Tag: building

German and Soviet Military Traces in Jüterbog

CarloRLeave a comment

The area around Jüterbog, about 1 hour and 15 minutes south of Berlin by car, has enjoyed a long military tradition, dating from the years of the Kaiser and WWI, through the Third Reich and all the more than four decades of the Cold War, until the departure of the Soviet Army in the early 1990s.

Almost for the entire duration of the 20th century, the area has been scattered with barracks, immense training grounds, shooting ranges, officer’s houses, army administration buildings, technical depots, airports and military academies.

The town of Jüterbog is actually much older than the 20th century, but the Soviets, who grew to a much greater population than the Germans in town after 1945, did not pay much attention to this nice medieval town. Following their withdrawal and the end of all military operations around, the town center received substantial money for restoration from the Government of reunified Germany, and the result is really remarkable – Jüterbog is today possibly one of the most lively and nice-looking centers in the region, with medieval towers, gates and churches, hotels, restaurants and bright-painted houses all around.

However, one hundred years of military activities in this province could not be wiped out at once, and despite nature is now invading the old army premises after operations ceased, to a careful eye the heritage of the German and Soviet Armies stationed there can be spotted quite easily, immediately out the lovely historical town.

Perhaps the most prominent witnesses of the past activities are the old flight academy, installed in the Third Reich years and later employed also by the Soviets, who got control of the area after they arrived in 1945, and kept it even after the foundation of the GDR and the corresponding Armed Forces (i.e. the Nationale Volksarmee, or NVA). The flight academy is today a listed building, despite in a state of partial disrepair. Another example is the big airbase of Jüterbog/Altes Lager, which went on operating as an NVA and Soviet airbase until the very end of the Cold War, and is now being used as a sport airfield, a kart circuit track, an event venue and a solar power plant.

Both these two items are covered in another chapter.

In the following report, more locations in and around Jüterbog are pinpointed, photographed during two visits, partly guided by the knowledgeable Dr. Reiner Helling, in the Summer seasons of 2021 and 2022.

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

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Sights

The material in this post covers ‘Shelter Albrecht’, a one-of-a-kind private collection of items from WWII and especially from Soviet times, more views of the former airfield of Altes Lager, with a Granit bunker still in very good conditions, an abandoned military hospital with evident traces of Soviet operations, a Soviet cemetery, and a few more items, silent and overlooked witnesses of a recently bygone era.

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Shelter Albrecht

The airbase of Jüterbog/Altes Lager was selected by the Soviets for further development with the arrival of jets in the late 1940s-early 1950s, and grew to be a prominent attack aircraft and helicopter base in the territory of the GDR. Now reduced in size to the point that some taxiways have been turned into public roads, some of the incredibly many aircraft shelters originally in place in the peripheral parts of the base – mostly AU-16 – have been wiped out. However, a set of two to the east of the runway have been spared this fate, and have been redeemed by a private business. One has been turned into a venue for events, whereas the other has been employed to showcase a great collection of WWII and Cold War memorabilia. Actually, the two hangars are located inside a somewhat larger perimeter, with an original technical building and room for even more exhibits.

A first impressive sight is the original Soviet scheme of the base. Similar signs were typically put close to the gate of any Soviet base (as seen for instance here in Ribnitz/Damgarten), and with their Russian writings today they witness the Soviet tenancy of the base.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

On the apron, an original military version of the ubiquitous Trabant, in army green color, is on display together with a field kitchen and a gigantic roadwork machine. The latter is Russian made, with tank tracks, and powered by a 12-cylinder Diesel engine.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

A Mil Mi-2 helicopter, which for some hard-to-imagine reason had ended up on the Adriatic coast of Italy in a private collection, where it sat almost derelict, has been brought back to the other side of the Iron Curtain, and restored in a camo coat and placed in a prominent position. Not far, a wing from an old Lavochin La-5 Soviet aircraft can be found.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Still on the open air exhibition are a decorated panel once gracing a Soviet hospital – possibly the one described later (here) – and another celebrating the Warsaw Pact. But the exhibits are really countless, and include propaganda posters, and canisters for ordnance.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

To the side of the main exhibition hangar, in the area of an interred fuel tank once serving the base, is an incredible set of Soviet panels, originally from this or other Soviet bases around. These panels are partly decoration/celebration signs, with portraits of Soviet soldiers and emblems.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Other are technically-themed, with explanations concerning driving habits and rules, hand-to-hand combat, and more. Similar items, including fake targets for assault training, can be found for instance in Forst Zinna, an abandoned Soviet base not far from Jüterbog (covered here).

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Also part of the collection is a rare mural, apparently retracing the push to the west of a Soviet division (?) during the Great Patriotic War.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Inside, the aircraft shelter is stuffed with interesting memorabilia. From WWII, exhibits include remains of downed aircraft, including damaged engines, propellers and canopies. Among them are remains of an Avro Lancaster, a Focke-Wulf 190, a Junkers Ju-87 and the canopy of a pretty rare training (two-seats) version of the Messerschmitt Bf-109.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Four large scale models cover as many interesting sights around. The first is the former flight academy of the Third Reich (mentioned above and covered here), north of the Altes Lager airbase premises. Also on display are books and furniture originally from the library of the academy.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

A second model portrays the entire area between the academy (north) and the airfield (south), including the latter. This area, now largely shrouded in the trees and partially in private hands, used to host technical installations and even factories connected with warfare business – all linked by an extensive network of roads and railways.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Another model is that of two airship hangars from the years of German tenancy. These had to be really huge, but are today completely gone. Among the factories in place in the area, were those for supplying gas for the airships.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Finally, a fourth scale model represents the older airfield of Jüterbog/Damm. The latter is not far from Altes Lager, and is today in private hands for some cattle breeding business. It features very peculiar concrete hangars, an interesting specimen of Third Reich construction engineering. Some aerial pictures can be found here. That airfield was not selected for further development by the Soviets, due to the limited potential for runway lengthening, in turn due to the proximity with Jüterbog town.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Soviet-related items on display range from painted tables, originally gracing the walls of the base, to technical signs in Russian, to a full array of personal and military items, all belonging to the Soviet staff stationed in Jüterbog. These include an interesting overall map of the Soviet airfields on GDR territory, with basic technical data.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Among the highlights, an official printed portrait of Stalin, and one of Brezhnev in a military uniform, parachutes and parts from attack aircraft, many direction signs and instructional panels for low-ranking military staff. Also very interesting is a radar scope with the three air corridors to West-Berlin and the position of Altes Lager printed on it!

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Of special interest for aircraft enthusiasts are many pictures from the days of operation of the airbase, with many exotic Soviet aircraft seen landing, departing or taxiing around.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Other panels tells about the presence of rocket forces in the area of Jüterbog – in particular the 27th R.Br. of the NVA. They operated the SCUD-B system.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Back outside, the exhibition is completed by an original monument from Altes Lager, often employed as a background for official ceremonies, and more personal memorabilia of the owner of the museum, formerly serving within a tank division of the NVA.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Reconstructed shops and schools are on display, with much original furniture and everyday items of Soviet make.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Getting there and Visiting

The place is really worth a visit for everybody interested in memorabilia items from Soviet times, or for those looking for tangible traces of the military past of Jüterbog. The location is easy to reach by car, with a convenient internal parking. The address is Niedergörsdorfer Allee 4, 14913 Niedergörsdorf, Germany.

An updated official website with opening times is apparently not available. However, Mr. Helmut Stark, the owner of the place, may be contacted beforehand (in German only) to inquire about opening times and plan a visit – try Googling his name and that of the site for updated contacts. The place is regularly open at least in the weekends in the warm season. A visit to this site will be likely with Mr. Stark following you and giving explanations in German. This will take about 45 minutes.

Granit Bunker and Hangars in Jüterbog/Altes Lager

Some views of the Altes Lager airbase are provided in this chapter, and some aerial views can be seen here. The huge, flat-top hangars date from the Third Reich era, and similarly the control tower with its annexes. Some of the hangars were reportedly dismounted by the Soviets and taken to the Soviet Union soon after the end of WWII.

Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads

Besides all the aircraft shelters scattered all around the runway, a relevant and pretty secluded Soviet addition north of the airfield is a Soviet Granit-type bunker. This type of bunker was among the lightest in Soviet inventory, and could serve multiple purposes, e.g. storing movable radar trucks, tanks, other machinery, or weapons. Actually, its presence on an airfield may suggest the purpose of storing special air-dropped weapons, maybe tactical nuclear, high-explosive or chemical ordnance.

Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads

Bunkers of Granit-type are possibly the most frequent special constructions in former Soviet bases (see for instance here or here), but the one in Jüterbog is interesting since it is very well conserved, and its massive metal doors are still perfectly in place, providing a nice impression of how this technical item should have looked like in the days of operation.

Getting there and Visiting

The airport of Altes Lager is today pretty busy, with several companies having taken over much of its original premises now open for business. Multiple access points are available, and chances of looking inside the original installations are many. Given the still exceptional state of conservation of the Granit bunker, in order to protect this rare historical artifact from the impressive hordes of catatonic idiot spoilers and writers out there, no indication is provided on its exact location.

Military Hospital

Among the buildings now shrouded by the overgrown vegetation in the area between Jüterbog/Altes Lager airfield and the town of Jüterbog is a sizable military hospital. Totally invisible from the road, the hospital is basically made of a single, building featuring three long interconnected rows.

It is made of the typical German dark-red brick, a design which is way too elegant for Soviet occupants. The arrangement of the facade and the nice railings suggest a construction date from the years of the Kaiser and the German Empire, maybe early 20th century.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

However, the years of Soviet use are witnessed by a big mural, portraying Lenin with some Soviet soldiers in the background, with a black and yellow striped ribbon and a red star, emblems of the Red Army.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

To the more careful eye, a few graffiti in Russian can be found here and there, with a date as usual.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

The aura is very silent and mysterious, and as such, this location is a mecca for urban explorers. Actually, the only noise came from a fast spinning ventilation fan in a window frame! This was pushed by an air stream however, not likely by a motor…

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

Some more buildings complete this complex, and original GDR-style lamps can still be seen around – the tall trees now surrounding the building were likely not in place when the hospital was closed, presumably in the early 1990s.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Getting there and Moving around

Not difficult to find in the trees between Jüterbog and the airfield of Altes Lager, there is no clear interdiction sign to access this complex from behind, yet vibration sensors planted in the ground can be spotted around, and some security cars can be seen sometimes parked on the main road. A walk around the hospital is not especially dangerous nor difficult, and may take about 25 minutes taking all the pictures. The building is architecturally nice and possibly listed. Yet it is in partial disrepair and largely sealed, and getting in is obviously not advisable.

Soviet Cemetery

The only relic of the years of Soviet occupation which is immediately visible to the general public in Jüterbog is the Soviet military cemetery. This is located to the back of the Liebfrauenkirche, in the historical center of Jüterbog.

Actually, a monumental part, with railings embellished with hammer and sickle emblems and a monument with writings in German and Russian to the back, is detached from the church yard.

Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof

However, possibly in later times, the limited space available in the lot originally planned for the monument meant some graves were dug right in the church graveyard, side by side – but not mixed – with German graves.

Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Getting there and Visiting

The exact address is Am Dammtor, 14913 Jüterbog, Germany. The place is well-kept, being part of the historical city center of Jüterbog. Parking opportunities all around on the street. A visit may take 10 minutes.

Railway Yard, School and Command Building

The town of Jüterbog acted as a ‘local capital’ for the many Soviet troops and their families scattered in the corresponding district. The hospital (see above) was not the only large installation in place. A district school was also installed, which served not only the very town of Jüterbog – with a Russian-speaking population of more than 70.000, greater than the German nationals – but also the residing Soviet population of smaller technical installations in the area. A notable example is the impressive nuclear depot in Stolzenhain (see here), where a dedicated staff and their families occupied four residential blocks now gone. Their children reportedly attended school in Jüterbog.

The school is today largely abandoned, and a quick tour around reveals typical Soviet decorations in the large sporting hall.

Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic
Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic
Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic
Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic

The school building is geographically close to the railway station. The latter had a passenger terminal dedicated to the Soviet population, which was completely segregated from the German one.

Furthermore, the railway in Jüterbog had also a primary logistic function, connected with the military activities going on in the area. Besides transporting tanks, vehicles and other material, also nuclear warheads arrived by rail from Belarus or Ukraine (both in the USSR at the time), for storage in the Stolzenhain Monolith-type bunkers (see here). A special railway track with a dead end in the trees featured a special interchange platform, allowing to move the sensitive warheads in their controlled canisters to trucks, and by road to Stolzenhain – usually at night. Since warheads were also sent back for maintenance or overhaul, the transport operated also in the opposite direction.

Jüterbog Railway Track Station
Jüterbog Railway Track Station

Very close to the railway station and the school is also a large grassy area, surrounded by a nice, old-style metal fence. This area is that of an older training ground, dating to the years of the Kaiser. A command building, now in disrepair, betrays the same origin, featuring decorations in a typical old-German style.

Jüterbog Command Building Abandoned Relic
Jüterbog Command Building Abandoned Relic
Jüterbog Command Building Abandoned Relic
Getting there and Moving around

The school can be found in Jüterbog here. Cross the street from the school, the old training grounds and command building are immediately spotted. Walking north past the command building, you get access to a pedestrian bridge over the railway tracks, with a nice view of the station. An exploration of the railway tracks has to be considered extremely dangerous, since the railway line there is today a high-speed one, with bullet-fast trains appearing in just seconds. A walk around this spot in Jüterbog may take 15 minutes. Parking opportunities ahead of the command building.

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The Cold War in Hungary – Military Collections, Leftovers & More

CarloRLeave a comment

Many traces of the communist dictatorship can be found in today’s modern and thriving Hungary. The most visited ones, like Memento Park or Terror Haza in capital city Budapest, tell about the inhumane and pervasive aspect of propaganda and political repression. However, the history of this country in the second half of the 20th century is closely bound to the Soviet-backed communist seizure of power, and this has left traces also elsewhere, especially in terms of military leftovers. As a matter of fact, the Soviet Red Army was directly present in Hungary, to keep the status quo and to to be closer to the border with the West in case of an attack – and this of course left traces.

You can find a significant deal of material concerning more urbex-connected destinations in Hungary in another post.

