and the beautiful, wild natural landscape.

Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland
Salpa Line Bunker Harparskog Hanko Finland

There is much more to see in the area, and for a complete exploration I would suggest about 5-6 hours. The sector to cover is not large and for some parts you can move with a car, but the concentration of material is unusually high and well preserved. If you elect to concentrate only on a part of the line, the necessary time may drop to 1-2 hours for getting a good idea of the main features of this site and taking some good pictures inside. Don’t forget a tripod and a torchlight, for it’s totally dark inside most bunkers, and you should wear a pair of appropriate shoes, for there are mud deposits on the floor and the terrain around the bunkers is totally uneven.

Hanko Front Museum, Hanko

A museum on the vicissitudes of the Hanko peninsula in the years 1940-41 has been established and recently refurbished. It will show up along the main road connecting Harparskog and Hanko, around 2 miles from Harparskog.

The inside part presents an interesting descriptions of the timeline and facts of the Soviet occupation. There are many interesting artifacts from the time, including everyday hardware, light weapons, propaganda leaflets in Russian, maps and many historic photographs. It is interesting to note that the weapons put in place by the Soviets included huge railway cannons, definitely easier to move compared to fixed installations of similar size.

Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR

There is also a room with a collection of heavier weapons.

Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR

On the outside there are some reconstructed trenches, a Soviet 45 mm anti-tank gun in a reconstructed field fortification, and some other weapons, especially water mines. Active archeology work is going on in the area, and some recent findings, like pieces of artillery and parts of tanks, could be seen when I visited. A short trail in the trees reveals some dugouts and allows to explore the area nearby the former border. Finally there is a 152 mm coastal gun, reportedly the world’s last of the type with this field mounting.

Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR
Hango War Museum Salpa Line Finland USSR

The museum is not large but very rich, so I would suggest 30 minutes to 1.5 hours for a visit depending on your level of interest. Website here.

Soviet Leftovers in Latvia

CarloR3 Comments

Similar to the neighbor republics of Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia was occupied by the Soviets a first time in 1939 and again in 1944, when after some years of occupation by Hitler’s forces the Red Army started to successfully repel the German Wehrmacht from within Russia back towards Poland and central Europe. Differently from other European Countries later to become satellites of Moscow’s central communist power, the three ‘Baltic States’ were directly annexed to the Soviet Union.

History – in brief

As a matter of fact, the process of annexation was not a very peaceful one. Having had already a short but intense experience of the Stalinist dictatorship as a consequence of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact before the German invasion in 1941, as soon as it became clear that Stalin’s forces would regain power hundreds of thousands from the Baltics left the Country for abroad, while the communist regime rapidly started to put in practice its deadly ideas, with the collectivization of all private activities, abolition of free elections and non-communist associations, and the imprisonment and deportation of all who disagreed with this plan.

The reason for the different fate of these Countries – annexed – with respect to those of central Europe – which became satellites of the USSR – may be understood on one side looking further back in history – the territories of the three republics had been for long under the direct influence of the Russian Empire. On the other hand, as testified by the relevant military presence in these areas since immediately after the beginning of the Cold War, the government of the USSR considered the Baltic region of high strategic value. Taking control of the coast of the Baltic States, and also thanks to the annexation of the region of Hanko in Finland, the USSR could protect the access to the Gulf of Finland and Leningrad, profit from military and commercial ports which do not freeze in winter and deploy strategic military resources – especially aircraft and missiles – within range of most European capitals.

Bases for all branches of the military flourished in all three new Soviet Socialist Republics. Soon after the fall of the Wall in Berlin, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were the first of the USSR states to declare independence from the Union in 1990 – almost two years before the actual collapse of the USSR – following massive protests which unveiled the high level of intolerance for the Soviet rule. As a result of the withdrawal of Soviet/Russian forces, these three small republics found themselves in control of many military installations, totally disproportioned to the new size and needs of the new states, and making for a not-so-welcomed memento of many decades of hardship – as a matter of fact, some measures to limit the spread of Russian influence in culture and politics have been implemented in all three states, which also joined NATO and the European Union as soon as possible.

Sights

The attitude assumed towards the huge military assets left from the Cold War has been slightly different in the three republics. All three are basically getting rid of them, Estonia being the quickest – not much remains there of the many missile bases, and the once prominent strategic air base in Raadi has been totally closed down and partially converted into a museum on national history. Until some years ago many missile sites remained in quite a good shape in Latvia, but most of them have been actively demolished in recent years, including the most iconic Dvina silo sites – as of 2017 the job was completed and no Dvina complex remains in Latvia. Yet visible remains of surface bases and many ghost towns and bunkers are reportedly still there, and while some can be visited ‘officially’ as museums, many are left to urban explorers and archaeologists, while some hardware like warehouses and service buildings has been reused by local companies for storing logs, gravel and other raw materials. Lithuania bolsters possibly the last surviving Dvina missile complex in Europe, which has been turned recently into a museum on the Cold War, totaling 20’000 visitors per year. The demolition process is perhaps slower there.

Prisons constitute non-military but possibly more disturbing leftovers from the communist era. There are some in the Baltics – as basically everywhere in the former eastern bloc including Eastern Germany – all opened as museum, and in one instance also partially turned into a curious and evoking ‘jail hotel’.

This post presents some highlights and examples of remains from the Cold War era from both military and non-military sites in Latvia. Photographs were taken in 2017, during a visit to this lively and nice country in Northern Europe.

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Zeltini Nuclear Missile Base

This missile base is one of the best conserved in the three republics. The storage and launch complex was originally built for the R12 liquid fueled, 2.3 Megaton single-warhead nuclear missile, known in the West as SS-4 Sandal. This missile system – the same deployed to Cuba in 1962 – was pretty modern for the end of the Fifties, yet it lacked the extra range required to reach strategic targets in Europe from deep within Russia. This made the Baltic region very interesting for the military, and a place of election for installing missile complexes in that age.

The base of Zeltini is one of three missile launch sites around the town of Aluksne, in northeastern Latvia. This base was updated and kept in an active state until the end of the Soviet Union and the withdrawal of the Red Army towards Russia, who obviously carried away all the weapons and technical rigs. Soon after, the locals started to take away anything of any value, including extensive piping, cables, any metal and so on, leaving basically the empty buildings and bunkers. More recently, as typical also to other such places in Latvia, private businesses were allowed on the premises of the former installation. A timber storage and processing facility today occupies the area where the nuclear warheads used to be stored, separate from the missiles.

The complex in Zeltini could accommodate four missiles in two couples of neighbor storage bunkers, built about .3 miles apart, and launch them from two twin surface launch pads. At least two launch pads can be seen today. They are large flat area with a pavement made of concrete slabs, recognizable by a steel crown on the ground with an approximate diameter of 5-6 feet. This was used to anchor the low gantry holding the 72 ft long missile in vertical position when being readied for launch.

One of the pads is in the center of the best preserved part of the site – the southeastern one -, but the position of the missile gantry is today occupied by a pretty big head of Lenin, reportedly moved here from Aluksne after the end of communism, sparing it from being blown up.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

The grounds around this launch pad are rich with interesting bunkers, which once hosted support machinery and control gears, including anything necessary for missile servicing, launch preparation and control.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

There are bunkers of basically two types – smaller ones with a single entrance on one side of a cusp-roofed tunnel and a lower height, and bigger ones, much roomier, longer, and with doors on both sides of the barrel-vaulted tunnel.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
AZeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

A ubiquitous feature of these missile complexes are concrete T-shaped frames planted in the ground. These were used to carry miles of pipings at the time when the base was active.

Aligned with the main axis of the launch area it is possible to spot the corresponding missile bunker ‘N.3’, which is unfortunately locked. The construction and size are like those of the bigger support bunkers, the only visible difference being the slightly wider doors on the front façade, and the absence of a back door on the other end of the bunker.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

Many traces of plaques with mottos and citations in Russian from Lenin & Co. can be found on the exterior of the bunkers, whereas tons of ‘Warning!’ signs and other technical information are painted in the inside.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

A second launch pad can be seen in the in the northwestern part of the military grounds – with no Lenin’s head. Here traces of stripes on the ground for easing maneuvers or indicating the place to park ancillary rigs – like generators, gas tanks,… – can still be seen. Also here the corresponding ‘N.2’ missile bunker is locked.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

In a land strip where nature is growing wild between the two main launch areas, it is possible to spot a little bunker with a kind of concrete sentry-box. This was presumably a storage bunker for light weapons, a small reinforced shelter for watchmen, or something similar. Wooden shelves can still be found inside.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

Another interesting sight is what appears to be a ‘living bunker’. This is half interred, with small doors on both ends and a sequence of rooms aligned on a long corridor. The center room is the biggest, and may be a canteen or something alike. There are traces of a decorated white and blue linoleum pavement, but there are also very unique frescoes on the walls. These include an artist impression of the SS-4 Sandal missile and also of the typical mushroom-cloud produced by a nuclear explosion!

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

A conspicuous part of the Zeltini base is the command area with living quarters for the troops. This is the part you see first when entering the base. The buildings here are totally abandoned and possibly dangerous to access.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

There is not much left inside, but relevant remains of plaques with inscriptions and artistic drawings can be found on the walls outside. A highlight of the area is a former small park with a typical communist monument – a distinctive feature of all Soviet bases. The small park is a bit creepy, there are still benches around a former flowerbed, and a rain shelter, all now emerging from a field of nettles! The monument is basically a long wall with the silhouette of a stylized head. The inscription is fading, but the face painted on the red head can still be seen.

Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Zeltini Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

Getting there and moving around

The former missile base of Zeltini can be easily found driving on the P34, about 1.2 miles west of the town, exactly where P44 leaves from P34 to the north. There is also an official sign on the P34 pointing the way in. The area is preserved to some extent, and some of the former connection roads inside can be seen on Google Street View, yet the grounds are unfenced and there are no opening times. You can go in and move with your car, the only risk is that of getting a flat due to the road not being very clean.

Close to the head of Lenin there is also an explanatory panel with some quick notes and a basic map. A museum can be found in Zeltini, which was not opened when I visited, and they reportedly offer also guided tours of the place. This might be interesting especially for those less used to exploration activities, and possibly also to get access to the missile bunkers, which are usually closed. I couldn’t arrange a guided visit though, so I don’t know what they are offering on guided tours.

Some timber companies work in the former base, and you should not interfere with their operations, nor intrude in those parts of the base which are now used by them. Apart from this, this installation is rich of interesting sights and not much risky nor too big or difficult to explore, and it will make for a good 2 hours (minimum) exploration even visiting on your own, without accessing the locked or forbidden parts.

Note: Nearby Dvina Missile Site, Tirza – Completely Destroyed

There used to be other two ‘sister sites’ of the Zeltini complex in the area around Aluksne. One was in Strautini, a design very similar to the one in Zeltini. To my information this has ceased operations but is still today part of a military installation, so it cannot be approached. The second one was built in Tirza, and it was a Dvina site, i.e. a complex of four interred silos built for a suitably modified version of the R12 missile, called R12U. This kind of missile site started to be installed in 1964. Standing to the Google map of early 2017 the Tirza site should have been still in relative good shape. Unfortunately, in very recent times the local government hit very hard, having the site totally destroyed, flooded and buried under a monumental pile of land. The photographs below show what remains of this site – literally nothing.

Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Tirza Dvina Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

Even though the silo may have represented an uncomfortable reminder of the relatively recent occupation by the Soviets, as the only remaining site of the kind in the country it should have deserved possibly a different treatment – similar to the site in Siauliai, Lithuania, recently turned into a museum on the Cold War. Another option – probably the most obvious – would have been to leave the site to nature, as it happened in most cases to former Soviet installations scattered around Europe, at no cost and without any relevant risk for the local population – the site in Tirza was extremely remote, hidden deep in the trees, far from the main road and from any village of appreciable size, in a part of the country of limited touristic interest. Only those interested, like explorers and historians, would have looked for it. The choice of the government, which judging from the proportions of the demolition work must have implied the use of a very relevant amount of money for the job, appears really hard to justify – especially in face of an infrastructure system still well below the European standard.

Anyway, as a practical suggestion, don’t waste your time trying to reach the Tirza site – Dvina missile complexes are not to be found in Latvia.

Skrunda Military Ghost Town

Located in the hilly countryside of southwest Latvia, about 50 miles from the port town of Liepaja, the area around the village of Skrunda has been for long a primary strategic site for the USSR. Due to the geographical position on the northwestern border of the Union, this place was selected for the construction of an early warning radar device – a system capable of detecting incoming enemy ballistic missiles, leaving enough time for deploying countermeasures and for retaliatory actions. The type built in Skrunda was called Dnestr-M, and was the first early warning system type deployed by the USSR. Actually, the Skrunda radar site, codenamed RO-2, was the first to become operative in 1971, marking the foundation of the entire Soviet ABM (anti-ballistic missile) system. This was just a component of a series of similar sites intended to cover the entire border, constituting a ‘invisible fence’ against missile attacks from the US and their Allies.

Early warning radar systems are not just small radar antennas like those you can see in airports. Instead they are very (very) big and powerful systems, digesting a huge flow of electric energy to stay alive, and where all the required hardware – including the antennas – is often stored in suitably designed, tall and imposing buildings. The RO-2 system was made of two Dnestr-M fixed antennas, each assembled in a special construction 650 ft long and 250 ft tall!

The staff required for running the facility and all connected businesses was numerous, so a military village was built anew in Skrunda deep in the years of the Cold War just a few miles north of the old town. The village was intended for troops, technicians and their families. The relevance of the Skrunda site is testified also by the selection of that area for the installation of another antenna of the type Daryal-UM, with a range of almost 4’000 miles, 1’000 more than the Dnestr-M system. The decision was taken in the late Eighties, and the Daryal-UM system in Skrunda was never operative.

Following the collapse of the USSR an agreement was made between the governments of Latvia and Russia to gradually phase out the early warning systems in Skrunda, which had to be kept under Russian administration for some more years. As a result, the village of Skrunda was inhabited until 1998 by Russian troops.

After the demolition of all early warning hardware formerly agreed upon and the withdrawal of the Russian army, the military town of Skrunda was left in a state of disrepair. The Latvian government tried to sell the property in more instances, while some of the worst conserved buildings have been demolished. More recently the local municipality took control of the area, and there are plans to find a new function for the remaining part of the ghost town. Also the Latvian army is active on it. In the meanwhile you can tour this ‘domesticated’ ghost town – which can be accessed officially paying a small fee at the entrance – you are even given a map of the site!

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

The fact that you pay for a visit takes away much of the ghost-town-aura typical to other similar places in the former Eastern Bloc – here you know you are not alone. Nonetheless, what makes this place impressive is the size of the buildings, now totally empty, and the imposing ensemble they form together.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

Besides the residential buildings, the bulkiest and more numerous, there are a hotel, a school – which cannot be accessed due to the collapsing roof -, a market and many other services you may expect to find in a typical modern neighborhood.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

Also impressive are the club with a big gym and the frescoes in it. An obelisk monument can be found in the square ahead of the gym.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

On the tiles on the blind side of one of the residential buildings it is possible to spot a giant, now fading portrait of a Soviet soldier.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

The residential and service complex with its distinctive tall buildings occupies the northern part of the ghost town of Skrunda, while the southern part is composed of lower buildings formerly for barracks and military services, including a canteen, a command building and a small military prison.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

The face of the command building bears inscriptions in Cyrillic, which are now barely visible. From historical pictures it is possible to see that at some point the Red Banner was changed into the Russian flag you can spot today.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

Most of the buildings in this area are in a really bad shape, and many are inaccessible due to piles of waste material packed inside. Among the most unusual sights here, stickers of ‘Western propaganda symbols’ – including an iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger in James Cameron’s ‘Terminator’! – inside the door of a small cabinet, likely from the Eighties.

Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia
Skrunda Ghost Town Latvia

At the time of my visit there were some Latvian troops busy moving light material between some of these buildings.

Getting there and moving around

Getting to the Soviet ghost town of Skrunda is easy with a car. You can reach the old town of Skrunda along the A9, connecting Liepaja and Riga. Once there, take the P116 going north to Kuldiga. The entrance to the site will be on your left about 3 miles north of the center of old Skrunda.

I have to admit I had prepared my visit as a ‘usual’ wild exploration, and I discovered the place is actually a tourist attraction only when I was there. My first approach was from the side of the village opposite to the P116, to reduce the chance to be spotted by locals. To my great surprise I was soon met by a young lady walking along the main street of the ghost town. I thought she was there for picking mushrooms or something in the wilderness, instead she came closer and politely told me there was a ticket to pay! Then I spotted other visitors around in the distance. I moved my car to the P116 and accessed the place as a normal visitor. An old lady at the former control booth of the military village asked for a few Euros – no credit cards, obviously – and gave me a ticket and a map.

The reason for my error was the lack of information available online, also due to the very limited penetration of English in that part of Europe, even on websites. For the same reason, unfortunately I can’t provide an official source site nor opening times.

Due to a very tight timetable, I could only dedicate about an hour to the visit of the ghost town – I also wasted some time moving my car from the back to the official gate of the base. The site may deserve 1.5-2.5 hours depending on your level of interest, especially if you want to take pictures.

As written above, Skrunda is in the center of a renovation program, and the place may not remain visible for long.

Karosta Military Prison & Liepaja Port Town

The port town of Liepaja is the third most populated center in Latvia. It bolsters an ancient tradition as a commercial port, built along trade routes very active since the early years of the Hanseatic League. More recently, in the second half of the 19th century the port was greatly developed also for military purposes under the power of the Tzars. This time saw the construction of conspicuous fortifications in the northern area of the town, and the development of an extensive military district named Karosta.

The military port was destined to play an important role in WWI, when the agonizing Russian Empire was fighting against the forces of the Kaiser, and again in WWII, when the Soviets, who had just annexed the Latvian territory in 1939-40, started fighting against Hitler in 1941. The German Wehrmacht actually occupied Liepaja until 1945.

Back in the hands of the Soviets, the port was developed step by step into a major base of the Soviet fleet, headquartering the Baltic branch tasked with tactical dominance of the Baltic Sea. Since the 1960s until the collapse of the USSR Liepaja was turned into a closed town for military personnel only, and all commercial activities were interdicted.

Nowadays the commercial port is again very active, and the town, even boasting a university, is trying to reestablish its original status as a center for commerce and tourism.

Most notably, the former military district of Karosta can be toured along a well designed historical trail, showing the old quarters of the military town from the years of the Tzars. A distinctive feature of Karosta is the breakwater pier, protruding into the Baltic for about 1 mile, which can be walked in its entirety. Another very suggestive sight is the dome of the Orthodox church, recently refurbished after having being closed for years in the Soviet era.

Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Port Pier Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Pier Military Port
Karosta Liepaja Pier Military Port
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Soviet Monument
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Soviet Monument

Another unusual sight in the Karosta district is the coastal fortification built by the Tzars in the late 19th century. The cannons are gone, but the mighty fortifications look still impressive.

Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery
Karosta Liepaja Latvia Coastal Cannon Battery

The additions by the Soviets in terms of housing are clearly recognizable by the depressing style and poor building technique, making these buildings look worse than their older predecessors.

Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia
Karosta Liepaja Latvia

The military district of the Tzars included a military prison, today known as Karosta Prison (or ‘Karosta Cietums’, in Latvian). This prison has been turned into a museum only recently, and is now advertised as a local attraction.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

This prison is unique in many senses. From a historical perspective, for instance, it was managed by six different military powers in its history – the Russian Empire, the newly constituted Latvian government soon after WWI, the Soviets between 1940 and 1941, the Nazis until 1945, then the Soviets again and finally the Latvian government of our days after the independence from the Soviet Union!

The place is rich of sad memories, especially from the years of Nazi occupation, when the prison was not intended to reeducate – whatever this might have meant in Soviet times -, but acted more as an antechamber for captured spies or subversive elements to be shot – something that reportedly happened in the courtyard in several occasions – or deported to Nazi lagers. Of course, the beginning of the Soviet period was a very harsh one too for Liepaja and all Latvia, thanks to Stalin’s unscrupulous deportation plans which hit hard in the region, but that was a business the small military prison of Karosta was not much involved in.

The brick building of the prison is composed of two floors. The museum offers guided visits to the small complex. The first sight is the office of the director on the ground floor, preserved from the Soviet era, and enriched with tons of collectible items. Really an impressive sight.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

Another very unique room is packed with weapons, uniforms and other military gear from the years of WWII. This collection, albeit small, is extremely valuable especially for what remains of the Nazi period – somewhat paradoxically, in Germany similar collections are basically impossible to find.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

I explicitly asked more than once about the originality of the pieces on show, and was punctually reassured. The prison and what is in it, with the exception of the arrangement of the ticket office and the rooms nearby, is 95% original, and what was not originally there when the prison was finally closed – like a portrait of Stalin and a wooden silhouette of Lenin’s face – is still original, relocated for exhibition purposes. No fakes.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

Next, the guided tour will drive you to the cells on the top floor, which were intended for soldiers, where the ground floor was for officers. The only difference is in the color of the walls – black on the top floor, brownish on the lower floor.

Karosta is the only military prison you can visit in the Baltics… and probably the only one in the world where you can sleep, if you dare to! The standard treatment is not so rude as you may expect, and spending the night in provides also the advantage of a dedicated evening visit of the prison after the closing time, along with the other ‘inmates’.

The rooms where you sleep are the cells of the ground floor – originally intended for officers. There are two possible configurations, i.e. rooms with iron beds, or empty cells, where you assemble your ‘bed’ taking a wooden board and a mattress from piles in a deposit. Then you are given a pillow, sheets and a blanket. The sheets are marked in Cyrillic, and probably belong to the original supply of the Soviet prison.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

The door of the cell is left open, so you are totally free to move around all night, and even go out in the courtyard if you need. Toilets are in common, placed in the original toilet room. They are clean, even though basic, and there are no showers. There is a guard – who is also the guide on the evening tour – on the top floor, and the external perimeter of the prison is locked, so you feel reasonably safe. You can also park your car inside the perimeter. That said, spending the night in the cell is surely unusual and provokes strange feelings and thoughts… but that’s what you were probably looking for when you decided to sleep in a prison!

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

The prison offers more intense experiences where you are ‘disturbed’ during the night and treated more harshly by the guards, but these are only for groups. These packages are advertised also for companies, for team-building purposes.

The small restaurant has been put in the original canteen for the guards, and they offer a full Soviet-themed menu for dinner and for breakfast. The ‘hotel’ manager speaks English, and she can help you out with the menu, written in Latvian only.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

All in all, a unmissable pick for those interested in authentic Soviet experiences.

Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi
Karosta Liepaja Prison Hotel Soviet Nazi

Getting there and moving around

The museum in the prison of Karosta is an official tourist attraction in Karosta, which is part of Liepaja. The website provides much practical information about the museum and the many special activities they promote, plus you can find the contacts for arranging a stay in case you want to. You may inquire with your intended arrival date. In my case the answer was quick and punctual, and I was asked about usual details. The only ‘stressful’ thing was the check-in limit – 5 pm – but this turned out to be more flexible than initially expected. I had the deadline extended to 6 pm by e-mailing the staff earlier on the day of arrival, and a group of six arrived well after 8 pm, by prior arrangement.

On check-in you are shown the two cell types mentioned above – this happens before payment, in case you realize this is not for you and decide to leave! The fare for my 1-night stay was very low, 15 Euros or so, plus coins for dinner and breakfast.

After check-in I was invited to have dinner before taking possession of the cell-room, and then go downtown and come back well after the closing time of the museum. I was given the number of the guard, who opened the gate letting me in with my car when I came back.

The hotel office acts also as a tourist information point for the military district of Karosta and for the town of Liepaja. They provide maps, schedules of cultural activities and general information for the whole area.

As pointed out, if you are interested in spending the night in the prison you will have the chance to park inside a locked external fence. The rooms will not be locked, nor the prison building, so you should not experience any discomfort in that sense. You should not expect the room service, and be ready to make your bed, but the staff will treat you kindly and professionally. I was so tired for the trip I fell asleep with no difficulty – average light, average temperature, low humidity, no noise, unidentified ‘background smell’, but not excessively annoying…

Klavi Nuclear Missile Base

Similar to the base of Zeltini (see above), the base of Klavi was a surface missile base. Differently from Zeltini, Klavi is totally abandoned.

What remains there makes for a quick interesting visit. The characteristics of the complex are very similar to those of Zeltini, perhaps a bit more regular, for in Klavi all four launch pads are placed side-by-side in a single array. The most notable feature of the installation is the many bunkers, which include missile bunkers and smaller support ones. Some of the bunkers bear visible traces of the original Cyrillic writing.

Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

The launch pads with the metal crown on the ground can be found also here – but the crowns are gone, probably the metal was resold. The exploration is somewhat complicated by some ditches and flooded areas, obstructing the access to part of the grounds. Nature is growing wild in the area, but garbage and waste material can also be found in significant amounts.

Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

Similar to Zeltini, besides the storage and launch area there are a series of support and living bunkers, plus a technical area which is today occupied by some form of business, including a soft-air training ground.

Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia
Klavi Soviet Nuclear Missile Base Latvia

The base testifies the double attitude towards these former missile sites adopted in Latvia, which on one side are left in a state of disrepair, but are not totally abandoned, and are often being used in our days for various kinds of business.

Getting there and moving around

The place can be found with a nav using the following coordinates, 56.661370, 24.128137, pointing to the access road of the launch complex. All roads around the site and reaching to it are unpaved – but this is the standard in Latvia. The point can be reached with a car. Going further may be easier by foot, for the road is not maintained and turns pretty narrow.

The former technical part with the soft-air facility is located 0.3 miles from that point moving northeast, and can be clearly spotted on a satellite photograph. Approaching the launch part from the south you will not pass through it, and you will more likely go unnoticed – the launch area is abandoned with no prohibition signs, so this is just if you don’t like to attract any attention.

I would say this place should be of interest for more committed urban explorers, as you should go with at least a basic consciousness of the general plan of a missile base to understand where you are and for moving around, due to wild nature obstructing the view in many instances.

Note: there is a sister site, almost a clone of this base, located south of the village of Zalite, about 5 miles south of the Klavi complex. Apparently not in a bad shape, the area has been taken over by small private businesses and marked with clear signs of prohibition. Strangely enough, there are apparently some people living in the rotting buildings of the former technical area. I went to the Zalite site also, but I was greeted by angry watchdogs moving around freely as soon as I approached the former launch area, and I could not even step off my car. Soon after I was spotted by a small group of people, like a family with elders and children with a ragged, disturbing appearance, including a woman with only one leg and a prominent metal prosthesis – the whole scene looked like some low-budget horror movie. They were clearly not happy to see me. I had a very bad feeling and decided to leave immediately.

The Corner House – KGB Prison in Riga

As soon as they landed in the territory of Latvia in the early Forties, the Soviets started to implement their regime in all its features. These included forced collectivization of private businesses, de-facto abolition of all political parties and free elections, and prosecution of non-communist elements of the society. The state security office monitoring the life of all citizens and assuring their adherence to the communist ideology and way of life was the local section of the NKVD, later to evolve into the famous KGB. This was tasked with the collection of information, arrest, interrogation, sentencing, detention and often times also deportation and execution of anybody suspected of ‘counter-revolutionary acts’ or ‘anti-Soviet crimes’ – the meaning of which was very generic and often used to prosecute people on the basis of scant or absent evidence of any type, and basically for political opinions.

It is still not clear for what particular reason this secret political police found a suitable home base in a nice apartment building in central Riga, which until the time of the Soviet occupation had been a normal residential building. Behind the elegant façade, the Soviets moved in an impressive quantity of offices and archives, plus a complete prison, located on the ground floor and in the basement, with cells and rooms for interrogation, with separate branches for women and men. The prison ceased function during the Nazi occupation, when it was opened to the public for propaganda reasons. Not discouraged nor impressed, the Soviet secret police reopened it as soon as it regained control of the region in 1945. After the secession of Latvia from the USSR, the building, which over the decades had become a symbol of communist terror, was closed up and left there, nobody reclaiming that haunted property, associated with fear, sad memories and negative feelings of hardship and oppression. Only a few years ago an association aimed at preserving the memory of the deadly function of the building, and of those who were touched by the violent ideological repression carried out by the Soviets in Riga and Latvia, started to offer regular tours of the prison.