In this one, you will find a mainly pictorial portrait of some of the best known attractions related to the Cold War period in Hungary, as well as some well accessible but less known ones, especially considering the general public visiting from abroad. As usual on this website, a good share of these sites is aviation-themed!

Photographs were taken in August 2020.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Sights

Iron Curtain Museum, Felsocsatar

The Iron Curtain Museum has been created soon after the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989 on the sight of a former small sector of the state border between communist Hungary and free Austria.

The site is mainly the result of the effort of a man, Sandor Gojak, a former border guard in the 1960s, who dedicated this permanent exhibition to those who attempted escaping the repressive communist regime in Hungary towards Austria and the West – both those who succeeded and those who did not, hence facing arrest or losing their lives due to the minefields prepared along the border line.

The site features three examples of the border line placed in the area over the years. They are look less impenetrable than those created between Eastern and Western Germany (see this post), yet they were similarly deadly in scope and facts.

The first is basically a simple line of barbed wire with wooden poles, and it was put in place soon after WWII. Mines were placed in close vicinity to the line. After wooden poles started to rot around the mid-1950s, mines were removed, a dangerous job which cost the health of some border guards, who were severely injured due to accidental explosions.

Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border

For a short while at that time, the border was free of mines, and about 300’000 people managed to leave the ‘paradise of workers’!

Soon after the anti-communist uprising in 1956, suffocated with violence by the Soviets, the border was further fortified with concrete poles, and the mine strip was increased in width.

Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border

Only at the end of the 1960s the mines were removed, after multiple accidents involving Austrian citizens, when the mines slipped into a creek near the border due to a flood, injuring many who touched them incautiously. This time the border security system was strongly potentiated, with the adoption of an electrified system for the immediate detection of proximity, linked to signal collection centers dislocated along the line. This system had been implemented by the USSR on the Pakistani border. Something similar can be found also on the border between Czechoslovakia and West Germany (see here).

Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border

The exhibition is completed by an example of a wooden turret, as well as a more modern fence – a specimen of the one put in place in 2015 between today’s Hungary and neighbor Serbia and Croatia, when a wave of migrants from the Middle East swept the Balkans.

Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border

The museum is full of vivid testimonies, thanks to the many historical pictures and artifacts on display, and to the fact that the founder is actually the man who runs the museum! – he is totally available to answer your questions.

Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border

Getting there and visiting

The museum can be reached here: 47.20376801287036, 16.429799972912328, on the border between Hungary and Austria, not far from Szombathely. The coordinates point to a convenient parking. The site is operated as an open-air museum, with opening times and an entrance fee. Moderate climbing is required, as the museum area is on the slope of a nice hill. Only cash accepted. Visiting may take about 45 minutes. Website here.

Military Park, Zanka

This small military park is a nice and cared for exhibition of Soviet-made weapons, located ahead of a resort which used to be an exclusive destination for vacation on the coast of Lake Balaton.

You can find here a couple of Mil helicopters – including the legendary Mil-24 in all its ‘beauty’! – in the colors of the Hungarian Air Force.

Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary

There is a MiG-21, also formerly of the Hungarian Air Force, a T-64 tank, a howitzer, a military snow blower, an amphibious truck and more light trailers.

Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary

Perhaps the most striking sight in this collection is the surface-to-air missile (SAM) SA-2, aka S-75 Dvina in the Soviet codification. A rather basic but powerful – and successful – missile from the 1950s, sold by the Soviets to many satellite Countries and clients over the world.

Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary

A revolving antenna can be seen on top of a truck. This is an example of the target acquisition antenna for the SA-2 system, code-named Spoon Rest by NATO, and known as P18 in Soviet codification. This radar system had a range of approximately 170 miles, and was an improvement of the previous P12 design. The launch site of SA-2 SAMs was always complemented by a set of antennas, including a Spoon Rest system. Actually, P18 could be coupled with the launch system of more advanced SAMs too.

All items in the collection here are pretty well preserved, making the visit an enjoyable stop along the exploration of the Balaton coastline.

Getting there and moving around

The park can be found here: 46.881838498667996, 17.7098619193198. The site can be visited in 10-30 minutes depending on your level of interest. This is an open-air museum, with ticket and opening times. Website (referral) with some information here.

Komarom Monostor Fort & Soviet Weapons Collection

An incredible, perfectly preserved military fort from the years of the Austrian Empire, Monostor Fort in Komarom can be found on the Danube, marking the border with Slovakia. At the time of construction, the two nations were united in the Austrian Empire, and the fort was erected between 1850-71 as a part of a defense line extending also north in today’s Slovakia.

Despite being extremely interesting for its articulated and complex construction – a brilliant example of military engineering from the time – the fort saw no action in its intended purpose. It was used for training for most of its life, then briefly as a prisoner’s camp in the years of Hitler’s administration, and finally as an immense weapons storage during the Cold War years, when it saw tenancy by the Soviets.

Today, the fort is open as a museum, duly centered on the interesting original construction from the 19th century.

Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary

One cellar has been left as it was in Soviet times, when weapons of all sorts were stored here, moved by means of a dedicated short-gauge railway.

Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary

In a corner of the immense apron, you can find a small collection of Soviet weapons, mainly anti-tank and anti-aircraft cannons. There are also a couple of truck-transported antennas, including a very effective early warning Flat Face radar, aka P19 Danube according to the soviet classification, as well as a PRW-9 Thin Skin target altitude detection radar. Similar platforms are still in use today, and can be coupled with modern SAM launching systems.

Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary

Getting there and moving around

The fort is a major attraction in the area. It features a large parking ahead of the entrance, address: 2900 Komárom Duna-part 1. Visiting is on a self-guided basis, with a short paper guide in English distributed at the entrance, and the visit will be extremely interesting for anybody interested in history, military engineering, etc. – not only Cold-War-minded subjects.

Visiting may take 1.5 hours, due to the size of the fort. The place is also used as a venue for theater performances and concerts, so timetables may vary. Some info in English can be found on this website.

Papa Airbase

Papa is today an active base of the Air Force, hence it cannot be accessed. However, with a short adventure drive along an unpaved road, you may reach a part of the former premises of the base – from Soviet times – now lying outside the perimeter.

There you can find a pretty unique array of old abandoned aircraft of Soviet make, in the colors of the Hungarian Air Force.

Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21

They are MiG-21 of many types, and also massive Sukhoi Su-22.

Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21

The state of conservation is not so bad – you can find airframes in worse condition in some museums – but some aircraft are missing some parts, possibly due to spare recycling, or vandalism, even though the place is really secluded, and the proximity with privately owned land and a military base is not ideal for vandals and idiot spoilers.

Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21

Of course, a few more years without any attention to these birds and little will remain of this improvised fleet. Hopefully, at least a share of this mighty force will find a due place in some museum or collection over the next years.

Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21

By the way, the former military area where these planes are sitting was perhaps a place for SAMs, put for protection of the base in the Cold War years.

Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter

Getting there and moving around

This is the only item on this post which is not a museum. It’s hard to tell whether these aircraft are lying on private land or not. However, to reach this strange flock of aircraft, you can move with a standard city car to this crossroads: 47.33966571405878, 17.550239693088113.

From here, you need to take north, until you reach this other waypoint: 47.35812676567956, 17.530436267329513. At some point along this path, the road turns unpaved, but the condition is generally manageable. On the latter waypoint you need to turn sharp left. You may notice old concrete posts, from the original soviet fence of the base.

You will finally land here: 47.35812676567956, 17.530436267329513, where you find an asphalted road, in the middle of a former peripheral area of the base. Driving towards the base along this road, you will find the aircraft here: 47.3541655146187, 17.514827811942904.

Visiting is not a long business, cause you should not move around the aircraft, as they are likely on the border of a private lot (fenced). Totally recommended for Cold War aircraft enthusiasts however.

Komo-Sky 51 Air Museum, Dunavarsany

This wonderful military exhibition is the based on the collection of a Hungarian military pilot, Zoltán Néhai Komócsi, nicknamed ‘Komo’, from which came the name of the museum. Unfortunately, the man passed away years ago in a crash. The collection was publicly put on display only more recently.

Items on display include military aircraft and helicopters, military trucks, trucks from the firefighting squad, engines, and more! Some of the exhibit can be boarded, and reportedly some vehicles are still operative.

Most of the exhibits are in very good condition, a few are still awaiting light refurbishment. An old Mil-2 helicopter can be boarded, revealing an old-fashioned cockpit, made more exotic by the Russian inscriptions.

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

Also an attack Mil-8 helicopter in Hungarian colors can be checked inside. A Mil-24 is undergoing restoration (as of 2020).

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

The ‘MiG alley’ includes MiG-15, 21 – in various versions – and 23, all in very good condition, refurbished for display.

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

Also some trucks can be boarded, revealing once more the excellent state of preservation, as well as abundant Russian signs.

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

To the far end of the collection, an Antonov An-2 utility biplane, an ubiquitous workhorse of the Soviet empire, can be boarded up to the cockpit.

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

You can sit in the pilot’s seat, getting a nice view from the cockpit of this bird.

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

Three deployable radar antennas can be seen on their trailers – apparently a not complete P80 Back Net system from the 1960s is the largest one.

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

Finally, a MiG-21 in the colors of the Hungarian national flag can be boarded. This is extremely interesting, as it provides a look in the cockpit of this high-performance and successful fighter/interceptor from the Cold War years, when ‘high-performance’ implied ‘high-complexity’ analog cockpits!

Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base - Aviation Collection Budapest - Soviet Aircraft - Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary

Getting there and moving around

The museum can be found at these coordinates, 47.292057190313706, 19.029565655926707, corresponding to a convenient parking. The site is about 30 minutes driving south of central Budapest. It is an open-air museum, with timetables and ticket. Information on their website (in Hungarian). Time required for visiting may range between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours for an interested subject, taking all the pictures.

Komo-Sky Bunker, Dunavarsany

A recent addition by the current managers of the Komo-Sky 51 Air Museum is this fully refurbished Soviet bunker, once used for air traffic control. The place is actually in the vicinity of the former Soviet airbase of Tokol, one of the largest in Hungary in its heyday (see this post).

Today the bunker has been partly restored in look, with some rooms changed into ambiances for interactive experiences, including shooting!

Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary

Some rooms host interesting collections of artifacts from the everyday life of communist Hungary.

Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary

Military memorabilia from the Red Army, with conspicuous Russian writings, are scattered everywhere.

Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary

A room of special interest hosts a collection of militaria from the Eastern Bloc, with artifacts ranging from weapons to flight suits, military decorations to aircraft parts. Really something for everybody!

Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary

Getting there and moving around

The bunker is a recent (as of 2020) addition to the Komo-Sky 51 Air Museum. No dedicated website available at the time of writing. The place can be reached at the coordinates 47.297663350792774, 19.0351554512774, about 3 minutes driving north of the Air Museum. I visited by invitation of the owner, hence I don’t know about the actual timetable. A website of a hotel nearby – actually on the very same lot of the bunker – is here, with some information on the bunker in Hungarian.

Museum of Military History, House of Terror, Memento Park, Houses of Parliament – Budapest

Budapest is rightly famous for a history spanning many centuries, for its art collections, incredible architectures, thermal baths and many other enjoyable features. However, having been the capital of a communist country in the Eastern Bloc, it also hosted a ‘state security service’, i.e. an agency of the government attempting to control the minds of Hungarian citizens, and keeping everybody’s behavior under strict surveillance. The palace chosen as the seat for this service is named ‘House of Terror’ (‘Terror Haza’ in the local idiom). Here many were kept under arrest, interrogated, and in some instances secretly murdered in the basement.

Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary

The place is among the most visited museums in Hungary, and can be found right in the city center. Comprehensibly, no photo is allowed in the most sensitive areas of this sad building. Website here.

Another place of Cold War interest, making for a rather popular touristic attraction, is Memento Park. In this small park about 15 minutes driving south of the city center most of the statues and monuments once adorning the capital’s downtown have been collected and put on display.

Some from older times, celebrating the friendship of the Soviet and Hungarian peoples, are unbearably rhetoric.

Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary

Others are more artistically interesting, in the context of official artistic currents authorized by the Communist Party.

Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary

Lenin is of course a favorite subject.

Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary

By the entrance, Marx, Engels and Lenin are kind of ‘gate guardians’.

Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary

In front of the entrance, you can find a reproduction of the base of a statue of Stalin put in place at some point and surviving in pictures, and later dismantled after the death of Stalin. In the basement of the same construction, you can find a weird set of official busts of Lenin and Stalin, as well as a once popular image of Lenin as a child.

Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary

Close by, a small deposit of statues still waiting to be put on display can be found. Website here.

A less visited museum covering the military history of Hungary over the ages, but especially the 19th and 20th centuries, can be found right in the old district of Buda. The display is rather classical and didactic, but for more military-minded people, or those interested in the recent history of Hungary, it is for sure worth a stop when visiting uptown. Website here.

Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary

Finally, in the gorgeous building of the Houses of Parliament, you can find interesting info about the changes implemented to the architecture of the building during the communist period.

Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary

A unique artifact is the big red star once standing on top of the building, emulating the famous ruby stars placed on top of the towers of the Kremlin in Moscow. Website here.

Secrets of a Soviet Airbase, Berekfurdo

This museum is located in the small town of Berekfurdo, in the eastern region of Hungary, just a few minutes from the former airbase of Kunmadaras, which used to be operated by the Soviets in the Cold War era (see this post for the nuclear storage bunker to be found there).

Unfortunately, I could not visit the museum – it is open only rarely, on a very limited timetable. However, in the courtyard you can easily spot a Mil-24 attack helicopter, as well as a MiG-21. Both have been vividly and freshly refurbished – ready for take-off!

Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary

Getting there and moving around

The website of the museum provides good information, and the folks there appear pretty reactive in case you are writing to get more info. It is really a pity they have a timetable so limited. The place can be reached at these coordinates: 47.38366735314769, 20.84155882970934. The museum is made of a small hangar and an outside apron. Considering the size, I guess visiting might take about 1 hour.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum, Szolnok

This is probably the ‘official’ aviation museum in Hungary, at least concerning the military field. It is clearly a well-financed endeavor, with a remarkable collection of aircraft from various ages, helicopters, engines and missiles. Most of the aircraft are preserved outside in an open-air exhibition, the oldest ones having found a place inside a modern and well-designed building. Everything on display has been recently refurbished, hence the collection looks fresh and well cared for.