The place is preserved as it was when it was shut down, much of the original furniture, lighting and paint being still there.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

The entrance is by the door on the corner, as it used to be in the past for the ‘general public’ – typically relatives of people mysteriously disappeared, going there to check whether they had been arrested by the KGB. What strikes most in these first rooms is the incredibly shabby, ragged, purely Soviet appearance of these public offices. A nice introductory exhibition with much info and data on the history of the place and of political repression in Latvia can be toured for free in this part of the building.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

Here it is also where the guided tour of the prison will start. You will be driven through the corridor reserved to KGB employees and arrested people. From there you soon reach the prison – particularly disturbing even for Soviet standards, very dark and narrow.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

Close to the entrance there is a control room for the whole prison, with original furniture from the KGB inventory – still tagged. A mix of terror and sadness, a really depressive ‘something wrong’ feeling can be clearly perceived there still today.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

Interrogation rooms with a fake mirror glass and preliminary detention rooms as large as a phone box, with no windows nor ventilation, are among the first sights of the tour.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

Along the walk the guide gives you a description of the life condition of inmates and an idea of the function of some special places in the prison.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

Part of the tour is the caged courtyard intended for the few minutes of walk inmates were allowed per day.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

During the visit you will see also the basement, where the kitchen for the inmates can still be found, together with service rooms and further cells.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

Finally you will have a look at the inner courtyard, reportedly where many inmates had their last walk, soon before entering a dark room nearby where they were shot in the head, as mostly typical in the years of Stalin. The shabby room where this happened can be observed from the door, and is preserved with respect.

Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia
Corner House KGB Prison Riga Latvia

All in all, a true must see not only for the committed Cold War historian, but for everybody interested in the recent history of Latvia.

Getting there and moving around

The building of the KGB prison is located in Brīvības iela 61 in central Riga, and can be conveniently reached with a pleasant 10 minutes walk from the central historical district.

The Corner House is professionally managed as an international-level museum. It is possible to visit the informative exhibition for free, where for touring the prison you can either go there and reserve a visit, or buy an electronic ticket online in advance. Access to the prison is by guided tours only, but tours are offered in English, German as well as Latvian and other languages – website here.

The guided tour lasts just less than 1 hour, and I strongly recommend it as a very suggestive experience which will not leave you indifferent, also thanks to the lively approach of the very knowledgeable local guides.

Soviet Airbases in the GDR – Third Chapter

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As mentioned in previous chapters on the same topic – you can find the first and second here – the territory of the GDR was cluttered with an uncommonly high number of military bases, run either by the local Armed Forces of the GDR (‘German Democratic Republic’) or by the Soviet Union. This was also due to the great strategic relevance of the area, placed right in the center of Europe and on the border with ‘the West’.

Soon after the reunification of the two halves of Germany and the withdrawal of the Red Army after the collapse of the USSR, most Soviet/Russian bases in Germany were deemed unnecessary by the new federal government, hence they were converted into something else. Airbases have been turned most typically into solar powerplants or, more rarely, into general aviation airports. Armored cavalry training areas have been largely cleaned up, and allocated as land for reforestation.

Despite large parts of these installations having been recycled to some other function, substantial traces – and sometimes even more – of these once prominent and populated bases can be found still today. These include many technical buildings, like aircraft shelters, hangars for maintenance, weapon storages, bunkers, … as well as housing and buildings for the families of Soviet troopers. Needless to say, this kind of stuff is of primary interest for urban explorers and war historians as well, for these places – besides being really creepy and often preserving a ‘Soviet ghost aura’ which may appeal to a part of the public… – are usually full of lively traces of the Soviet occupation, like signs in Cyrillic alphabet, murals, monuments and Lenin’s heads, which make for an interesting memento of the recent past, when the map of Europe looked pretty much different from now.

In this post you can find a pictorial description of a visit to the two airbases of Sperenberg and Finsterwalde, south of Berlin, the airbase of Grossenhain, close to Dresden, plus a quick chapter on the former tank regiment base of Zeithain, close to the sport town of Riesa – not an airbase, but convenient to visit and well worth a quick stop when going to Grossenhain. Photographs have been taken in spring 2017.

As for the second chapter, some historical photos from the collectible book Rote Plätze – Russische Miltärfluglplätze Deutschland 1945-1994 have been included to allow for a ‘now and then’ comparison. I do not own the copyright for those pics.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Sperenberg

The Soviet airbase of Sperenberg stands out in the panorama of the facilities of the Red Army in the GDR for two reasons.

Firstly, it was not an attack base, but the primary logistic airport of the Soviets in Eastern Germany. The place was developed with air transport in mind, so differently from most bases around, there are no shelters for deadly MiGs or Sukhois ‘mosquitos’, but instead enormous open-air aprons, hangars and parking bays for Antonov and Ilyushin monster-size transports, as well as for bulky Mil helicopters. The place even bolsters a small passenger terminal for military staff, a truly unique feature. The proximity to Wünsdorf, a small town in Brandenburg which since the end of WWII and until 1994 hosted the headquarters of the Soviet Forces in Germany (covered in this post), may have played a role in defining the function of this base.

Secondarily, Sperenberg was simply shut down at the time of the withdrawal of Soviet/Russian forces, but was never converted into something else – at least at the time of writing. This makes it truly a one-of-a-kind item for lovers of ‘ghost airbases’, for here everything, including all taxiways and the runway, is still there. Nature is fiercely reclaiming much of the area, which is nowadays completely surrounded and partly submerged by a wild forest – making the silent remains of the base look even more creepy, unnatural and haunted…

The installation is also very big – similar to an average-size civil airport – , and besides the airside part, there is also an extensive array of residential buildings for the troops. For the major point of interest of the place is the preserved – for now… – airport infrastructure, I concentrated on that, neglecting the barracks and housing. This was also due to the latter being closer to the old main gate to the base, and standing to the available information there are rangers and local citizens who sometimes keep that part under watch. With only a basic knowledge of German, I think it’s better to take all countermeasures to avoid misunderstandings, thus enjoying a reasonably safe and undisturbed exploration…

Sights

In order to reduce the chance of a contact with the locals, it makes sense to intrude into the perimeter from the northeast, heading southwest directly to the center of the airport, leaving the housing part to the east. This will result in a multi-miles walk in the trees, along former service roads, now seldom used by woodcutters. Sooner or later, you will meet the original fence of the base, with concrete posts, barbed wire and an unpaved service road for service cars running all around it.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

In order to make your way through the wilderness, unless you are from that very district and have a (very) good knowledge of the area, you will need a GPS. I profitably used the Ulmon app on my iPhone. It worked perfectly, all paths were precisely indicated. The external fence around the northwest area is very well preserved. The function of the first group of buildings I came across with is not very clear. You can clearly spot them on aerial photos of the base, to the northwest of the main part of the apron, connected to the airside area with a long straight service road aligned in a northwest-southeast direction.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

I guess the facility may have been a former fuel deposit – there is a large maneuver area possibly for trucks, an inner fence for further protection, a water deposit, possibly for firefighting, and a strange array of aligned pipe ends made of concrete, pointing vertically.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Going southwards to reach the apron area, I came across an abandoned… Soviet boot, plus some more mysterious buildings, clearly blown up at a certain point in history, and possibly not built by the Soviets. These resembled in shape the cannon bunkers placed by Nazi Germany on the northern coast of France, constituting the backbone of the ‘Atlantic Wall’. Maybe residuals from an even farther back era?

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

After crossing another fence – again, concrete posts and barbed wire – and going through a really wild trail in the trees, basically not signed except for traces of animals everywhere, I appeared on the apron in the northwesternmost part of the airport, with a huge array of parking bays for transport aircraft. Reportedly Antonov An-12s and Tupolev Tu-134s used to be placed in this area, as you can see also from historical pictures.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

The proportions of the abandoned airport are really striking. Taking a closer look at many of the parking bays, it is possible to find substantial traces of the original delimiting and direction strips for aircraft. The apron is made of the typical Soviet slabs, not coated with asphalt as typical for most airports in the West.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Moving south from the parking area, which unwinds along an east-western direction – as it is clear from the aerial pictures – , walking along a connection taxiway it is possible to notice its uncommon width, which is not typical to attack bases, but necessary for a transport base operating with Soviet giants.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Accessing the southern east-western taxiway from the west, it is possible to find a very special feature of Sperenberg – the passenger terminal. The small terminal is located to the north of a dedicated apron for passenger/mail loading and unloading.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

The terminal area is made of two main buildings. One is probably older, with a large glass window looking to the apron. A gazebo and some small walkways suggest the place was intended for waiting, and for ‘quasi-civil’ operations.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

The main terminal bears the date ‘1986’. From historical pictures, you can notice that it underwent some modifications during the few years of operations, which ceased by the year 1994. In particular, the central window on the front façade, made for the baggage treadmill, was bricked up at a certain point.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

The inside of the building has been totally spoiled, except for some wallpaper on the ceiling.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

A couple of strange movable structures, possibly extendable covered passages for passenger loading operations, can be found on the apron and in the trees besides the former terminal. Also these can be spotted in one of the aerial photographs. They are full of unofficial mottos and signatures of Soviet troops, written in Cyrillic.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

From the area of the terminal it’s a – relatively – short walk to the western end of the runway.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Moving eastwards from the terminal along the southernmost main taxiway, you come across several interesting items, including a Soviet control tower and many parking bays for large helicopters.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

The only hangar on the airport can be found on a very wide taxiway connecting the two parallel east-western main taxiways. The hangar, albeit appearing rather big at a glance, was probably used for maintenance of helicopters and smaller transports, as large Soviet transports need a much bigger size. Traces of a motto on the front of the hangar, obviously in Cyrillic, can be seen today.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

This also are quite mysterious, for on the photos from the last days of operations the inscription cannot be spotted. It was probably covered in Russian, post-Soviet times, reappearing now as the paint coat is fading.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Also in the area around the hangar another control tower, possibly from an older age, can be spotted, but not accessed.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Taking again to the east along the southern taxiway, more helicopter parking bays can be found, and finally another large aircraft parking area. From pictures from the time, this area was used for parking mainly An-12s, some of them with the tail leaning over the grass. Many interesting strips and indications for aircraft can be found in this area, with writings in Cyrillic, together with strongpoints for anchoring aircraft to the ground.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

From the end of the taxiway, where more interesting signs on the ground can still be found – one of them telling ‘cars must stop here’ – it’s again pretty easy to come to the eastern end of the runway. The connection taxiway descents gently towards the runway.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Here some of the original lights can be found. Some slabs close to the end of the runway appear highly damaged, like they were stricken from above. Possibly some overweight plane heavy-landed here at some point?