Two aircraft will likely capture your attention in the main hall, namely a Spitfire in the colors of a Polish squadron fighting with the RAF, facing a Bf 109 in German Luftwaffe colors. The two opponents are displayed besides one another, allowing also for a configuration and size comparison.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

Not far is the wreck of an Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, built in huge numbers by the USSR over the years of the Great Patriotic War.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

Interesting specimens in the inside hangar include a Messerschmitt Me-108 trainer, some Soviet trainers, classic Kamov and Mil helicopters.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

A Soviet H-29L semi-active laser homing air-to-ground missile for the Sukhoi Su-22, which the Hungarian Air Force owned and operated, is on display.

A very interesting old analog approach simulator is also presented. It is made of a cabin mock-up and a large model of an airport, with cameras mounted on moving trolleys, likely projecting a magnified image of the ‘terrain’ in the cabin.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

You can board a MiG-21, and see the mysterious content of the noses of some fighter aircraft – typically radar antennas of various levels of sophistication.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

An array of engines, from WWII up to our days, are on display on the first floor.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

Outside you can find a sample list of virtually all popular MiG models, from MiG-15 to MiG-29.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

A colorful example of a MiG-21 will sure capture your eye, similarly to a set of Mil-24 attack helicopters, wrapped in incredible liveries!

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

A MiG-21 has been placed in an enclave resembling an aircraft shelter, an example of the care adopted in designing this top-tier museum. An SA-2 Guideline is on display by the entrance, visible also from the parking.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

To the far end of the external apron, you can find a ‘MiG alley’ with several fighters from that design bureau. Also there is a massive Sukhoi Su-22, and two Lockheed F-104 Starfighter – from Turkey and Germany respectively.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

The SAM part is rather interesting. You can see at least two SA-2 (aka S-75 Dvina, according to Soviet nomenclature), on trolleys or on the launch pad, with a distinctive flame deflector.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

A P37 Bar Lock early warning and target acquisition radar has been put on top of a mound. This type of radar constituted the first line of border defense of many countries of the Eastern Bloc, against intrusion from the West. It featured a range of approximately 250 miles.

Another radar antenna is the P15 Flat Face low-altitude target acquisition radar. With a range of about 75 miles, this scanner operated typically with the SA-3 Goa anti-aircraft system (aka S-125 Pechora in Soviet nomenclature).

The latter is on display on a movable launcher as well as on a four missile rack, prominently placed on top of a rampart, somehow resembling its typical launching position. A battery of more missiles on the same launching rack is typical of this highly successful missile, sold to many Countries, and easier to operate than its older cousin, the SA-2.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

Inside another smaller hangar – apparently a former railway depot – you can find the console for the control of the SA-2 system, together with another example of this SAM.

RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary

Getting there and moving around

Really an unmissable sight for aviation enthusiasts, military-minded people or the whole family as well! This very nice collection can be found in Szolnok. Address: Szolnok, Indóház u. 4-6, 5000 Hungary. Large parking ahead, restaurant and gift shop. Website here. You may easily spend a whole morning here, but if you are in a hurry, you can have a quick look in about 1 hour.

Emlekpont, Hódmezővásárhely

A rather unusual collection of soviet ‘authorized’ art can be found in this recently renovated building, which also hosts temporary exhibitions. The central part of the display is basically a single room on two floors, with paintings from the Cold War era.

Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary

A huge statue of a Soviet soldier takes the full height of the room! Some paintings refer to the 1956 uprising, clearly on the side of the rebels, hence they might be from a post-1989 time.

Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary

Surely worth a stop for those with an interest in Soviet art, like you can find only in Tretjakowsky Gallery in Moscow!

Getting there and moving around

This little museum can be found in Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 34, 6800 Hungary, a few minutes driving from university town Szeged, close to the border with Serbia and Romania. Visiting may take about 30 minutes, more if you know Hungarian. Website here.

Pinter Works Military Park, Kecel

A one-of-a-kind exhibition, this place is hidden deep in the countryside between Balaton and the Serbian border, but it is really worth a detour for anybody interested in Soviet weapons from the Cold War era. It is likely one of the largest displays of heavy military gear you may find in Europe!

The sample list covers anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank guns, field artillery, self-propelled cannons and tanks.

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

But you also get special function trucks, moving bridges, transport, trailers, portable radar equipment.

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Also SAMs are represented, including the SA-2 Guideline (S-75 Dvina), SA-4 Ganef (2K11 Krug) and the more conspicuous SA-5 Gammon (S-200 Vega). Some of the SAMs feature also transport cartridges on purpose-assembled trucks – some of them on tracks! – which are displayed side by side with field rocket launchers.

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

The huge Square Pair radar, used in conjunction with the modern SA-5 Gammon, makes for a really rare and impressive sight – it is tall like a multi-storey building, but it is on a trailer, implying it can be moved. There are two on display!

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Also rather rare is the ST-68U Tin Shield early warning border patrolling radar, still in use today, with its movable trailer.

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Even SCUDs surface-to-surface theater missiles can be found. One is located on board its movable launch-pad, similar to what you can see in Bucharest (see here).

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Some of the trailers are open, so you can get a view of the inside – with all equipment apparently in place, including radar scopes and huge consoles, resembling an old-fashioned science fiction!

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Finally, a series of fighter aircraft, including several MiG and Sukhoi models, are on display.

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Curiously enough, a SAAB 35 Draken from Sweden found its way to here, whereas a T-72 and a T-34 make for gate guardians, together with an Antonov An-24.

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

Finally, what looks like a monster-size ballistic missile encapsulated in a canister completes the show…

Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary

All in all, as said this is really an impressive collection, both as an ensemble, and for some of the pieces in it. The origin of the collection is rather mysterious – nobody spoke anything except Hungarian there, but if I got it right through much gesticulation, the place is owned by somebody residing in Dallas area, TX. The military park sits in the premises of a metal-recycling company, so maybe there is some connection between the two, even though it does not look like they are fueling recycling with the items on display. Actually, the military park is well maintained and presented as a very nice open-air museum.

Getting there and moving around

The museum is located at the address Kecel, Rákóczi Ferenc u. 177, 6237 Hungary. The website is here, with accurate visiting info. Please note they accept only cash. Visiting may easily take 2 hours for an interested subject, taking all the pictures. For a quick overview, you may spend 30-40 minutes on site.

Taszar Airbase Museum, Taszar

Another unique museum, somewhat far from the major touristic paths in Hungary, can be found on the premises of the currently (as of 2020) inactive military airbase of Taszar, in southwest Hungary. This airbase was operated by the Hungarian Air Force over the years of the Cold War, with training and fighter units flying MiGs of many sorts over the years. Curiously, the base was lent to the US in the 1990s, and was used for attacks over Serbia and more support functions during the Balkan crisis in the late 1990s, and up to the early 2000s. After the American troops left, the base was shut down, and is now waiting for a novel use.

The museum is located in the building of the US chapel, itself in the middle of the now deserted living area of the base.

This museum is the display of a collection of artifacts, put together over many years by a former officer of the Hungarian Air Force, Sandor Kontsagh, who is the owner and who personally runs the place – you are likely to meet him, if you are going to pay a visit! An extremely kind and knowledgeable person, more than available to spend his time showing his collection in detail.

The most massive items on display include several aircraft parts, ranging from canopies, to entire cockpit panels, to parts of the innermost plants onboard Soviet-made fighters, including their electronics. What multiplies the value of this assortment is the fact that every single piece has its own history, as you will be told by Mr. Kontsagh.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

The original survival kit from an early MiG, similar to a soviet flight suit from the 1950s, are among the many invaluable collection items.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Also the machine guns and cannon of a MiG-15 can be found – compare the size to the cap of my wide lens!

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

The panel of a MiG-15 has been refurbished, linking it to electric power to light the electro-optical gunsight – hi-tec from the early Cold War.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Photography is of special relevance to the owner of the museum – he was tasked with technical photography functions during his career, and he has a real thing for this activity. Cameras usually mounted on the gunsight of fighter jets are part of the collection – for the first time, I could carefully look inside what always appears as a bulky black box impeding the pilot’s view on most aircraft from the Cold War period!

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Some of the cameras are accompanied by the their original technical registry, showing annotations from the 1950s – incredible.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Of special interest are also the cathode ray tubes to be found for instance on MiG-21. You would not suspect they are so long, looking at their flat appearance, besides other goggles on the panel of that fighter.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Interesting historical pictures are many. Among them, some are from decoy aircraft – inflatables – to fool enemy analysts watching satellite pictures taken above military bases. Others are from visits of president Clinton and princess Diana to Taszar. You can also find an aerial view of the base from Cold War times.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

In an adjoining room you can find a collection of radio equipment, with very interesting pieces made in the USSR. These include an original wire recorder.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Maps, trophies and models complete this room, together with a unique collection of cameras, from different countries and makes.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Another room hosts mainly uniforms – including the one belonging to Mr. Kontsagh – and flight suits. Also arresting parachute canister of a MiG-21 is on display.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

A corner of the main hall is dedicated to memorabilia from the US tenancy period. These include original uniforms, pictures, papers and even meals, proudly prepared in SC for American troops. By comparison, Hungarian packed meals, also on display, are much heavier!

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

More memorabilia include training progress registries from pilot’s training – in Russian – as well as textbooks from the training group operating on the base.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

All in all, I would say this museum alone is a good reason for a trip to this area!

On the outside, you find yourself in the setting of the old Taszar base, with some gate guardians of Soviet make, and an incredible mural on what was likely an academy building.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Access to the airport is interdicted, as the base is inactive but not abandoned.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

Getting there and moving around

When I visited in August 2020, the place was not even pinpointed on Google Maps, but later things have rapidly changed, so you can spot this as an attraction on Google Maps to the west of the airport in Taszar (‘Katonai repulo muzeum’ is the name you find). However, here are the coordinates 46.377887110631455, 17.89899149846632, which take you to a former living area of Taszar airbase, where you can enter with your car. The place is not abandoned, even though most buildings are now unused. The aura is a bit strange, for you have the sensation of intruding into a governmental property – but soon you realize this part of the base is not any more off-limits.

When I visited there was no info about opening timetables whatsoever available in advance, so we just popped up there, finding a closed door with a telephone number. We called and the man – Mr. Kontsagh – told us to wait a few minutes, and came in by foot, opening the place just for us.

I attach the phone number, in case you want to call in advance.

Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary

There is no website as of 2020, but the place is totally worth the effort of planning a visit anyway! You might spend a time ranging from 30 minutes to some hours, especially if you are interested in the topic of the museum, or you are simply into military aviation with a technical mind, and also have questions for the knowledgeable owner, who will answer in detail. In case you don’t know Hungarian, understanding a little German and a technical preparation will allow you to take much out of your visit (little English spoken, unfortunately, but this is not strange in this part of the world).

Former Soviet and East German Military Bases in the GDR – Pictures from Above

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The BEST pictures from Soviet bases in the GDR
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At the end of WWII, the territory of conquered Germany was split in four sectors by the then-Allies – the US, Great Britain, France and the USSR. A substantial part to the north-east of the country fell in Stalin’s hands. A few years later, following a re-organization of all territories occupied by the Red Army during WWII, the Soviet part of Germany was turned into a communist-led state known as German Democratic Republic (‘GDR’, or ‘DDR’ in German language).

Especially from a military standpoint, similar to Poland, and later Hungary and Czechoslovakia, this produced a kind of cohabitation. As a matter of fact, besides clearly backing the communist dictatorship in occupied countries, the Soviets did not quit at all from newly acquired western territories. On the contrary, thanks to the position on a potential war front had the Cold War turned hot, the westernmost Soviet-controlled countries – with the GDR on top – were stuffed with Soviet military bases, and hundreds of thousands troops. These shared the map with the national military, which in the GDR were known as NVA (an acronym standing for the German equivalent of ‘National People’s Army’).

The national and Soviet forces often took control of separated military facilities, and while operating in a coordinated fashion, they were substantially different entities. As said, this was typical to many Soviet-controlled countries. Yet especially on the relatively small East German territory, of high strategic value thanks to the shared border with the West, the total number of tank bases, training academies, air bases, missile bases, nuclear depots, shooting ranges, etc., reached an unrivaled world’s peak, when compared to the population or the size of the country.

Following the crisis leading to the end of the GDR in 1989, and the collapse of the USSR roughly two years later, all these military assets turned surplus. The German reunification, and the disappearance of a significant military opponent in the close vicinity of the border, triggered a rationalization of military resources in Germany. Most of the NVA bases were closed. The Soviet-controlled installations were evacuated more slowly – it took until 1994 to bring back to their Russian homeland the thousands of troops and tonnes of material stationed in Germany. Once returned to Germany, also most of these bases were deactivated and closed.

Since then, the fate of these former military facilities in Germany has been in the hands of local governments or national initiatives. As a matter of fact, following a few decades spent as ghost bases – a real paradise for urbex explorers! – most air bases have been converted into solar power plants. Some of them have retained an airport status, either with a very reduced runway, or in some cases being turned into full-scale commercial airports. There are exceptions too, as some are still at least partly abandoned, and while invaded by vegetation, they are still totally recognizable especially from above. Other bases, like tank bases or nuclear depots, while mostly earmarked for demolition, have been comparatively better ‘preserved’ – at least, they have been attacked by the state more slowly, so there is still much to see there.

You can find on this website several reports about quite a few of these military bases in the former GDR – especially airbases – from a ‘ground perspective’. Sometimes, it is difficult to appreciate the size, shape, as well as their concentration over the former GDR territory. In order to better show these aspects, now here you have a portrait of many of these bases from the air!

The photographs in the present post are from a single, two-hours flight on a Cessna 172 single-prop aircraft. The flight took place in July 2019. As you can see from the locations pinpointed on the map below, on our route we met not less than 15 former (or still active) military items. And this is just a short trip mostly in southern Brandenburg – i.e. the region immediately south of Berlin.

This report is a complement to other chapters on this site, yet it is especially interesting on its own, as a comprehensive bundle of aerial pics on this subject is not easy to find!

Sights

Points of interest are listed following the flight plan, which was flown roughly as on the map, in a counter-clockwise direction, starting from Reinsdorf Airfield.

Soviet Nuclear Bunker Stolzenhain

This one-of-a-kind facility – there were actually two such depots, but one is today demolished and inaccessible – used to be a major storage for nuclear weapons for the Soviet Western Group of Forces, which included all Soviet troops stationed in the GDR.

The bunker is today closed, but it apparently lies on private land, hence sparing it from being turned into something else (or simply flattened) by the local government. You can see a dedicated report in this chapter.

Vegetation has grown wild in the area, but from above you can clearly spot the rectangular perimeter of the external concrete wall. From north to south, an internal road crossed the rectangle in the middle.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The bunkers are half-interred, hence from above you can barely spot the entrances. These are aligned along a service road arranged in a hexagonal shape.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

To the south of the bunker area, you can spot a former group of barracks and an access road heading west. Construction and demolition works are taking place in this area.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Control and Reporting Center Schönewalde

This is an active military installation, and actually quite an advanced one. It is tasked with monitoring the air operations over a large part of the airspace over Germany.

The origin of this half-interred technical installation can be traced to the 1970s, when the site was activated under responsibility of the NVA. Following the end of communist rule and after German reunification, unlike many others this site was not demolished, but instead it was developed further, and pressed into the defense chain of NATO since the mid-1990s.

Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

You can see many half-interred warehouses, garages for trucks, a smaller radar antenna to the west of the complex, close to a helipad.

Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

There is also a larger antenna to the northeastern corner of the CRC.

Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Holzdorf Air Base

This large airport used to be an airbase of the NVA. It is one of the few airports from the Cold War in the GDR which were turned into a full-scale modern airport. Today it is a base of the Bundeswehr, i.e. the German military.

As we approached from north, you can spot first typical large communist buildings, forming a citadel which is likely still today hosting troops and their families. There is also reportedly a flight academy for helicopters in this complex, north of the airport.

Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The airport features large hangars for military helicopters to the northwest of the runway.

Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

A rather old-styled control tower can be seen to the south of the runway.

Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Falkenberg Air Base

We reached the southernmost point on our flight with the former Soviet base in Falkenberg. This old base dating to the 1930s went on to be developed into a Soviet base home to fighter aircraft, MiG-23 and later MiG-29. Close to the airfield, there used to be a SAM missile battery (to the west of the runway).

Approaching from the north-west, you can notice a small ghost town and a large technical area, with what appear to be big unreinforced maintenance hangars, today used for something else by local companies.

Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The airport is today dedicated to light aviation activities. The runway has been shortened, and sadly large portions of the original airfield have been covered with solar cells.

Most interestingly, in the trees to the northwest of the runway, you can spot four unfinished aircraft shelters – possibly of the type AU-16, which could host both the MiG-23 and MiG-29. They look like short concrete tunnels. They should have been covered with land, but works were interrupted in 1990.

Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

More aircraft shelters – completed – can be found to the east of the field, today used for storage, as it is often the case.

Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Finsterwalde Air Base

This installation was operative since WWII, when the large hangars and control tower still in place to the south of the apron were built. The base went on serving as a Soviet base, hosting fighters and fighter-bombers of many kinds along its illustrious history. A visit to this site, with its nuclear depot, can be found in this chapter.

Approaching from the southwest, we flew over the nuclear storage bunker, made for nuclear warheads to supply aircraft operating from here. The columns once holding the crane to lift the warheads can be clearly spotted.

Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

There is also a group of Soviet-style houses for the families of the troops. Apparently somebody is still living there!

Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The base was enlarged with reinforced shelters to the north and southwest of the runway. The large hangars to the south are still in use with local companies, some of course connected with flight operations – this airport is still active for general aviation operations.

Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Enroute to the next waypoint, we flew over a natural preserve, which offered some quite spectacular sights.

Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Alteno-Luckwalde Air Base

This airfield north of Finsterwalde was a reserve airport of the East German NVA. While never developed to the extent of primary airfields, it was among the few reserve air bases to receive an asphalt runway.

Today, the view is rather desolating – the airfield has been totally covered with solar cells.

Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Brand-Briesen Air Base

This WWII base was selected for quick and substantial improvement since the early Cold War years, and went on to be one of the most developed Soviet air bases in the former GDR. In the beginning it hosted Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, but in the jet age it was home to a number of different squadrons and aircraft types. You can find the results of the exploration of a part of this base in this chapter.

Approaching from the south, you first spot an immense hangar, conceived at the turning of the century for commercial airships, and later turned into a water park – Tropical Island.

 

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

But more interestingly, to the south of the airfield – unusually far from it, actually – you can find a depot for nuclear weapons, to supply the aircraft operating from the base. Similar to Finsterwalde, the pillars once holding the crane for lifting the warheads can be clearly seen.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Still to the south of the airfield, the local citadel for the troops is today an interesting ghost town.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

As you may notice, the airfield is today closed, and has been largely converted into a recreation park. Incredibly, they decided to build an array of small houses on the former premises of the airport, and in close proximity to the monster airship hangar.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Yet some relics from the past function of the air base are to be found scattered around. These include aircraft shelters, and more rare engine testing facilities – V-shaped concrete walls emerging from the grass nearby some of the shelters.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Kleinköris Air Base

This airbase was activated in the late 1960s as a reserve airfield for the East German NVA. It was used for exercises, and as a home base for helicopters of the Volkspolizei, i.e. the police of the GDR. After deactivation, it was used as a military storage for a while, and finally closed.

Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The appearance, perfectly evident from the air, is rather unusual – it features a long grassy runway, with concrete taxiways at the ends. To the reports from the time, this is the original configuration of the airbase. Luckily, it is basically still intact.

Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Wünsdorf

The name of this small town will be forever linked to the two military high commands which were headquartered on its premises – Hitler’s OKW first, and the command of the Soviet Western Group of Forces for the full span of the Cold War. You can find a dedicated chapter here.

From above, you can get a nice view of the extension and shape of this military town, as well as good portraits of some of the highlights in it. Approaching from the southeast, you first meet the most famous building in Wünsdorf, the officers’ house. This majestic building dates from the early 20th century. It knew an extensive renovation during the Cold War years, as an officers’ club for the Soviet Red Army.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

This huge building features a statue of Lenin on one side. In the wings to the back, you can find a swimming pool and a theater. The round building with a mural is a late Soviet addition, and once hosted a circular panorama painting.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The high command occupied the buildings north of the officers’ club, today converted into something else.

Another highlight of Wünsdorf are the many bunkers. These include the Maybach bunkers from Hitler’s era, once hosting the OKW. These were designed for deception as living houses, but could withstand aerial bombardment. They were blown by the Soviet, with only partial success. The Zeppelin bunkers, like cusped concrete towers, were designed to resist bombardment, by deviating air-dropped bombs falling from above along the sidewalls and down to the ground nearby.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Soviet bunkers were located very close to the array of Maybach bunkers. They are largely interred, and from above you can see some concrete tunnels in the trees.

The railway line and station is an historical track from the time. The Wünsdorf-Moscow line operated in both ways on a daily basis. The service was suspended only in 1994, at the very end of the withdrawal of the last occupation troops to Russia – for many, the symbolic end of Soviet occupation.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The buildings for those stationed in Wünsdorf and their families were really many. Today this town, having lost its original core business, is largely uninhabited.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Sperenberg Air Base

Not far from Wünsdorf, you can find the former Soviet air base of Sperenberg. This immense transport base used to be a major logistic base for the Soviets, which operated from here with their monster cargo planes. More on this base can be found in this chapter.

Approaching from the east, you first meet the buildings for the troops, to the east of the airport and close to the village.

Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

An aerial view allows to clearly capture the shape of the base, with two large parallel taxiways with a huge array of parking bays for transport aircraft, and a long runway – still basically intact! – to the south.

Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

A large hangar with an inscription in Russian can be found to the east, whereas a small terminal building can be spotted ahead of a large apron to the west.

Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Today the airport is closed, but rumors have surfaced more than once concerning its evaluation as a third airport for Berlin. This may justify its missed conversion into another desolating field of solar cells.

Kummersdorf Military Laboratory

A bit of an outsider here, Kummersdorf holds a very relevant place in the history of war technique thanks to pre-Soviet activity. In the late 1920s the Germans established here an experimental laboratory especially dedicated to novel weapons. It can be said that western rocketry was born here, since the group of Walther Dornberger, later joined by Wernher von Braun, started operations on liquid-propelled rockets in this lab.

Activities later moved to somewhere else, and finally landed in Peenemünde – see this dedicated chapter.

The laboratory in Kummersdorf was used also during WWII to test captured material, especially enemy tanks. Following the end of WWII, the Soviets took over the facility, but turned it into a more standard military base.

Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The red barracks in typical German style can be clearly seen from above. Most of the post-WWII depots are falling apart, but the area is really huge.

Forst Zinna Military Base

This base is located to the northeast of Jüterbog-Altes Lager, a huge Imperial, Nazi and later Soviet military complex, including two shooting ranges, a few airfields, an academy and many barracks.

Forst Zinna base was operative in the years of the Third Reich, named after Adolf Hitler himself. It went on to become a large base for the artillery groups training in the nearby shooting ranges. A dedicated chapter can be found here.

Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

From above, it is clear that demolition works are slowly wiping out the base. Yet there is much housing left to visit. Typical German buildings share the area with shabby Soviet ‘socialist housing’. A bridge passing over a major road and railway track going to Berlin links the base to the shooting range north of it.

Altes Lager Shooting Range and Barracks

The shooting range north of Forst Zinna is pointed with concrete control towers. The area is very extensive, and quite more convenient to explore from above!

Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Closer to Altes Lager, many barracks can be seen aligned along a major road. From the style, these appear to be from an older time than the Soviet occupation years.

Jüterbog-Altes Lager Training Academy

This pretty unique piece of architecture dates from the years of the Führer, and used to be an academy for air force technicians. It was later turned into a military academy for Soviet staff, and a KGB office was reportedly active here too. A report can be found in this chapter.

From above you can better capture the plant of the complex. The half-circle to the north hosted a big theater in the basement.

Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Most strikingly, in the western part of the complex you can see sporting facilities which have been completely refurbished, and are actually in use. These include a football field and some tennis courts. There is also a pool, but this has not been refurbished.

Jüterbog-Niedergörsdorf Air Base

This large air base was jointly operated by the NVA and Soviet air force. You can find a report in this chapter.

Approaching from the northwest you can see aircraft shelters, whereas to the northeast you find an array of large maintenance hangars. These have been turned into something else, including a test driving facility, which chopped part of the original apron.

Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

To the south of the runway, the base used to feature a large number of parking bays for helicopters. The runway has not been physically cut, albeit a central section of the original concrete has been taken away. Air operations today are apparently limited to ultralights and trikes.

Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

A menacing army of solar cells is attacking the perimeter of the base from the east! An unmissable sight next to this base (to the east) is a former aircraft shelter turned into a private collection of Soviet memorabilia – Shelter Albrecht (covered in this post).

Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Enroute to the next waypoint, you can clearly spot from the air a military hospital complex (see this chapter) – rather famous among urbex fanatics… – and other service buildings.

Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Jüterbog-Damm Air Base

This base dates to the years of the German Empire. It was forcibly demilitarized after WWI, but strongly developed in the years of the Third Reich, with the construction of large concrete hangars and service facilities, and a grassy airstrip good for fighter planes of the era.

Following conquer by Soviet forces, the airbase was partly dismantled, but at some point a SAM battery appeared on this site.

Today you can appreciate the size and special shape of the concrete hangars, a true engineering masterpiece from pre-WWII years.

Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Landing in Reinsdorf

Finally, you can see here a vid of the perfect approach and landing into the touristic airfield of Reinsdorf, about two hours after take-off!

Practical Notes

This flight was carried out from Reinsdorf Airfield (ICAO: EDOD), located about 10 miles southeast of Jüterbog, the most sizable town in the neighborhood. The airfield is roughly 1 hour driving south of downtown Berlin, very easy to reach with a car.

The flight would have not been possible without the help of a fantastic couple, Mrs. Kolditz and her husband, who own a nice French-built Cessna 172 from the mid-1960s, D-EBLD, portrayed here.

Cessna 172 D-EBLD Flugplatz Reinsdorf East Germany - Scenic Flight
Cessna 172 D-EBLD Flugplatz Reinsdorf East Germany – Scenic Flight

There are some features making this very aircraft ideal for aerial pictures. Besides the high-wing configuration, this exemplar features a side window which can be completely opened, allowing for an unobstructed view of the scenery below.

The man is a former NVA pilot, something that must have played a part in him accepting to set up this very unusual flight plan! His great ability as a pilot helped much in having the aircraft in the right position to take the desired aerial pictures.

Thanks to the availability of the Kolditz family, setting up the flight was an easy task, even operating from abroad and through much Google-translation!

Another key-element in this adventure was Federico, a friend of mine sharing my passion for flying, who lives in Berlin, and played an essential part in co-financing the flight and translating between me and the pilot, as – perhaps incredibly, considering the content of this website… – I don’t speak German.

If you are interested in sightseeing flights south of Berlin, I suggest inquiring with the folks at Reinsdorf, a very active airfield with many facilities for touristic and pleasure flights. Website here.

The Atlantic Wall in Denmark

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A pleasant country in northern Europe, Denmark is geographically surrounded by the North and Baltic seas, and shares its only land border with Germany. In the late 1930s, this meant having a very dangerous dictatorship as the only neighbor, and no possible direct help coming by land from other allies. Without natural defenses against and attack from the south, the Kingdom of Denmark was militarily occupied basically in one day, on April 9th, 1940. This happened through a joint operation carried out by the land, air and naval forces of Nazi Germany.

A quick historical overview

The interest of Germany in controlling Danish territory was mainly strategic. It served as a springboard to attack Norway further north. The latter was in itself more interesting to the economy of the Third Reich, as it was rich of natural resources, including raw materials not available in Germany. These were so needed by the Führer, who was dreaming of making Germany independent from international supply trade.

Furthermore, controlling both Denmark and Norway meant control over the eastern coast of the North Sea, and a chance to control the only access to the Baltic Sea. The USSR was not a declared enemy before 1941, but withdrawing from the mutual cooperation pact with Stalin – signed in a hurry just days before the invasion of Poland in September 1939 – at some point, and openly attacking Russia, had been in the mind of the Führer since he first put on paper his worrying geopolitical thoughts. By controlling the Baltic, Hitler could control sea trade to non-freezing ports of the USSR, which in 1940 had already taken over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in agreement with Germany.

As a matter of fact, the conquer of Norway was not without significant losses for Germany. This was also the result of Britain starting to militarily oppose Germany. The two countries had been already at war since September 1939, but without any serious confrontation having taken place for months.