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Leaving north from the eastern end of the runway, crossing both main east-western taxiways, you can point back to the fence of the airport. Going further east you would reach the housing area, which I did not explore. Going north I came across an abandoned railway track, and a railway/truck interchange area. Finally, I reached the usual barbed wire and I left in the trees. I had to walk again along a very nice multi-miles track in the wilderness back to where I had parked.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Now that I was fine with the goals of the exploration, I moved to the main gate – where you are quite exposed and it’s easier to get spotted – to take some pictures from the outside. These can be compared to an historical pic from post-Soviet times – see the Russian Eagle to the left of the gate.

Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Sperenberg – Abandoned Soviet Base

Another set of exciting pictures from the air, taken during a special flight over this area, can be found in this chapter.

All in all, I would say Sperenberg was among the most interesting Soviet airbase in the GDR I’ve ever visited. You can really feel the ‘Soviet ghost aura’, for the place looks really like it was simply closed up and forgotten. And I didn’t even look at the housing part. The wilderness around is really nice to walk in spring, you will see many birds, deers and some say they have spotted boars. I walked something around 12 miles in the area, my stay lasted a full afternoon, and I noticed only a few people having a look around, far in the distance. So if you are looking for an evocative walk, mixing the pleasure of the countryside to serious, top-quality urban exploration in a former military setting, this is really a place to be!

Getting there and moving around

Sperenberg is located about 20 miles south from downtown Berlin. The unattractive village bearing this name can be conveniently reached by car, and the main gate to the base can be found to the west of it. If you don’t want to access the base from here – which may attract some unwanted attention – you may elect to go to the area of Kummersdorf a few miles north, park your car and cut through the wilderness to reach the area of the former airport. For doing that you will need a map. The Ulmon map on my iPhone was perfect for guiding me on the task, all major and almost all minor service roads were perfectly signed. Due to the size of the base, you may choose to reach the perimeter from different directions, especially if you are more interested in some part than another. It used to be a full-scale transport airport, so expect to walk a lot if you – like me – want to have a look to everything. Being placed in the deep countryside of Brandenburg, finding a parking place should not be a problem.

Grossenhain

The former base of Grossenhain, close to Dresden, has been in the focus of an important conversion plan. Much of the facilities – especially the many hangars – have been converted into something else, including busy factories and warehouses. The area of the airport has been reduced, and the majority of the original buildings – some of them dating back to the Nazi era – demolished. A small flight club operates from the southeastern quarter of the base, using the original runway. From a bird’s eye view, the area for flight operations has been sensibly reduced, but thanks to the conversion, most hangars are still in place, so it’s easy to get an idea of how the base looked like in the past.

Historical pictures show that this airbase was used for open days in the years of the GDR, and in the transition period between 1989 and the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Similarly to other bases in the GDR like Rechlin/Laerz, Jüterbog and Merseburg, this attack base hosted a model GRANIT special weapon storage (‘Sonderwaffenlager’). This is still preserved today, and makes for the most prominent feature of this base.

Sights

Three items make this base really attractive. First and foremost, a bunker for storing special weapons. Perhaps a unique case in the former GDR, the bunker has undergone a complete refurbishment, and it now appears like new.

Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base

The two imposing doors are preceded by a barbed wire fence. It is inaccessible, but it can be easily photographed from the outside. There is even an explanatory panel, both in German and Russian, with photographs from an older time.

Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base

A second sight of interest is the former gate guardian of the base. It is a MiG-17 of the Aviation of the Red Army. It is placed on a concrete post – designed in a pure Soviet-style – with writings in Cyrillic. Pictures from the day of operations suggest a different background than the rotting hovel now behind it. The gray sky on the day of my visit added to the Cold War atmosphere of the place.

Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base

Finally, another sight of interest is a wooden round table from the age of the Nazi dictatorship, used to align flight instrumentation. It is very large, and perfectly preserved. An explanatory panel can be found also besides this item.

Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Grossenhain – Abandoned Soviet Base

All in all, while not a place for a real exploration – the area is very busy and not abandoned at all – Grossenhain offers some very unique items, keeping memory of its strong military past, surely worth a detour for the committed specialist.

Getting there and moving around

Grossenhain is about 20 miles north of Dresden, and just 8 miles north of world-famous Meissen – the birthplace of the Meissen pottery. The still active ‘flugplatz’ – local airport – is immediately north of this averaged-size village. Access is via the road N.101 or N.98, surrounding the airport area to the west and south respectively. There is no barrier except for the small flight club, many public roads have replaced the original taxiways and service roads. You can move in the former area of the airbase with your car and park at your convenience. Just be sure not to interfere with the many businesses in the area, especially big trucks going in and out on smaller roads.

Finsterwalde

This once prominent, very large airbase, is still in operation as a local airport. During the Cold War, this place was selected for storing nuclear warheads with a specially built facility. Other two installations of the kind existed over the territory of the GDR, namely Brand and Rechlin/Laerz.

Sights

The airport area is largely inaccessible, for the airbase is still an active general aviation airport. Among the most visible items in this part, a great example of a control tower from the years before WWII. It has been perfectly refurbished. Nearby are some very big hangars, today hosting some private business. Closer to the apron, some shelters from Soviet times are possibly used as hangars – they were shut when I visited. I could see a Transall C-160 parked outside, a really ubiquitous military transport in Germany, likely not any more managed by the Air Force.

Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base

The ‘ghost part’ of the base is located to the south of the airport. The ideal trailhead is a former railway station and interchange platform. From historical pictures, it’s easy to see this was very busy supplying materials to the base, where also extensive housing could be found in Soviet times.

Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base

Going south following a former service road, still used by woodcutters and acceptably maintained at least for an easy 0.8 miles walk, you can reach the old bunker for nuclear ordnance. It is preceded by parking areas, demolished truck depots and many service roads. The assembly should have looked like the one in Brand, but most of the buildings today are gone.

Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base

The bunker is not interred, so the size can be appreciated from the side. Unfortunately, the bunker has been left open, and at some time in its history it must have been set on fire, so the walls inside are covered in black soot, and exceptionally dark – unfortunately I couldn’t take an acceptable picture even with a torchlight. More recently, it has been used as a dump for common waste. The area is far from hygienic, with piles of garbage here and there. Furthermore, on the outside it was covered by stupid and ignorant graffiti.

Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base

On the plus side, the crane for maneuvering the ordnance ahead of the main door is still in place with its original roof. Also visible is the truck unloading dock, ahead of the entrance to the bunker.

Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the west of the area of the bunker, along the public road giving access to today’s airport, some of the original Soviet housing can be seen, apparently still inhabited in some parts. The base offers also some aircraft shelters close to the southeastern corner, but these are used as storages, and they are fenced and inaccessible.

Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Finsterwalde – Abandoned Soviet Base

Another set of exciting pictures from the air, taken during a special flight over this area, can be found in this chapter.

Generally speaking, Finsterwalde deserves a visit for the still active part of the airport, and for the unique nuclear bunker – even though it is the worst preserved of the kind in the GDR, the ‘Soviet ghost aura’ can still be perceived. A visit of about 1-1.5 hour, including a walk to the bunker and back, may be enough for the entire installation.

Getting there and moving around

Finsterwalde is located about 20 miles east of Cottbus, and about 55 miles south of downtown Berlin. The town of Finsterwalde has also another GA airport, to the northwest of the urban area. The former base is located south, and can be reached looking for ‘Fliegerstrasse’ if leaving the city to the south on ‘Dresdner Strasse’, or for ‘Sudstrasse’ when leaving on the L60 to the southeast. In any case, less than 2 miles south of the city center. Parking is possible besides the control tower, or close to the former railway station. As written above, the place is not abandoned, there are small businesses all around and even some fields of solar cells. Anyway I didn’t attract any unwanted attention when exploring the abandoned building of the railway station – even though I am sure I was spotted by the cars passing by – and when heading by foot in the trees to reach the nuclear bunker.

Zeithain

Sights

The countryside around the small sleepy town of Zeithain was once busy with tank operations, with extensive training grounds dating from before WWII. The Soviets maintained the original function of the installation. More recently, the area was mostly cleaned up, almost no buildings remain and trees have grown covering the once barren area for maneuvers, but the partially fenced former military zone still hides an item of great interest from the Cold War age.

It is a complete Soviet commemorative monument. The first part is a very unusual statue of Lenin, in a somewhat informal pose with a hand in his pocket. The centerpiece is a mural with a map showing the trail followed by the Soviets to reach Berlin during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 – which is how Russians call WWII. The mural is extremely well preserved, I would say it was refurbished at some point in recent history.

Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base

The third and most impressive ingredient is a 6 feet tall head of Mother Russia. I would say this is the most beautifully made Soviet sculpture I know of in the GDR. It makes for a good rival, and possibly a winning one, for the three majestic Soviet monuments in Berlin, but with less pomp and more art. Really something with an artistic value.

Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base

The fourth and last component of the monument is another mural with portraits of Soviet soldiers and an inscription in Cyrillic.

Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base

The ensemble is really impressive, the silence and remoteness of the place clearly adding to your perception of it. A walkway leading to the center of the monument can be seen still today.

Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base

As I wrote, there is something strange in this particular monument, for it is too well preserved for an outdoor monument left behind since at least 1994. I guess somebody has been taking care of it in more recent times. Nonetheless, nature is wild around it, and overgrown trees partially hide the perspective.

Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain - Abandoned Soviet Base
Zeithain – Abandoned Soviet Base

As a practical indication, I must admit I took a high risk visiting this place, cause the former perimeter of the base is fenced, and I believe the grounds are now in private hands. The original entrance to the base – you can see the original control booth and the gate – was open when I arrived, but an unlocked padlock was hanging from the door. I heard some cars and trucks moving out when I was taking pictures. So basically I think I intruded into a private business, at the high risk of remaining locked inside – together with my car… I would suggest moving in by foot, in order to make escape easier, just in case you get locked in!

Getting there and moving around

The base of Zeithain is located about 3 miles north of central Riesa, a mid-sized town in the countryside 30 miles northwest of Dresden.

Getting to the entrance of the base maybe a bit tricky, for the area under the administration of Zeithain covers an extensive part of the local countryside, so if targeted with ‘Zeithain’ your nav will probably point in the middle of nowhere and pretty far from the base.

A time-saving way to reach the place is as follows. Start from the junction between the N.98 and N.169, located east of a small town. Take to the north on the N.169. The road goes off with a gentle bend to the right immediately after the junction. Then it becomes straight, and you will have a fuel station to your right, and a road departing to the left – ‘An der borntelle’ is the name of the road. Take it as it goes straight northwest for less than half a mile, till a sharp bend to the left. At the level of the bend, a smaller road – ‘Abendrothstrasse’ – goes off abruptly to the right. Take it, and again less than 0.5 miles ahead the road splits in two, the main road going slightly to the left. Leave the main road and keep going straight. You will see a gate and a wall to your right. This is the entrance to the former training base. I skip providing any further details about how to move on from there, for as I have explained I realized this is probably an actively managed private property. Visiting and taking pictures may take 15 to 30 minutes.

Riesa

Sights

This sleepy town, mostly famous for sports than for everything else, may be interesting for the location, very close to Zeithain – see description above – and for the presence of one of the remaining statues of Lenin in the former GDR. This statue is part of the local Soviet cemetery. Such cemeteries are not so rare and scattered over the immense territory conquered by the Soviets in Europe during WWII. Besides fallen soldiers buried in war cemeteries, due to the great number of Soviet troopers and their relatives in the GDR, I guess it was not uncommon for them to be buried abroad.

Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin

The cemetery is still maintained today, and the statue still looked after as a part of it. This makes it pretty uncommon, for all other statues of Lenin in the GDR have been removed or abandoned. There is clearly some controversy about its placement in a public park in a town of today’s Germany, so it is possible the monument will be relocated at some point in history. For now, together with the ‘Socialist housing’ right behind it in the background of the cemetery, the monument makes for an unusual picture – a Soviet-style ‘postcard from the GDR’.

Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa - Soviet Monument Lenin
Riesa – Soviet Monument Lenin

Getting there and moving around

The small cemetery and monument are located to the southwest of Riesa, and can be reached easily where Poppitzer Strasse and Mergendorfer Strasse meet. You can park at your convenience close by. Visiting will not take more than 10 minutes.

Soviet Airbases in the GDR – Second Chapter

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As pointed out in other posts on the topic – here and here -, the territory belonging to the German Democratic Republic (‘GDR’, or ‘DDR’ in German) was densely populated with military bases of all kinds, including tank bases, logistic bases and airbases. This was the result of two powerful Armies coexisting within the borders of the communist DDR – the local East-German Army and the Soviet ‘Red Army’.

Looking at a map of the Country, the density of airbases is particularly striking. Due to the strategic significance suggested by its very position in central Europe, right on the border with ‘the West’, the DDR was attributed a privileged status by the Soviet government in terms of military equipment. The number of Soviet troops stationed here was in the order of the hundreds of thousands, meaning that on most bases also housing and services for Soviet soldiers and their families had to be built in large numbers.

After the German reunification, the end of the Soviet Union and the retirement of Russian – ex-Soviet – troops by the mid-Nineties, all the bases – mostly stripped of any transportable stuff, which was withdrawn to Russia – were returned to Federal Germany. This resulted in a surplus of military hardware for the German government, which soon started a lengthy plan to convert, refurbish or demolish most of the newly acquired facilities.

Consequently, some of the former bases are now commercial airports, whereas most of them had the airside areas converted into solar powerplants. In most cases, only part of the former installations have been converted to non-military use, and huge ghost hangars, depots and housing can still be found in the premises of these airbases. What remains is sometimes of great interest for war historians and urban explorers as well – especially those bases where communist memorials with writing in cyrillic alphabet can be found, and stand out as vivid memories of a recent past, when everything was very different from now in central Europe.

Similarly to other ones on this website, this post covers with photographs and some info two Soviet airbases – Rangsdorf and Brand – visited in April 2017, and what remains of three more – Brandis, Nohra and Köthen – visited in 2023. Where in the premises of the first two much hardware could be checked out (at least as of 2017), the latter (as of 2023) have been almost completely wiped out, or left to the elements and to the spoilers to the point that only few or very damaged relics remain.

To provide some sort of ‘then and now’ comparison, I included a few pics from the wonderful book Rote Plätze – Russische Militärflugplatze Deutschland 1945-1994 by Lutz Freundt and Stefan Buttner, for which I don’t own the copyright. I recently grabbed a copy of this wonderful, out-of-print book, published in 2007 by a now defunct publisher in Berlin (AeroLit), and distributed only locally. This book is now very difficult to find, and basically a collectible item. Consequently, the price was indecent, but the maps, photos and info therein are really worth the financial effort!

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Rangsdorf

Getting there and moving around

The former airbase in Rangsdorf can be found on the outskirts of Berlin, actually less than 8 miles south of Schönefeld Airport. It can be reached very quickly from the highway N.10, taking through the village of Rangsdorf and reaching its the south-western corner, where a small lake with sport activities and a group of new ‘American style’ houses is being built and partially completed – the land were the new houses are standing was once part of the base.

To be honest, I had some difficulties finding a parking place, because the area is densely populated and much looked after, and most parking lots are privately owned. I finally elected to park ahead of a small kindergarten, which at the time of my visit was already closed.

What remains of the base is totally abandoned, and you will likely find sheep in the former areas of operations. When preparing your exploration, just have a look a the Google map of the site to plan your moves ahead. There are a few remaining huge hangars and service buildings to explore, and they are all in the northern part of the former airfield. The original fence with lines of barbed wire and concrete posts is still standing, but there are many spots where it is cut and broken, so getting in is not difficult at all.

Notwithstanding that you can easily access the base, the populated area around is a potential threat, for entering the buildings is formally forbidden – there is also a firefighters station close to the northern section of the fence, and you could be easily spotted from outside when you are in. So I suggest being careful in your movements.

Sights

The military airbase in Rangsdorf dates back from the years of WWII and the Nazi regime, when it was a major base for transportation of high-ranking military staff traveling by plane. It was from here that Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the key-character in the failed attempt to murder Adolf Hitler in July 1944, took off to reach the Wolf’s Lair in what is now eastern Poland.

When the airport fell into Soviet hands, it was soon converted into a helicopter base, due to the inappropriate size of the airfield for the standards of the jet age, and the constraints put on its development by the surrounding villages. It used to be a very active helicopter transport base until the collapse of the Wall. In the years preceding the withdrawal of the Soviet/Russian troops the place became famous as ‘The Dump’ – the Soviet helicopter fleet was rationalised, and many rotorcrafts met the scrapman here.

Approaching from the west of the complex the fenced perimeter is very irregular, and when coming in I passed at least four lines of barbed wire while walking along a straight line! Many original lamps along the fences are still in place.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

What seems to be a large air raid shelter, or possibly a reinforced communication bunker can be found before reaching the hangars. It is really big and isolated, with traces of wiring on one side.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

Among the traces from the Soviet ‘Dump’ there are some aircraft-style seats, possibly from a big helicopter, several winches and some electric motors.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

The two-winged building facing the grass-invaded former apron includes the control tower in the middle, and two lateral hangars. The assembly is a nice example of Nazi military design. The wooden doors and roof confirm the old age of the construction. Nonetheless, these hangars have been used also by the Soviets, as witnessed by the more modern ventilation system and traces of technical schemes and gear inside.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

From the top floor of the old control tower it is possible to appreciate the original size of the airfield. As you can see from older pictures, only the northernmost part of the field was converted for helicopter operations. The helicopter platforms can be easily spotted, albeit half-covered by grass in the area ahead of the tower.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the west of this main hangar there is a mysterious buildings with almost no windows and two pinnacles, which seem to be large twin funnels. I did not explore this thoroughly inside, as the building appeared to be in an especially bad and dangerous condition.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

The next large hangar to the east is much bigger than the one with the tower. The construction is again pretty old, I guess again from the Thirties. Inside it is possible to find traces of mottos in big characters in cyrillic alphabet all along the wall. In older times, a famous panel with an ‘artistic’ hammer and sickle was hanging from one of the walls. This is unfortunately gone, only a barely visible trace remaining in place.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

On one side of this big hangar a smaller service building can be found. Again, the intended function of this part of the complex is not immediately clear. I found traces of a huge table of chemical elements in Russian, like can be found in schools… but I don’t think they had a school right besides a hangar!