Since then, the British – and later also the American – threat from the west had to be faced through the fortification of the western coast of the Third Reich, which by the end of the summer of 1940 extended roughly from the Pyrenees in southern France to Kirkenes in northern Norway. This highly visionary task was taken up very seriously by the German military-economic machine, and produced the ‘Atlantikwall’ – which translates pretty obviously into the ‘Atlantic Wall’. This long defensive line had to be built all along the coast, and was mainly based on a catalog of standardized reinforced concrete constructions, to be reproduced in great numbers. Construction was coordinated by the main contractor, the German ‘Organization Todt’, which made extensive use of subcontracted local companies in the various occupied states where construction had to take place.

Despite the majority of the elements in the line were reinforced barracks for troops watching the coastline, ammo and supply storages, command and communication bunkers, canteens, and other service buildings, there were of course also a number of heavier constructions. These included coastal gun batteries, to counter attacking ships, lighter gun batteries, to stop troops attempting a beach landing, aiming stations, to adjust the line of fire of gun batteries, anti-aircraft guns to defend the line from air attacks, and some technical buildings serving as bases for advanced radar systems. The latter were among the most useful and widespread items along the line, as German technology developed fast during the war, to produce powerful detection systems against air and sea menaces.

Needless to remember, similar to many pharaonic works conceived by the Führer and his entourage, the Atlantic Wall was never completed, and it failed to spare the Third Reich from total annihilation. The once-modern military installations along the western coast of Europe soon became obsolete, as war changed face at a quick pace following WWII, with new weapons and techniques. Furthermore, the front line of the new Cold War shifted geographically to the middle of Europe. A tangible sign of enemy occupation, the massive bunkers of the Atlantic Wall met different destinies depending on the country. However, albeit only rarely preserved, thanks to their bulkiness and sturdy make, they are in most cases still visible.

About this post

Being the first land along the western coast to fall under German control, work on the Atlantic Wall started in Denmark earlier than anywhere else. Today extensive traces of the line are still pointing the shores of the North Sea.

A few focal points are preserved as first-class museums. These include the strongholds of Hirtsthals and the huge battery at Hanstholm, in Northern Jutland. The latter had been designed around a cluster of four monster coastal guns, to the aim of controlling the passage through the Skagerrak channel, providing access to the Baltic Sea. A twin battery – Vara – was built to the north of the strait in Norway.

Closer to the German border, the area of Blavand – featuring also the famous ‘Tirpitz battery’ in its arsenal – is another example of a partly preserved portion of the line. Bangsbo fort in Frederikshaven has been partly refurbished and opened as a museum, after being used by the Danish military for a while. There you can find one of the few remaining examples of an Atlantic Wall installation with its original guns still in place.

Smaller strongholds, opened as smaller scale museums or left to more adventurous explorers, often feature unique special constructions, which justify a detour at least for more committed war historians. These include the Skagen battery, the disguised bunkers in Thyboron, and the complicated Stauning battery, built on two opposite coasts of a closed firth.

All these sites – and a few more – are covered in this post, which is based on photographs taken in August 2019. Denmark is officially protecting the installations of the Atlantic Wall as historical buildings – unlike France, for instance – so visiting even abandoned sites maybe rewarding, especially if they are out of the mainstream touristic routes. Unfortunately, many bunkers now closer to crowded touristic areas have been damaged by vandals.

Sights

Map

The sites covered in this post are listed on the following map. Sites opened as museums are pinpointed in red, wild sites are marked in blue.

The sites are listed in the post following the coastline of Jutland from its southwestern end.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Blavand – Shore Battery & Military Area

Located about 50 miles north of the German border along the coast of the North Sea, the small town of Blavand sits on a promontory protruding towards the sea, and protecting the access to the port town of Esbjerg – still today a major commercial port of Denmark.

The area of Blavand saw the construction of an incredible number of Atlantic Wall elements, which grew up in more instances during the war years.

Close by the parking ahead of the lighthouse on the very tip of the promontory, you can find trailheads leading to the southern and western shores of the promontory.

The southern shore makes for a typical North Sea landscape – an endless sand beach. What makes it different from others is the number of light bunkers placed along the shoreline. Despite little imposing, this model – type ‘F’ – was purpose built for the wide shores of Denmark in 1944, in view of a potential enemy beach landing. These firing positions were armed with machine guns, and placed at pre-determined intervals – about 1’500 ft – matching their accuracy range.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Many bunkers are slowly sinking in the sand, and only small parts of them can be seen emerging from the ground.

Others have been turned into strange sculptures, adding a horse head and tail.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Under favorable tide conditions, you may enter some of the bunkers. There you can appreciate their simple structure, with a defensive embrasure by the entrance (looking towards the coast) and loopholes to the sides of the firing chamber.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

On the beach close to the lighthouse you can find a very big bunker with a wide hollow cave on the inland side, which used to support a searchlight.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Along the western shore you can find more massive bunkers. These include four former coastal gun batteries. These heavier constructions have assumed strange attitudes, after sinking in the sand somewhat irregularly over the years.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Looking towards the inland from the beach, you can spot an aiming/fire control positions, with a distinctive bulbous roof and a long curved slot on the facade.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Your walk along the northern shore may be interrupted by safety warnings concerning mine threat. As a complement to the defensive potential of the Atlantic Wall, extensive minefields were set up on most of the Danish beaches. This turned into a big issue soon after WWII, when an extensive demining action had to be carried out.

Furthermore, part of the Blavand promontory is occupied by a military firing range. When training exercises are taking place, special warning lights are lit and flags are raised, to delimit the territory where you should not venture.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

In the dunes slightly inland from the shoreline, it is possible to find another big number of bunkers. They are not always visible from the distance, and entrance is in most cases from one side only – the only side emerging from the sand.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A very distinctive item is the colossal platform for a ‘Mammut’ type long-range anti-aircraft radar. This used to be operated by the Luftwaffe, whereas other bunkers in Blavand – like elsewhere along the Atlantic Wall – used to be run by other branches of the Germany military.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The base for the radar is in itself a rather complex bunker, with several cavities and extensive piping, once needed for power cables feeding the antenna, as well as other wiring.

Close by, a smaller radar base bunker used to be operated by the German Navy. Also here, holes and passages for cables can be found in the walls and roof.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

It is noteworthy how many bunkers feature traces of original decorations, like painted walls, fake wallpaper, frescoes and small frieze lines. This is typical to many other installations of the Atlantic Wall.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Metal hardware can be found in the form of a bulky aiming turret emerging from a bunker.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

In another instance, a mortar mouth pops out from the ground.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The underground bunker underneath the latter can be explored with some difficulty – there are also quite annoying bats inside -, but it reveals an aiming wheel with original markings in a reinforced concrete dome!

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

An interesting sight nearby the lighthouse is the tower once supporting a ‘See Riese’ radar. The protruding arms once sustained a wooden platform for military operators.

Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The area of Blavand is rather extensive and rich of diverse installations, so notwithstanding the general bad shape of most of the bunkers, visiting may easily take 3-4 hours for a committed tourist, getting inside most of the items. A good starting point is the free parking by the lighthouse, provided you come early especially in summer, cause it tends to get more and more crowded along the day.

Blavand – ‘Tirpitz’ Coastal Guns

Despite at least some of the bunkers on the shores of Blavand being in a relatively good shape, there is a part of the Atlantic Wall which is officially preserved as a museum. This is one of the two unfinished bunkers intended to support a set of massive 38 cm coastal guns.

These guns – four, two for each bunker – were originally intended to be put on board battleship Gneisenau. The latter got damaged in port, and the guns were diverted to coastal use. The decision to build the Tirpitz battery to protect the port of Esbjerg came relatively late during the war, in 1944. As a result, construction of the battery supporting structures was not completed when the war ended, and the four never installed guns were scrapped – except one, which can be admired in Hanstholm (see below).

The name ‘Tirpitz’ attributed to this battery is of uncertain origin, and sometimes this installation is also referred to as ‘Vogelnest’.

The museum has been built only in the southernmost bunker. The installation is very modern (and crowded), and it has been designed as a thematic museum in five sections. Two of the most interesting are about the Atlantic Wall and its impact on local life, and on the extensive mining and demining operations on the shores of Denmark.

Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Other sections are related to amber trade and local seamen activities.

Finally, you can get access to the base of the gun turret. Photographs are bad here, due to very poor lighting and limitations on camera use.

You can see a central round dome, surrounded by an external corridor. Traces of a post-war explosion can be noticed looking at the metal part of the construction.

Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Outside of the museum you can find a cannon cut in pieces, plus rigs used for construction. The bulky concrete arms protruding from the roof were meant to support the crane for mounting the cannons.

Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

With a five minutes walk from this bunker, you can get to the northern battery. This is not preserved, and the entrances have been bricked up. Yet you may better appreciate the size of the bunker from this exemplar than from the one turned into a museum.

Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The museum is located east of Oksby along Tane Hedevey, a local road connecting Blavand to Esbjerg. There are signs along the road, and a large parking ahead of the entrance. The museum is very modern, and may turn very crowded in summer. Website with full information here. You can visit on your own with an audio-guide. The visit to the military-related sections may take about 1 hour.

Adding a walk to the northern battery will take further 20 minutes at most, as there is no chance to step in.

Stauning Battery

Construction of this battery started in the second half of 1944, and consequently it was only partially completed before the end of the war. The geography of the Stauning battery is rather peculiar. The intended design was based on four coastal guns to be placed on the inland side of the Ringkobing firth – basically a lake with a channel-like small mouth connecting it to the sea. On the other coast of the firth, i.e. very close to the North Sea in Hvide Sande, the aiming station for the battery was finally built.

In the event, only one of the reinforced concrete gun positions reached completion, whereas the other three cannons were kept on basic, not reinforced aprons. The gun bunker is the only exemplar of this model built along the Atlantic Wall, and was designed around a 19,4 cm gun manufactured in France.

Located far from the shore in a secluded area of the countryside, this battery is in a relatively good shape, and thanks to the hard soil its position has not drifted since it was installed. You can even walk on top.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

More elements are scattered in the bushes and over the private pasture nearby. Among them, a firing position presumably for anti-aircraft or light field guns, and corresponding ammo storages.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There is also a reinforced concrete barrack or command post. This can be toured inside, revealing some metal piping still in place.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Traces of gun concrete platforms – likely gun firing positions – blown up after the war can be seen, similar to many smaller cubic buildings of uncertain purpose.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A couple of unattractive half-interred ‘living bunker’ can be found too, another design present only in Denmark – the type was named ‘Falkenhorst III’. Inside, traces of original wall paintings can be easily spotted.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There is actually a fire direction post of some sort in this part of the battery too. This is a square-based concrete booth, with an adjoining living bunker.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The aiming position in Hvide Sande is rather easy to find, on top of a mound close to the city center. There are actually two concrete accesses on the eastern side of the hill. The one closer to the top gives access to the metal dome you can spot on top of the mound.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Climbing up to the dome is possible along a rusty ladder, going through a narrow vertical passage. Once there you can see the mounting of a telescope for measurements. There are side slots looking outside, and an original marked wheel to provide measurements. You can also spot small foldable wooden tables (or perhaps jump-seats).

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Downstairs, there are a few panels explaining the history of the battery.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The second concrete entrance gives access to a ‘living bunker’ for the troops, with explanatory panels on the history of the place.

Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The inland part of the Stauning battery with the gun station is located close to Stauningvej 55. You may park your car not far north from this address, on a wide lot close to the entrance of a local residential area. Most notably, this battery is about .5 miles from the beautiful Danish Museum of Flight (see this post). Exploring the battery may take 1-1.5 hours, as the place is totally wild and inconvenient to visit.

The Hvide Sande point is on the northern rim of the channel linking the firth to the North Sea. You can see the mound close by a major round about, where road 181 meets Troldbjergsvej. There are several parking options nearby. The place is technically not abandoned, but there was no ticket/staff, and it was totally dark when I visited. You would better take a small torch with you.

Sondervig

Just as an example of how extensive the construction of the Atlantic Wall was in Denmark, you may have a look to the beach in Sondervig, where people spending the day by the sea are accustomed to the view of the monstrous German bunkers pointing the shore.

Atlantic Wall Sondervig Beach Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Sondervig Beach Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Sondervig Beach Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Sondervig Beach Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

You may find a parking spot in Sondervig and access this famous touristic beach by foot.

Thyboron

The coastal battery at Thyboron has a unique place in the panorama of Atlantic Wall buildings. Here a sort of sample list of possible deceptive techniques were tested on otherwise normal bunkers. The usual constructions pointing the shore have a strange appearance here, thanks to the imaginative talent of a Danish architect – who turned out to be a spy working for the Allies.

At least two gun batteries bear a special roof, resembling that of a house. Also thanks to erosion, they now have even odder shapes, resembling some Star Wars spaceship.

Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

An observation bunker bears a tiled roof. Surprisingly, an apparently original fragment of telegraph wire can be found inside.

Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Given the position of the bunkers – lying isolated on a deserted beach – it’s pretty difficult to suppose this kind of deception was ever effective…

There are also some more straightforward constructions around, some of them in a relatively good shape. The cusped lintels above most doors and openings are typical to elements of the Atlantic Wall in northern countries, and are made for protecting the passages against snow and icing rain.

Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Just inland from the ‘sample list’, you can find a large underground bunker, somewhat difficult to access – it is sinking in the sand. Conspicuous traces of original wall painting and even writings in German can be found on the walls.

Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The message in German is a warning message, telling to stay away of the walls in case of bombardment. This warning sign is rather ubiquitous in Danish bunkers.

Close to the the city center – and actually a part of the Coastal Center, a museum for children dedicated to the life along the western coast of Jutland – it is possible to find another bunker deceived as a wooden house! This deception technique is far more convincing than those on the shore…

Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

To visit the bunkers on the shore you can reach a convenient public parking at the southern end of Vesterhavsgade, southern Thyboron. Visiting these bunkers may take about 45 minutes for a committed tourist. To get to the Coastal Center you may follow the signs and park at your convenience ahead of the building. The deceived bunker can be seen from the outside of the museum, so getting the ticket is not needed if you are not interested in the rest of the installation.

Extra feature – Sea War Museum, Thyboron

Thyboron has a prominent place in WWI history, being the Danish village closest to the area of the Battle of Jutland, one of the very few naval battles of that war, and one of the top-ranking in history for the number of vessels and tonnage involved, and for the casualties – almost 9’000 seamen were killed.

The battle was fought between two major formations of the the German Kaiser on one side and the King of England on the other. Started almost by chance, as the two opposing factions appeared on the same sector unaware of each other, the fighting was so intense that cannon fire was heard along the shores of Thyboron for many hours. The battle ended with a tactical defeat on the British side, but the Kriegsmarine of the Kaiser avoided any other serious clashes with the British for the rest of the war – in this sense, this was a British strategic victory.

Today, a monument dedicated to those who perished in the Battle of Jutland occupies a wide area over a promontory in northern Thyboron, close by the Coastal Center (see above).

Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark

A nice museum dedicated to sea war has been put in place nearby. On the exterior you can find old mines, torpedoes and even parts of relics taken from the bottom of the sea.

Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark

Inside you can find many unique artifacts, including cannons, insignia, and everyday items from ships taking parts to the Battle of Jutland.

Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark

Also unique are parts of early submarines dating from WWI, recovered from the sea thanks to novel investigation and capture technologies.

Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark

The museum is at large dedicated to naval battles and ventures of WWI. A section is dedicated to the most modern sea archaeology techniques.

Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark

Outside of the museum, you may spot a few Atlantic Wall bunkers as well, likely converted into more modern military installations in a post-WWII period. They are apparently run as museums, but they were closed when I passed by.

Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The Sea War Museum is located very close to the Coastal Center in central Thyboron. Dedicated free parking right ahead of the entrance. Visiting may take about 1.5-2 hours for more committed subjects, despite the small size. The museum is stacked with extremely interesting details, the exhibition is rich and well made. Really an interesting detour for anybody interested in sea war. Website here.

Agger

Agger is located north of the Thyboron Channel, and can be reached with a five minutes ferry ride from nearby Thyboron. The long, windy, wild and distressing beaches south of the village of Agger are not really welcoming, nor easy to visit. Yet here you can find some unique and imposing elements of the Atlantic Wall.

These include a firing control bunker of the Navy. A feature often found also elsewhere, you can see some of the concrete bunkers are made of joined blocks. Light can be seen coming from the thin slots between the blocks in some occasions.

Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Another special construction here is the support tower for a ‘Seetakt’ radar. The tall concrete tower is assembled together with a bulkier concrete base.

Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The assembly has slipped to the shoreline, and today it can be neared only in favorable tide conditions. Furthermore, it is sitting in a banked attitude, making it looking really derelict.

Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Thanks also to a rather bad weather, these elements of the Atlantic Wall looked really eerie when I visited!

Getting there and moving around

The Agger site is wild and not signaled. The area is part of a national preserve, and part of the endless beach is a stage for kites, surfing activities and other beach sports. There is an official parking at the western end of Lange Mole Vej, less than five minutes by car from the ferry terminal to Thyboron. From there you should go to the beach and walk north for about 15 minutes to get to the tower, the highlight of the show.

You may spot it from the distance. I could not get in the tower due to unfavorable tide conditions, but visiting inside may not take much time, for the expected condition is not good, with little left to see.

Hanstholm

The Hanstholm battery is one of the most developed of the entire Atlantic Wall. As pointed out in the introduction, together with the sister site ‘Vara’ in Norway – about 80 miles north – this battery was centered on four massive 38 cm cannons, installed to obstruct surface passage through the Skagerrak, and de facto controlling the access to the Baltic Sea.

An initial battery based on less powerful 17 cm coastal guns was put in place as soon as 1940. The gigantic 38 cm guns arrived only later and were tested, but never used in action. The metal parts of the firing stations, including the turrets and guns, were eventually scrapped in the early 1950s. Over the years, this huge installation, with more than 300 bunkers fell largely into private hands, and today many former storage bunkers are used as warehouses for machinery and goods by local owners.

Nonetheless, battery Nr.3 has been turned into a modern museum, after being largely refurbished to its original splendor. As such, it is a one-of-a-kind museum, with thousands of visitors per year. Two more turrets and a number of bunkers are left to explorers. While they are not actively maintained, they are still in a rather good shape, and responsible exploration is even supported with some indications.

The area of the Hanstholm is almost 4 square miles. In order not to get disoriented, a good starting point is the museum in and around turret Nr.3. There you are greeted by a pretty unique 38 cm cannon! This is actually from the Tirpitz battery (see above), but it is exactly the same item once installed in Hanstholm. The size is really remarkable, especially when compared to more modest and usual 15 cm coastal guns, on display.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The modern museum offers a quick recap of the history of the place, with memorabilia including everyday items, letters, maps and original weapons.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Once you are done with that, you can get access to the underground part, where you first meet the ammo storage rooms, on the side of a long corridor aligned along a narrow gauge railway track. This was used to connect the firing stations – i.e. the four bunkers with the guns – to larger ammo storages scattered around the are of the fort.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There are two major adjoining rooms along the corridor, each dedicated to a different part of the cartridge. The piercing part – the ‘bullet’ – and the exploding fuse were kept separated from each other. This is similar to naval guns, and typical to larger calibers. The complicated railings hanging from the roof were made to allow moving the parts of the cartridge by means of movable cranes.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

In action, the bullets and fuses were loaded on a slide, and from there on trolleys which would enter the turret from below. Today, as the turret is not there any more, the trolleys are in an open air corridor, apparently without any sense. It is noteworthy that the inscriptions and frescoes are all original, albeit refurbished.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The structure of the firing station and of the Hanstholm fort can be better appreciated from the drawings and models below.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A second part of the firing station is the bunker for the complement of men needed to operate this complicated cannon. The place was permanently watched, with shifts spending the night in underground quarters. Those pertaining to firing station Nr.3 have been refurbished, and provide a vivid impression of the original appearance. There are sleeping and living quarters, as well as large, military style showers and toilets.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There is also a complete power station, with two Diesel generators, a mechanics shop, water tanks and more.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Out of the Nr.3 firing station you are encouraged to tour at least part of the site along a series of prescribed trails. Among the items you meet on this tour is one of the ammo storages. It is not dissimilar from the ammo storage part of the firing station. The ammo parts were loaded on a railway car passing through, and from there moved towards the gun turret.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There are also many smaller storage and service bunkers, some bearing interesting original inscriptions inside.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The Hanstholm fort was defended by field cannons and anti-aircraft guns. Emplacements for the latter can be spotted around in more instances.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Another suggested part of the visit is firing station Nr.4, which is not really preserved, but is not in a generally bad shape either. You can get in only if you have a torchlight. Visiting may offer something very similar to Nr.3, except everything is more derelict – but for this reason, may be more authentic.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

In the living part, you can find inscriptions in German and traces of the original wall paint. With a general knowledge of the plan from the visit to Nr.3, you may easily recognize the corresponding rooms – power station, toilets, living rooms, etc.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

To get to the ammo storage part, you can walk along the round corridor outside. No trolleys left here, differently from Nr.3.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Inside the ammo storage rooms, you notice that the inscriptions have been largely canceled for some reason, but the slides as well as the frescoes above them are still there.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Still part of the suggested itinerary, you can find a control station, in a rather bad shape, and more interestingly a very peculiar building, located on top of a cliff.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

This was a fire direction station. Due to the high-tech nature of the Hanstholm battery, fire direction worked on what can be considered archaic computers! The building has many floors. There is provision for a permanent team of technicians, hosted in living and sleeping quarters downstairs.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The top floors used to host the computing machines, which were fed by measurements from instruments mounted in metal domes, facing on the roof of the building. The room for the computing machines is rather dark, and due to the black walls it is difficult to see anything even with a torch.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The Hanstholm site offers several ancillary bunkers open to the public. Among them, one for a generator, supplying the whole fort in case of a grid failure.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Another bunker is an ammo storage, with a big concrete arch outside, for a moving crane operating above railway cars. Narrow gauge railway tracks can be seen still today in this part.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The pivot in the middle of firing station Nr.2 has been interred after the war, but the living/sleeping quarters for the troops and the ammo storage parts can be visited, albeit they are not connected any more by a direct passage.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A visit to this firing station is very interesting, for writings are in a generally better shape than in Nr.4, even though this too has not been refurbished.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

In the ammo storage part, writings are especially abundant. You can see also traces of the original telephone wiring.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The last firing station, Nr.1, is not accessible, even though not interred.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

As said, there are many other bunkers an remains around, which are typically not accessible, especially the farther you go from the museum. They are now largely on private land and used for something else.

Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The Hanstholm strongpoint is a must for everyone interested in the Atlantic Wall! The museum is modern, completely accessible, with a convenient parking and all usual facilities. Website here.

The refurbished part is basically only firing station Nr.3, but many other bunkers, like the fire control center, as well as firing stations Nr.2 and 4 are open for explorers, and they have not been spoiled by vandals. You need to go with a torchlight and proper clothing, but the visit may be very rewarding.

Many more bunkers around are closed to the public, as they are now private property and used for other purposes.

Due to the enormous size of the area, visiting may easily turn into a full-day or even multi-days business for an enthusiast. For the general public, a visit to the museum and one of the trails may take a 2-3 hours depending on the level of interest.

Hirtshals

Similar to Hanstholm (see above), the area of Hirtshals was soon selected by the Wehrmacht for a coastal fortification, thanks to its strategic position overlooking the mouth of the Skagerrak strait.

The first four 105 mm field guns were positioned here as soon as summer 1941. They occupied open-air concrete aprons, which still today bear trace of the original camouflage paint and deceptive net.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A peculiarity of this fort is its extensive network of trenches, which connect all the battle stations to the living quarters for the troops and the service buildings, like the canteen-bunker and the hospital-bunker.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

On top of the steep cliff dropping to sea level, you can find the bunkers for the guns. These were moved from the open aprons in 1944, into purpose built reinforced concrete firing positions. A special feature here is the steep flight of stair giving access to the gun area from behind. This construction was made necessary by the particular morphology and rock type of the cliff.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

You can spot significant traces of the original camo paint, and the letters ‘St’ on many walls, meaning ‘Ständig’, i.e. resistant in German. These letters were used to mark those buildings capable of sustaining shelling and bombing raids.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A bulbous roof allows to easily recognize the fire direction station.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A more rare item in Hirtshals is the base for the ‘See Riese’ radar. This is a hexagonal concrete hollow platform. The bunker underneath it would serve to host a Diesel power generator.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Back from the coastline, you may enjoy a long exploration of the trenches and of the many restored bunkers. Many bear original markings and paintings.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

In some rare cases, you can also find original decorative paintings, likely made by the soldiers stationed in the bunkers.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Restored bunkers include a ‘living bunker’, but many other installations are in good conditions, like interred shelters, ammo storages, etc. Traces of cables, armored doors – some of them with glass lights – and telephone wires can be found in many bunkers.

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Furthermore, in Hirtshals you have the chance to get a bird’s eye view of the fort, by climbing on top of the local lighthouse!

Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The Hirtshals site is an open-air museum. There are technically opening times, but the area is not fenced, so if you are looking for a visit to the exteriors, you can walk around freely at any time. The museum has a website here, and guided visits are offered in many occasions. Many bunkers were closed when I visited, and they might be visible only with a guide. Some other bunkers are open and lighted, whereas the majority are basically left to explorers – open and not lighted – but rather accessible and very easy to visit, maybe with the help of a small torch. There is not a clear entrance (the area is not fenced), nor permanent staff on the site.

There are explanatory signs for basically all of the bunkers, in double Danish/German language.

The parking is ahead of the lighthouse, which is a different entity and operates with opening times you can find here. The parking is large and free. Climbing on top of the lighthouse is possible at a small fee – apparently only Danish Crowns cash accepted.

Together with a climb on top of the lighthouse, the visit may take from 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on your level of interest.

Skagen

The Skagen area is mostly famous for its location on the very tip of the Jutland peninsula, the natural northern end of continental Europe, and ideally as the geographical point where the North Sea and Baltic Sea join together. The long and quiet shores there and the population of seals contribute to making Skagen a prominent touristic attraction, often crowded with visitors from Denmark and abroad.

What people going there may not expect is the presence of a number of massive firing positions from the years of the German occupation! These are concentrated along the eastern coast, and include firing position for 120 mm coastal guns, overlooking the Skagerrak strait.

Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There are also a fire control bunker, which has drifted to the shoreline, as well as radar support bunkers.

Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Unfortunately, these installations have been left to the elements and – most sadly – to vandals. Except for their huge size, there is not much left to appreciate.

But there is more related to the Atlantic Wall in Skagen. A former hospital bunker has been partly refurbished and converted into a very interesting smaller museum on the local battery.

Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Inside, you can first appreciate the special size of the doors and corridors, made to allow moving stretchers around.

Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Put on display are several items related to the history of the Skagen fortress. There are uniforms from the time, photos from the years of operations, and everyday items left over by the Wehrmacht.

Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Some of the rooms have been reconstructed, and provide a vivid impression of the original appearance.

Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Among the exhibits are also some relics from a downed British aircraft.

Getting there and moving around

Visiting the Skagen battery is easier from the small parking Hvide Fyr, Fyrvej, 9990 Skagen. This parking is free. Going on the Baltic shore from the parking means a five minutes walk along a prepared path. A quick walk with a look to the abandoned battery would take about 20 minutes.

You may either walk to the tip from there, or better move your car to shorten the walk, going to the huge dedicated parking area where the road N.40 ends. This parking is not free.

You will find the Skagen Bunker-Museum in the former hospital bunker immediately to the southwestern side of the parking. Website here.

Visiting may take about 30-45 minutes, an interesting small detour from the local natural attractions.

Bangsbo

Comparatively less fortified than the North Sea coast, the eastern cost of Jutland is the place of a primary military and commercial port named Frederikshavn. This is also a starting point for travelers going to Norway from central Europe.

Here the Germans installed one of the few strongpoints on this side of the peninsula. What makes the so-called Bangsbo fort unique among the Atlantic Wall installations is the fact that three of the four original guns in the coastal battery are still in place!

The main area of Bangsbo fort, where the coastal battery is located, can be found to the south of the town, and is somewhat similar to Hirtshals (see above). Both are located on top of a cliff, with a significant area to the back dedicated to command, living and service bunkers.

Today, some of these bunkers have been completely refurbished. These include the command bunker for the local commander of the Kriegsmarine (the German Navy). This is super-interesting, with many artifacts from the time, from military gear to swastika-marked dishware, from maps to photographs of general Rommel – who superintended the construction of the Atlantic Wall – visiting the installation, and much more.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Much interesting is especially the reconstruction of the command/meeting room.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Scattered over the premises of the military area are cannons and several strange items, like a tank turret intended to be placed on top of a defensive Tobruk.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There are a refurbished hospital bunker and reconstructed living quarters.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The firing control post roughly at the center of the area is another highlight, having been completely refurbished, with plenty of Nazi insignia and original material.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

To the back of the bunker are a living and command area, whereas the front part is an observation deck.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The firing positions with guns are numbered from Nr.1 to 3. They are based on 15 cm coastal guns, installed in 1944, replacing older and smaller pieces.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The guns can be walked around. The cartridge supply slides to the back of the firing chamber are still in place.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Guns Nr. 1 and 3 are similar, whereas the central gun was taken from a Danish cruiser cannibalized by the Germans in Kiel during the war. Today, it bears a greenish paint.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

There used to be a fourth cannon with a field of fire of 360 degrees. Trace of a platform can be seen, as well as an anti-aircraft gun.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

The fort shares a border with an active military area, so a part of the original installations cannot be visited. Others are open only for those visiting on guided tours. These include a radar-supporting station. Others can be entered, but are basically empty.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

A minor part of the Bansgbo fort is located north of Frederikshavn. It is a partially preserved anti-aircraft firing station. This was made of four firing places and a central fire direction point. The latter is still visible at least from the outside.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

One of the anti aircraft guns is also in place. The rest of the installation has been filled with land and made inaccessible.

Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall

Getting there and moving around

The major part of Bansgbo fort can be found south of Frederikshavn. It can be accessed from Bakkevej, which ends with the parking of the museum. Website here. The area can be walked and accessed with a ticket. There are picnic facilities and a small shop. Guided tours are offered at pre-defined times, see the website. You can get a good impression even by walking around on your own, but some bunkers can be accessed only with a guide. I did not join a guided tour, and all the pictures above are from a self-guided visit.

The site is not huge, but very interesting thanks to preservation efforts. It may easily deserve a 2 hours visit.

The anti-aircraft site is located north of Frederikshaven, and can be reached from Nordre Strandvej. You may park on the large free parking made for the local beach. This smaller installation may be visited in 10-15 minutes without a ticket.

Communist Highlights in Prague and the Czech Republic

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Czechoslovakia had existed as an independent state since the end of WWI and the dissolution of the Austrian Empire. However, this small yet economically advanced province was soon to be caught right in the middle of a storm which insisted on central Europe until the 1990s, at which time this country finally gained its true independence.

Back in the Thirties, Czechoslovakia was forcibly annexed to the Third Reich as a result of the Munich Agreement in 1938. This event can be seen a major destabilizing step in Hitler’s foreign relations, clearly showing that the situation was deteriorating fast in central Europe.

Following the troublesome years of Nazi rule, this region was captured by Soviet and US troops at the end of the war. A new republic was founded, but the local communist party was very well organized, so Czechoslovakia shared the destiny of many neighbor countries which had been occupied by the Red Army in the final stage of the war. Backed by Stalin, a communist coup d’état in 1948 led to the establishment of a Soviet-style dictatorship, which was to last until 1989, making Czechoslovakia a Soviet satellite country.

Despite the relatively small size on the map, Czechoslovakia played a significant role in the economy of the Eastern Bloc. This country had a well established tradition in the production of weapons, metal hardware and machinery. Its soil is rich in Uranium. Furthermore, the forward position on the border with non-communist Western Germany and Austria further raised its strategic significance. When a secession from Moscow was tried by the local communist government, led by reformer Alexander Dubcek in 1968 – a phase known as the ‘Prague Spring’ -, the USSR reacted with all its military might, staging a full-scale invasion of the country by land and air, overturning the high ranks of the unreliable Czechoslovakian government, and putting this valuable region under a stricter communist leadership.

Clearly, the end of the communist dictatorship is today duly celebrated as a historical achievement both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia – respectively the western and eastern portions of Czechoslovakia, which peacefully split in 1993. The more than 40 years of struggle against Soviet rule constitute the theme of several interesting permanent exhibitions, but these are not the only witnesses of those troubled times. More tangible relics – all open to the public – are former border posts with former West Germany, a one-of-a-kind original communist prison camp for political prisoners, as well as some pieces of architectures and bunkers from the Cold War age.

This post is dedicated to these highlights, all to be found in the region between Prague and the border with Bavaria, in todays Czech Republic. Photographs were collected on a short trip in summer 2018.

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

Sights

Museum of Communism, Prague

Far from a cheesy description of everyday life in the years of the Cold War, or an inaccurate account of the history of the communist plague as a social phenomenon, this permanent exhibition takes you in detail along the history of Czechoslovakia in the years immediately before WWII, when it basically lost its independence to the Germans, and going on to 1989, when with the so-called Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia abandoned the Soviet sphere of influence and overthrew the communist dictatorship.

The exhibition features an equilibrated mixture of original artifacts – paintings, statues, memorabilia,… -, photographs, models, dioramas and explicative panels.

Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague

Interestingly, speaking of the Thirties and the imposed annexation to the Third Reich, you can see models of the border forts along the former German (now Polish) border. These are covered in this dedicated post.

Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague

The history of the anti-fascist operations, and of the role of the communist party in them, are thoroughly analyzed, and so are the decisive years immediately following the war. It is recalled how this nation was partly invaded by US troops, hence it was contested as a pure-Soviet conquer. A short-lived free Czechoslovakian republic was founded, which fell under communist control, and in the years of Stalin, with a Soviet military presence in the country, this meant the end of any independence from the USSR.

Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague

Similar to East Berlin, Prague ended up to host a huge monument to Stalin. This was built on top of a hill facing the city, on the north bank of the river. It was suddenly blown after the death of the Soviet dictator, leaving an empty esplanade which can be still seen today (see a section below).

Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague

The establishment of a communist rule since the start meant the implementation of brutal repressive measures, including prison camps for political opponents, which were largely employed as forced laborers all over the territory of the state, especially for mining activities. Preventive imprisonment, extorted confessions and executions were typical to the years of Stalin. Even the troops who had come in contact with the western Allies during the war were exonerated and imprisoned, to perfectly guarantee the stability of the communist leadership of the army. A detailed account of this little-know, large-scale repressive activity is documented also by means of reconstructed interrogation rooms, as well as spy gear used by the Czechoslovakian communist political police, the StB.

Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague

A related interesting chapter is that of the border shared with neighbor western countries. Similar to the German Democratic Republic (see this post), the border with West Germany and Austria was heavily guarded to stop those who wanted to flee the country. A fence of many kilometers was erected and modernized on more instances. A number of citizens were sent to prison or even lost their lives trying to escape to the West. More on this can be found today on the border with Germany (see a section below).

A significant area is devoted to the wannabe-reformer Alexander Dubcek and the 1968 ‘Prague Spring’. The aggressive Soviet reaction to the experiment, backed by the new Brezhnev leadership, provided an example for other Soviet satellite countries seeking for independence. The invasion of Czechoslovakia, called ‘Operation Danube’, was carried out as a surprise attack, paralyzing all urban infrastructures by quickly landing troops and material with a well-organized airlift on the nation’s major civil airports, including Prague and Brno. Simultaneously, land troops of many countries of the Eastern Bloc crossed the border and rapidly occupied all military installations. Guerrilla actions took place especially in Prague, but it was soon clear that an action so massive could not be counteracted by the sole Czechoslovakian forces.

Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague
Museum Of Communism Prague

The Soviet aggression cleared any doubt about the attitude of the new leadership of the USSR. It was generally condemned even by the communist parties of the western world, but this was not helpful for Czechoslovakia, which could not overthrow the re-established Soviet-style dictatorship until the almost simultaneous collapse of the communist regimes bound to the USSR in 1989.

Getting there and moving around

This museum is an excellent resource and a starting point for gaining an insight on the history of Czechoslovakia from the late 1930s to the 1990s. A general knowledge of the Cold War history may help to better collocate the facts reported in the exhibition on the world stage, yet even if this is the first museum of the kind you may visit, it can be extremely interesting.

It is located in central Prague, perfectly accessible with a walk in the beautiful central district from the majority of the hotels. Visiting may easily take 2 hours for an interested subject. All panels and captions are in double language, Czech and English. Website with full information here.

Nuclear Bunker for Civil Defense, Prague

Following the escalation of the nuclear stockpiles in the US and USSR, countermeasures to resist a nuclear attack were implemented in many countries. Besides specific training for both troops and civilians, shelters were built for government agencies, and for the population of most crowded areas. While typically far from sufficient to save even a minimal part of the population in case of a nuclear attack, these structures were nonetheless rather extensive and sophisticated. Especially in central Europe, within reach of nuclear missiles from the start of the rocket age (see this post), nuclear bunkers for civil defense were serious structures, today standing as tangible witnesses of the Cold War (see this post).

In Prague, the system for civil defense was implemented in the form of a series of bunkers around the city center, started in the early 1950s. Over the following decades a network was created comprising the underground railway system and several metro stops, which  similar to West Berlin, could be turned into nuclear bunkers providing shelter, decontamination gear and supplies for hundreds of people for several weeks.

Of this comprehensive system only a small part can be visited today. The bunker in the Parukarka district, northeast of the city center, can be accessed from a distinctive concrete gate – today covered in ignorant graffiti – in the side of a hill. Right behind the external gate you can find a massive tight door, capable of resisting to a nuclear blast, and providing access to a stair well, leading deep underground.

Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense

From the bottom of the stairs, you are led through a network of tunnels, originally intended for storing supplies and as living quarters for refugees.

Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense

The toilet is still operative today. An emergency room with original medical tools has been reconstructed.

An interesting exhibition showcases a beautiful collection of gas masks, dosimeters, posters with emergency survival procedures and propaganda items.

Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense

A room where the main tunnel splits in multiple branches gives access to a decontamination facility, a security communication post, and an area where a small exhibition on the Cold War has been placed.

Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense

The latter includes sample mass-produced goods originally stored in the bunker, maps, and full nuclear and chemical protection suits and masks.

Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense
Prague Soviet Atomic Nuclear Shelter Civil Defense

You can also try putting on a mask, and take up a rifle for a weird selfie!

Getting there and moving around

The bunker can be reached a few tram stops from the main railway station. The entrance is located next to the southwestern corner of Parukarka park on Prokopova alley, a block away from Hotel Olsanka. However, the gate is usually closed, and there is no booth or visitor center there. The bunker can be visited by appointment only, or on a regular basis by taking the special-themed communist tour of Prague (see website here). The latter was my option. This tour is offered in English and maybe other languages, and will take you on a walk to a few places usually portrayed in the historical pictures from the days of ‘Operation Danube’ of 1968, and during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The starting point is close to the Clock Tower, on the central square of historical Prague.

The highlight of the multi-hour tour is the civil defense bunker, which makes the tour appealing. For the rest, except for little information, the tour is not excessively interesting, especially if you have already a good knowledge of the history of the Cold War and of Czechoslovakia at that time. It may the depend on the guide – mine was a relatively young man, who albeit prepared, did not seem to be able to give answers to more detailed or technical questions. Furthermore, the time spent inside the bunker is limited, and very scant explanations are provided about the exhibitions and artifacts on display there. Time is not enough for good photographs. The website of the bunker, for more info or for booking a private visit, is here.

Soviet-Related Buildings and Monuments, Prague

A few buildings in Prague have a historical significance bound to the Cold War, either for the role they had in the years of the communist dictatorship, or for the fact they were erected in Soviet style.

A first example is the headquarter of the StB, the political police of Czechoslovakia, similar to the KGB, Stasi or Securitate of other communist countries. This is located in central Prague, and occupies a building which had been previously built for another purpose.

Secret Communist Police STB Headquarters Prague
Secret Communist Police STB Headquarters Prague

To the northwest of the historical district, on the northern bank of the river, you can find a prominent example of Soviet architecture – Hotel International. This was designed in the years of Stalin, and this is reflected in the typical Stalinist tower architecture (see this post). It had been intended as a building of the department of defense, to host high-ranking military staff. It never covered this role, and after the construction years, lasting 1952-1956, it was inaugurated as a luxury hotel, with the same name it bears today.

Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague

After the end of communism in Europe, the hotel has been refurbished, returning the exteriors to the original appearance. The star on top the central spire is original too. The frieze features hammers and sickles, as well as other examples of typical communist iconography.

Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague
Hotel International Prague

Today a rather unapparent square with a nice view of the old city, the base of the monument to Stalin with the giant staircases leading to it from the water level can be found on the northern bank of the river. This area is today partly degraded, and used for temporary art installations. Only pictures from the time allow to get an idea of the monster size of the sculpture group once standing there, with Stalin and other folks overlooking the city.

Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague
Former Stalin's Monument Prague
Former Stalin’s Monument Prague

The monument was blown after Stalin was condemned by the Communist Party of the USSR, soon after his death.

Among the relatively few statues and prominent buildings dating back to the years of communist dictatorship is a couple of cosmonauts. This can be found in the southern periphery of the city, immediately out of the metro station Haje. The neighborhood is mainly residential, dating from Soviet times. Notwithstanding the general decency of the area, these two astronauts are somewhat forgotten, close to an overgrown hedge.

Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin
Prague Soviet Relic Astronaut Statue Gagarin

Getting there and moving around

The mentioned communist architectural highlights in Prague are somewhat scattered.

The StB headquarters are located on the corner between Bartolomějská Ulice and Na Perstyne, at the very center of the historical district. The former Stalin monument can be reached climbing uphill from the northern end of Chechuv Most bridge, a short walk from the historical district. Besides the questionable interest for what remains of the monument, climbing up is advisable at least for the exceptional view you can enjoy from the balcony.

The Hotel International is located further north of the city center, where Koulova alley meets Cinska road. The nice residential area is served by a number of tram and bus stops, but reaching may be easier by car. Clearly, you can also elect to stay at the hotel.

The two cosmonauts can be found in the southern peripheral district Haje, just outside of the homonym metro stop, close to a larger bus stop area. Again, reaching is less time consuming by car.