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

Even more to the east, close to the outer wall of the base and to a still active railway, there are two more hangars. The smaller one with wooden doors is very damaged inside, whereas the one to the north is apparently more recent in construction, but it is closed. My exploration accelerated a bit from here, as I noticed activity in the houses nearby outside the fence of the base, a watchdog started barking, and I feared to be spotted! Luckily this happened almost at the end of the exploration program…

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

Close to some communist-style housing, refurbished and still in use to the north of the airfield, I found a piece of wall, probably belonging to the original outer wall of the base, with celebrative writings in cyrillic – possibly names of sport teams from Soviet times.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

All in all, I would say this base has the relevant advantage it was not converted to a power plant or something else, so it is poorly guarded and not totally off-limits – at least the open air grounds. It is also close to Berlin, easy to reach in a short time, and compact in size, so you won’t need to walk much, and visiting may take less time than with other former bases – about 2 hours for me, taking all the pictures. On the other hand, the populated neighborhood of Rangsdorf makes interception by the locals more likely. While not particularly rich of communist remains, the buildings in the base are still mostly in place, so visiting can be satisfactory also for photographers interested in architecture.

Brand

Getting there and moving around

The area of the former big airbase of Brand is associated to a fairly well-known attraction of our days – Tropical Island. This amusement park, which is officially indicated as an attraction even on highway N.13, connecting Berlin to Cottbus and the border with Poland, was built inside a colossal, modern hangar, designed for airships around the year 2000. This can be spotted from quite afar.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

A large area of the former airbase is – from a viewpoint of urban exploration – compromised. The former runway has been turned into a huge parking area, whereas a luxury tropical-themed resort with bungalows and camping lots for mobile homes has been built in the western part of the airport. Most taxiways have been either recycled as alleys in the park, or literally removed. Some of the many aircraft shelters of this once prominent attack base have been converted to host other forms of business, ranging from restaurants to hay storages.

All the part connected with leisure business, which corresponds to everything north of Tropical-Islands-Allee – also named road L711 and going east from highway N.13 to the near village of Krausnick, where a small memorial to the Soviet actions in WWII can be found – is actively guarded by private guards, with their own small modern barracks close to the gate of the complex, and moving around by car.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

In striking contrast with this, shrouded in the vegetation to the south of the same road, roughly cross the street with respect to the entrance to the Tropical Island complex, it is possible to find a conspicuous amount of Soviet relics, basically unguarded. All accesses to the roads going south is physically interdicted to cars, so parking may be not obvious in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the park. I suggest going past the gate along L711 and driving towards Krausnick to find an unofficial but safe parking spot between the roadside and the limit of the forest, away from suspicious eyes.

Another part of great interest for war historians include the storage for nuclear warheads, typical to Brand and other few bases in the GDR. This is rather distant – about 1.8 miles southeast – from the airport area and Soviet housing. The original connection road – not accessible by car – is straight and very long, with little to offer in terms of relics. For exploring that part of the site I suggest driving to Krausnick from Tropical Island, and taking the L71 pointing southwest towards the village of Schönwalde. The road runs deep in the trees, and at some point it comes about .6 mile to the site of interest. You may park on the roadside, on one of the many service roads used by woodcutters and reach the place with a quick walk following one of those trails.

Take your time studying the area in advance on Google Maps, and choose what option best suits your needs.

You may also have a look at aerial pictures of the base, taken during a special flight over the area, described in this report.

Sights

Before being turned into a civil airport and then into an amusement park, Brand was one of the largest Soviet bases in the GDR, with flocks of MiG-21, 23, 27 stationing here, as well as Sukhoi Su-15 and even Su-27 in the final years of operation. Most notably, the base was selected already in the 1960s for storing air-launched nuclear warheads – together with Finsterwalde and Rechlin/Lärz (see this post). This led to the construction of a purpose-built reinforced storage bunker, which can still be seen. As pointed out before, there are two main focus areas in a visit to this installation.

The first is the ghost town for the troops once stationed here, and for their families. This is incredibly close to Tropical Island, but the contrast between the aura of these two places couldn’t be more striking!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

There are residential buildings from various Soviet models, mostly three-four storeys buildings possibly from the Fifties-Sixties, but also some more imposing pre-fabricated buildings possibly dating from as recently as the Eighties.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Walking alone in this once lively village, with traces of playgrounds, mailboxes, lamps along walkways now invaded by vegetation, and even a swimming pool with some dead water in it, was for me one of the weirdest and creepiest experiences ever!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Unfortunately, from the pics you can’t feel the unreal silence where the place was immersed – the only sounds were those of the wind blowing in the trees and of some door slamming somewhere within the buildings… you would expect a zombie, some ghost troopers or a mutant monster coming out to meet you at every time!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Most of the buildings are in relatively good overall condition, but almost nothing survives of the interior of the apartments – which may collapse at every time and should not be accessed. By looking closely at some tires in a playground you can spot cyrillic characters on them – maybe they come from a consumed nose wheel of a MiG? The lamps are of the usual model commonly found in Soviet bases.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the west of the residential area there is a similarly extensive zone with a great number of possibly former barracks or technical buildings. Almost all of them have been half-demolished by destroying the roof – I think this was made in purpose, for literally all buildings in this part have encountered the same fate. The style of these buildings suggests they are older than most of the housing. This is confirmed by comparing historical photographs of the base from above.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Among the most prominent buildings in the area, it is possible to find a former school, with an imposing façade of classical inspiration.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the back of the school building a small gym can be found. The roof has collapsed – or it was demolished – long ago, so that some trees are growing inside – no more basketball here!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

A highlight of the exploration in this area is a huge mosaic wall with the head of Lenin. This item is a bit of a mystery, cause it’s hard to imagine it was originally placed where it is standing today – there is no architectural ‘frame’ supporting the monument nor a backstage completing it – it looks like a decorated floor, but placed in a vertical position!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base

Anyway, the sight is of course very uncommon, and I would say unique in the panorama of communist-themed art in the former GDR.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Close by the ghost town, three aircraft shelters remain to the south of the road marking the ideal border with the ‘Tropical Island domain’. These can be accessed and explored. Among other particular features, it is possible to spot the rusty engine for opening the gates of one of them. These shelters could host aircraft up to the size of a MiG-23/27.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

The second part of interest in Brand is the bunker for nuclear warheads. As stated above, this was built really far to the southeast from the housing and from the airport, differently from the other two bases in the GDR where similar bunkers were built (see this post). A straight connection road links the two portions of the base.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Traces of the further line of inner fence built around this area can be found today. The good quality tarmac of the roads have survived to this day.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

The bunker is not accessible, the main gate blocked with a pile of land. Nonetheless, it is still visible and fairly well-preserved – even the camouflage above the front door – as you can see from a comparison with a photo from when the bunker was being used.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

On the crane-supporting structures ahead of the entrance you can find traces of cyrillic writings.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

There is a truck-loading dock nearby and several larger and smaller service buildings and garages. On some of the walls you can find ‘unofficial’ writing in cyrillic alphabet.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

In both parts of the base I didn’t meet a single person during my exploration, which lasted about 3.5-4 hours in total, including the time for transfer from a trailhead to the other. When I visited, Tropical Island was closed for the season, with many people going in and out for maintenance. There were also tourists with mobile-homes and caravans, and guards with their cars. Anyway, during the exploration of the Soviet housing, which is really close to Tropical Island, I didn’t see a person, and as pointed out the place was unnaturally silent! The part of the nuclear warhead bunker is also very remote, and more obviously I didn’t come across anybody.

All in all, even though a substantial part of Brand has been converted into something else, what remains here is a great fun to visit, with tons of photo opportunities, a very intense ‘Soviet-ghost aura’ and much to see also for curious war historians. The countryside is pleasant and even though some walking is required, the place is nice to walk and very enjoyable. And if you feel tired, you can always decide to switch off your camera and enter Tropical Island for a relaxing rest-of-the-day!

Köthen

Getting there and moving around

The base was located immediately south of the homonym village, itself 10 miles southwest of the larger and famous town of Dessau. The entire premises of the former large Soviet base of Köthen have been converted for housing or into industrial facilities, currently run by several companies. The former airside of the base with the runway has been covered by a huge field of solar cells. As a result, visiting as tourists is strictly speaking not possible.

Possibly the only exception – in theory – is the southernmost hangar, which bears traces of the original camouflage, and the prominent portraits of Lenin, Marx and Engels on its side. The hangar is in the hands of a private energy-related company. The area around is fenced. I simply drove in as a visitor, from the road through the open gate, on the company premises all the way to the building. Access is from road K2074, roughly .4 miles south of the crossing with road 185, to the right when going south.

I asked for permission to a worker, and he cordially allowed me to move around a bit and take pictures outside of the building. Then I met another individual, possibly the village idiot having some time in the open air – surely not a worker, he was in shorts and accompanied by a little girl, very weird in a place like that! – who intimated me to leave, with some impolite and intimidating gesture also on the menu. Preferring not to start a litigation and attract attention from the workers, I left, with the pictures I had taken up to that moment. With a better luck, exploring this part of the former base should be easy and more rewarding. However, since moving around at will is clearly not possible on private grounds, the visit may be of just a few minutes in any case, making for an ideal quick detour for those passing by.

Sights

The Soviet base of Köthen was once a prominent part of the arsenal, hosting for long decades during the Cold War Soviet flying groups almost every type of MiG fighter, from MiG-15 down to MiG-29. The base was complemented with modern reinforced aircraft shelters since the 1960s, and a multi-purpose Granit-type bunker was erected later, for employment as a storage for munitions.