Vojna Prison Camp, Pribram

A one-of-a-kind memorial in the panorama of former communist-led countries is preserved just south of the small town of Pribram, about 40 miles southwest of Prague. This is a full scale prison camp for forced laborers, instituted by the communist dictatorship in the years of Stalin, back in 1947. The prisoners of this camp were interned only for political reasons. Together with other similar installations, it supplied workforce for the extraction of uranium ore from mines nearby. The number of inmates increased steadily until the early 1960s, reaching the order of 1,500, until a series of amnesties were promulgated and prison camps were closed in Czechoslovakia.

The camp went on to be operated as a military depot, and reopened as a national memorial in the late 1990s.

Close to the entrance, which is via the original gate in the outer fence of the camp, a former industrial building has been substituted by a modern building with roughly the same shape, hosting a conference center and the visitor center. When on a self-guided tour, you are advised to start your visit with an exhibition on the history of the Czechoslovakian prison camps, hosted in the former guard quarters. The exhibition provides models, pictures and quick numbers to get an idea of the proportion of the repression and internment of political prisoners, as well as of the forced labor system set up by the communist leadership.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

A memorial to those who perished as a result of political repression and imprisonment in the area of Pribram concludes this part.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

The partly original and partly reconstructed buildings on display include a complete external perimeter, a prison and a rigor cell.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

Inside an inner guarded perimeter, a few barracks for the inmates have been reconstructed or refurbished, and are used to showcase temporary and permanent exhibitions. One of great interest at the time of my visit described in detail the days of the liberation from the Nazi occupation – US troops briefly took over control of the area, and they met the Soviet army nearby Pribram.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

There are also service buildings for the guards, with a small movie theater and a canteen.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

Another interesting part is the original emergency room and clinic. The face of Stalin in the doctor’s room is particularly disturbing. Besides the generally harsh living conditions, illnesses and injuries typical to mine works were rather common. Inexperience of the forced laborers clearly added to the injury rates.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

In a building to the far end of the camp you can find an exhibition about mining activities in the area and uranium extraction in Czechoslovakia, which represented an asset of this country in the eyes of the USSR.

Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech
Vojna Communist Prison Camp Uranium Mine Pribram Czech

Getting there and moving around

The prison camp is opened as a national memorial. It can be reached by car along highway N.4 in 30 minutes from central Prague in the small village of Lesetice, immediately south of Pribram. There are opening times, but you can visit either on a self-guided basis or with a guide. I was not given the option of a guided tour in English though, so I enjoyed a self-guided tour. There is some paneling in English, but not extensively covering all parts of the installation. Access to the rigor cell is only possible with a guide, but you may join a guided tour only for that small part of the exhibition, just to get access.

A complete visit on a self-guided basis may take about 1.5 hours for the interested subject, including time for taking all the pictures.

Please note they accept only cash. Website in English with full information here.

Iron Curtain Museum, Rozvadov

This atypical museum is located right on the border with Germany, between the Czech village of Rozvadov and the German town of Frankenreuth, Bavaria. Back in the years of the Cold War, the highway E50 today crossing the border nearby did not exist, and this border post was a major checkpoint on the line between the Eastern Bloc and the West.

The museum is deceptively located in the basement of the gas station immediately cross the border on the Czech side. The gas station itself used to be the custom and border control station, as you can see from historical pictures inside the museum.

The museum is constituted of a collection of photographs and artifacts. The exhibits cover roughly two themes – communism in Czechoslovakia and the Cold War as a global confrontation.

Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech

Red banners, small sculptures, photographs and propaganda posters have been collected from various locations in Czechoslovakia. These include official portraits of the communist presidents of Czechoslovakia, and memorabilia belonging to their offices.

Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech

A good collection of weapons and communication gear belonging to border guards and local troops of both sides of the Iron Curtain is also on display. Communist-themed commemorative medals and dinnerware are part of the collection.

Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech

The part on the global confrontation is smaller, and include photographs from sister museums in other countries including the US, a small documentation on the history of nuclear tests and the nuclear stockpiles in the Cold War period.

Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech
Iron Curtain Museum Rozvadov Muzeum Zelezne Opony Border Communist Germany Czech

On the outside, a few vehicles of the former border guards can be found (no pictures due to heavy rain).

Getting there and moving around

This nice small museum is surely worth visiting for the interested subject, even though it does not concentrate much on the history of the local border post. The website in Czech language can be found here, basic visiting info can be easily found with some Google translation. It can be reached by car on the road connecting Frankenreuth, Bavaria, and Rozvadov, immediately cross the border on the Czech side. Signs to the entrance can be found around the local gas station. Entry is behind the building of the gas station. Visiting on a self-guided basis will not take more than 45 minutes for the interested subject.

Please note that they accept only cash.

Museum of the Border Guard, Rozvadov

This museum is actually a preserved former barrack of the border guards. Not only it looks like the building is still being operated, it actually is, albeit only for reunions of the former guards and local ranger corps, which today keep it open.

Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain

Thanks to this special condition, the place is very vivid and makes for an extremely interesting visit. Besides the sleeping quarters, you can find a series of rooms with rifles and technical material, including radio and communication equipment.

Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain

If you are lucky, the guide will give you a demonstration of how parts of this technical gear work.

Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain

A former class room/meeting room hosts a reconstruction of the fences which used to run all along the border with West Germany and Austria. The level of control was totally similar to the one implemented between the two German Republics (see this post). In the same room there is a small collection of weapons you can touch.

Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain

In a room close by the entrance a sentinel was always keeping the assigned sector of the border under control. The various protective layers prevented anybody from escaping the communist territory. Besides watchtowers along the border line, when touched the innermost fence triggered an alarm in the sentinel’s room. This appeared as a mark on a specially designed detector, which could tell with good approximation where the fugitive was trying to cross the border. This would trigger the other guards, who would scramble out and seek for him. This sophisticated piece of machinery was manufactured in the GDR…

Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain
Museum of the Border Guard Rozvadov Muzeum Pohraniční stráže Germany Czech Border Iron Curtain

Getting there and moving around

Reaching the place can be tricky, for there are no signs leading to it. From the road 605 in Rozvadov, follow the indications to Casino Admiral. This is located on a road climbing gently uphill from the 605. Going further on the same road, you will reach a dead-end, and a group of shabby barracks after about .3 miles. These must have been all service buildings and barracks for the border guards. One of the barracks is the museum. The exact GPS coordinates are (49.673994, 12.545367).

Information on the opening times can be found from the website of the town administration (on the right hand side of the web page).

Opening times are extremely limited. You are followed on your visit by one of the guards, some of them can speak a little English, sufficient for making the visit extremely interesting. There is no institutional ticket, but they will ask for a voluntary cash offer. Visiting may take about 30-40 minutes.

A Few Remains of Nazi Grandeur in Germany

CarloRLeave a comment

Architecture is possibly one of the disciplines where the ringleaders of the Nazi dictatorship invested most, for it provided a direct mean to display and impose their ‘new aesthetics’ to the German people and to foreign visitors from abroad.

The victory of the Allies in WWII wiped out the Nazi apparatus, but nowhere as in Germany did the new post-war leadership take the  deletion of all traces of the Third Reich so seriously. Even in museums of military history – there is an excellent example in Ingolstadt,  Bavaria, perhaps one of the most beautiful museums on the topic in Europe – there are just a handful of Nazi insignia. Swastikas, Nazi uniforms, weapons and memorabilia can be found to an incredibly greater extent elsewhere in Europe, especially in Britain, or in museums in the US. They are really also abundant in the countless exhibitions about the Great Patriotic War – WWII for Russians – in the former USSR, and generally beyond the Iron Curtain.

Concerning architecture, especially in Berlin many buildings of all ages were totally demolished as a result of US/British air raids, and during the last battle for the city opposite the Red Army. Similarly, the town centers of many larger towns were severely damaged. In the reconstruction process, little care was taken in keeping trace of this dark page of the German history, and the reborn downtown districts assumed in many cases a new face, where 1950-styled buildings shared the stage with medieval cathedrals and public schools from Bismarck’s time – pretty much nothing from the 1930s.

Yet of course some creations of Hitler’s architects have come to these days. Despite the evil ideology behind them, some are remarkable works of art, displaying a clear relationship with functionalism, typically found through various interpretations also in many realizations of great architects of the Thirties, in the US as well as all around western Europe. Examples are those buildings connected with infrastructures, like airport terminals or railway stations – much needed in the post-WWII period, and preferably restored instead of being demolished. More items of this kind survive than possibly of any other from Hitler’s era in todays German cities. A majestic example is the terminal of the now closed Berlin-Tempelhof airport.

Most of the surviving buildings hold a public function – like departments of the government or sport arenas. In a very few cases, buildings strongly connected with the devious ideology of the Third Reich have been preserved – albeit not greatly publicized – as museums. A first notable example is the complex around the Zeppelin Field in Nuremberg, with the unfinished huge congress hall for the conventions of the Nazi Party. A second one is the disturbing ‘spiritual center’ of the infamous SS in Wewelsburg.

This chapter collects a few photographs from these three places. Of course, it is far from a complete review of the architectural heritage of the 1930s and 1940s in Germany. It just provides an insight on a relatively unknown group of relics from Hitler’s era in Germany.

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Sights

Berlin-Tempelhof Airport Terminal

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Possibly the most complete and grandest example of Nazi architecture, the airport terminal of Berlin-Tempelhof is interesting both from an architecture standpoint and for its historical significance. The terminal was designed and built in the late 1930s and completed in 1941, greatly enlarging a preexistent construction.

At that time, nothing comparable existed in the world. The terminal is more than a mile long. It was built with a direct access from the land-side buildings directly to the long side of a narrow hangar on the air-side, which basically ran all along the terminal. Considering the small size of the aircraft of the day, this ‘hangar-terminal’ configuration could be exploited to simultaneously load and unload a high number of flights, with operations taking place directly in, or just outside, of a covered hangar. During WWII, parts of the hangar were used to manufacture military aircraft, exploiting forced laborers from a concentration camp prepared nearby for the purpose.

But the features of the terminal turned also extremely handy during the Berlin blockade of 1948-49, when Stalin tried to force his former western Allies to withdraw from Berlin by cutting off the western sector of the city. The western Allies set up the famous airlift, supplying the western sector with basically everything that was needed for a population in the order of a million, for 15 months! Tempelhof was the major airport in Berlin – the other being the British airbase in Gatow, near Potsdam – and laid in the American zone of the city. Thanks to its peculiar structure, it could manage the immense flow of goods flown in by more than 1’000 flights per day.

In the Cold War years, the airport was operated as a logistic base by the US forces. In the meanwhile, the construction of a larger airport – with a smaller terminal, but longer runways – was started at Tegel, and this was promoted to the main airport of West Berlin for civil air traffic. State flights still were operated in and out of Tempelhof, President Reagan’s Air Force One 27000 notably operating from Tempelhof on a famous state visit in 1982. After the German reunification the airport went on working as a civil airport, but the relatively short runways and noise issues led to its closure in 2008.

Sadly, today this glorious airport has been turned into another city park. It is rather difficult to use it for the scope though, as all the cement and asphalt of the apron, runways and taxiways are still there, there are no trees, and the terminal is an imposing presence on one side. Moreover, it is really a surplus for a city like Berlin, scattered with plenty of beautiful and immense green areas. The terminal building has not yet found a new occupation, and is basically a well-guarded ghost. Plans for reopening it as a convention center are apparently consolidated in 2022, but renovation works are going on still at very low pace.

Most recently, a small but well-designed, mainly pictorial exhibition has been located in the old terminal building, retracing with beautiful historical pictures, technical schemes and essential explanations the history of Tempelhof Airport.

Pictures from the year 2015 – but luckily not much had changed in 2022, the date of my latest visit – show the main building giving access to the terminal on the northwestern corner of the airfield still in a rather good shape. The empty parking ahead of the passenger entrance with nobody around gives a lunar aura to the place.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

The neat lines of this part of the building deceive its actual size. From a former visit still in the days of operation – year 2006 – you can notice the roomy check-in hall, right beyond the main entrance.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active

Close by one of the glass entry doors you can spot a memorial to General Lucius Clay, the American mind behind the Berlin Airlift.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

The grand perspective leading to the entrance is really an architectural masterpiece. Also noteworthy is a series of covered passages leading to lateral courtyards to the sides. These service passages are not visible when approaching the terminal from the distance, preserving the general sense of order without renouncing to the functionality of the construction.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

There are two surviving marble eagles from Hitler’s time, on the front walls of the buildings to the sides of the main perspective.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active

The eagle head ahead of the parking is from the eagle sculpture originally standing on top of the main façade in Hitler’s times. That eagle was taken away after the capture of the city and the end of the war. The head went to the Army Academy in West Point, NY as a spoil of war, and was returned after the German reunification.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

Moving along the wings of the building you can appreciate the size of the construction, really uncommon for Europe in the Thirties. The quality of all materials is also really striking. Their cost must have been really high.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

To the extreme northeastern tip of the building you can spot some former radio installations, likely connected with air traffic control or military operations. From there you can get access to the former air side of the airport. At the time when the pictures were taken it was possible to walk around freely, but unfortunately not close to the hangar. Most recently, a branch of the Allied Museum in Berlin has taken responsibility for a preservation effort, and is keeping the place off-limits, opening it to the public on rare guided visits in German only – but I could not join in any of them.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

There is also a historical propliner ahead of the iconic ‘Berlin Tempelhof’ sign on top of the hangar. Anyway, walking on the apron and runways produces a ‘history was made here’ feeling, and it is worth trying! Again, a few shots from the days of operation show the hangar from inside the terminal building. Historical pictures from local panels show the use of the hangar for the production of aircraft and technical parts.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
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Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
Berlin Tempelhof Airport Terminal Active
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Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

As said, a recent exhibition of special interest for getting an accurate historical perspective, retraces the timeline of the airfield, since its pre-Third Reich era, through the colossal redesign in the shape we see today carried out in Hitler’s time, and down to the Cold War era, when Tempelhof had a crucial role in the Berlin Airlift, and was operated for long as a regular city airport.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

Remarkably, in April 1945 the airfield fell in Soviet hands – since the Soviet Army conquered Berlin – and was later ceded to the US, following the Potsdam agreements in July 1945, which split the capital of the Third Reich in four sectors. It is likely Stalin regretted his own ‘fair-play’ concerning Tempelhof at the time of the Airlift, just a few years later…

A picture portraying general Keitel, in custody, arriving at Tempelhof to sign the instrument of