The only part of the former premises of this once large base which is today partly preserved and (theoretically, see directions above) visible is one of the main hangars. The construction, flanked by two low-rise towers, shows the actual origin of the facility, which dates to the years of the Third Reich. Actually, the area was busy with flying activities since even earlier (1920s).

The hangar is relatively low in height, with sliding doors closing it to the front, and painted in a brown-greenish camo coat. Inside, today a huge pile of manure can be found, arguably employed for some chemical process (the company holding the building runs an energy-related business).

The most interesting sight is represented by two medallions, with pretty unusual portraits of Lenin, Marx and Engels, in black over a white background. Besides the portrait of Lenin, to the left of the front door of the hangar, an inscription in Russian quoting a thought of Lenin on the army can be found as well.

Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR

The medallions, inscriptions and camouflage appear rather well kept. Even a small plaque with a German translation of the inscription can be found.

Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR

This witnesses an interesting example of a welcome and uncommon preservation effort, making a short visit to this facility interesting at least for the more committed Cold War historian.

Nohra

Getting there and moving around

The former Soviet helicopter base of Nohra used to take a sizable area both to the north and south of road 7, connecting Weimar to Erfurt. However, the base was accurately eradicated, and virtually no trace of it (except what remains of a half demolished helicopter hangar) can be seen to the north of the road. The territory has been returned to agriculture or taken over by industrial facilities, therefore even the original general appearance of the base is impossible to retrace.

Similarly, the area to the south of road 7 has been cleared of almost every trace from its aeronautical past. The only relics, described in the paragraph below, can be found along Pappelallee, which runs parallel to road 7, and can be accessed from its western end from road 85.

Along Pappelallee the old entrance to the pre-existent Third Reich base, in the typical style of the 1930s, can be clearly spotted. Today, a bed & breakfast operates this gate building, which was employed also by the Soviets. Going through would give direct access to the perspective leading to the second highlight of the place, a preserved statue of Lenin. However, going through is not possible. The statue can be reached walking along the road parting to the south of Pappelallee, from a little west from the bed & breakfast. You can leave your car close to the gate buildings, away from the road, and walk along this trail. The statue is in the focus of a perspective, and hard to miss.

Going there is not unlawful, there are no prohibition sign and no fence, plus the statue is clearly preserved.

The area around the statue has been completely reforested, so no dangerous building are to be found in the area. Since some walk is involved, a visit to this site may take about 30 minutes.

Sights

The base of Nohra was established back in WWI, and was potentiated by the Third Reich Luftwaffe from 1936 onwards. By the end of WWII, it was captured by US forces, who had to hand it over to the Soviets in July, following post-war agreements.

It was then potentiated into one of the largest helicopter bases of the Soviets in the GDR, with virtually every type of Mil helicopter being flown from here over the years, including the mighty Mil-24 over the last two decades of the Cold War.

Today, as noted in the previous paragraph, the former airbase has been completely and accurately wiped out, so that its very existence could not be suspected by unaware subjects driving along the busy roads between Erfurt and Weimar.

Curiously, two small preserved portions indeed exist, making for an interesting detour when visiting the area.

The original gate buildings of the old Luftwaffe military installation can be clearly spotted along the road. The style shows the typical features and elegance of German architecture from pre-WWII period – totally incompatible with the generally shabby appearance of Soviet architectures from the post-war period.

The original gate facility is today privately owned. However, when open, the gate between the two wings of the facility allow to spot a statue of Lenin, placed to the far end of an alley departing from the gate.

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

Luckily, access to the statue is possible with a short walk (see paragraph with directions above). The statue today is basically in a small forest of trees, and its location appears quite inexplicable. However, getting closer to it and moving around, traces of painted signs on a small network of asphalt roads witness the existence of a populated area once around its location. Clearly, with all buildings demolished and tall trees in their place, the scenery is not any more typical for a statue of Lenin…

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

Interestingly, the statue has been actively preserved – an unusual sight in the GDR panorama. The communist leader is portrayed in its typical appearance, moving forward in a proactive attitude. To the back of the statue, a curtain wall painted in crimson is likely part of the original installation.

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

The quality of the statue appears pretty good, when zooming on it.

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

All in all, despite the complete disappearance of Nohra, this preserved fragment represents an important trace of a significant chapter in the history of this area, otherwise irreversibly released into oblivion.

Brandis/Waldpolenz

Getting there and moving around

Brandis is located about 10 miles west of Leipzig city center, immediately west of the homonym village.

Differently from most former Soviet bases in the GDR, what remains of Brandis – i.e. what was not taken over by solar cells and private companies – has been left free to explore for the general public. Therefore, access to the few buildings still standing on site – which include some big old hangars, as well as technical buildings, housing and more – is possible in many ways and from many directions.

This was not my own choice, but in hindsight, the most convenient way to access the premises is getting as close as possible to the buildings in the northern part of the base and park your car, then moving around by foot. A choice for parking is where Am Alten Flugplatz changes name into Falkenallee. Car access to the latter is impeded, but you can park by the obstacles put in place, and move by foot from there.

All accessible buildings are located to the north and northwest of the base. Its original premises, including the runway area and taxiways, are now mostly taken over by solar cells. For the rest they are crossed by public roads, making the perception of the original limits of the base and its original design not so evident.

The very poor condition of most buildings will not appeal much to war historians, possibly more to urban explorers. However, since the base is sizable, the time for a thorough exploration is at least 2 hours after having parked.

Sights

The base of Brandis has a complex history, as usual dating back to the Third Reich era. It was selected for the deployment of the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet, and from 1944, thanks to the direct railway connection, an ambitious program for the final assembly and operation of this interceptor was started. The war ended with the defeat of Germany before the conversion was completed. Buildings from the Luftwaffe era include at least three big hangars with a wooden door, a control tower, some official buildings, and apparently a number of smaller technical buildings.

The Soviets employed the place mostly for early jets and later (from the 1960s) for transport and attack helicopters. However, from the 1970s the base was potentiated significantly (including the addition of housing and service buildings for the families of the Soviet troops), and became active with Su-25, which were stationed here until the then-Russian military left the facility in 1992. Apparently – and unusually – no reinforced aircraft shelters were ever built by the Soviets in Brandis, preferring laterally-reinforced open-air parking bays and a large open apron (the latter similar to Sperenberg, see here).

As noted above (paragraph on directions), most of the base is gone today, with a huge solar plant having covered most of the former airside, including the runway and the huge area south of it, formerly employed for helicopter operations. Furthermore, some private companies now occupy part of the area between the hangars and the tower.

Therefore, the focus of a visit is in the hangars and tower (immediately north of the former runway), the technical buildings to the west, and the housing and service buildings along the northern perimeter.

The old hangars are three. The one to the northwest of the former airside is home to a big inscription in Russian, mentioning the 28th congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Also some other inscriptions can be seen on the southern wall, barely emerging from the graffiti layer.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Apparently, in this hangar early jet drones were stationed by the Soviets in the late 1980s.

The central hangar is bigger. Its original wooden front door is pretty well preserved. Inside, the main hall is sided by technical rooms along the solid walls. Some of them are easier to access from outside through the broken windows!

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Close to this hangar, a few yards to the west, is the old control tower. Despite heavily stricken by writers and spoilers, this building is an interesting example of architecture from the Third Reich era.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Behind this main hangar and close to the tower, it is possible to retrace original internal roads of the base, thanks to the lights and the now overgrown hedges once framing them. Not far north from this area, major housing from the 1970s can be found.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

In the same area, a mystery building with a curved ceiling – a technical building of some sort – offers some relics like Soviet boots and damaged clothes.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Again close to the hangar, some pipelines and some exhausted tires can be found. The labels of the latter clearly bear Russian markings.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

A last big hangar can be found somewhat further east. The wooden door, left partly open, has been penetrated by the vegetation, creating an unusual scenery.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

An interesting sight in this hangar is an original ‘No smoking’ writing in German. This is apparently in a Third Reich era font, and may be a fascinating witness of the original tenancy of the airbase. Needless to say, the inscription now barely emerges from a thick coat of meaningless ‘works of art’…

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

The housing and service buildings along the northern perimeter of the base clearly date from different ages. The gigantic facade of some of the houses clearly betray a post-1970 building approach.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Unfortunately, all these buildings are in very poor conditions, just the walls and stairs remain, and they are literally covered in graffiti. Thanks to the severe spoiling action carried out by the writers, the ghost aura of former Soviet bases is hard to feel here – everything looks more like a rotting poor neighborhood of a big town.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

To the west of the base, possibly an old railway or truck-loading facility can be found, maybe from the Third Reich era.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Close by, an array of smaller technical buildings, apparently garages, reveal some interesting writing in old-German characters. Also these buildings are possibly from the Luftwaffe tenancy of the airbase.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Finally, a highlight of the visit is what appears to be an old school building. Here an incredible mural of a Soviet soldier honoring the Red Banner, the flag of the USSR, can be found in the hall on top of the stairs.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

A little bit of respect has been shown by the usual writers, who massively attacked all the rest of this building similar to all others. Thus this fragment of the original Soviet decoration of the airbase is still surviving. Besides the soldier are other troops, with interesting facial appearances, resembling some different ethnicity from within the USSR. Also some writing in Russian is visible in the background.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Other naive paintings can be found around this building, including 18th century characters, a few trees, and other cartoon characters, today not recognizable. Most of these innocent paintings however have been targeted by spoilers.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Along the external perimeter of the base, now not obvious to retrace, some rusty parts of the original high-security fence can still be found.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR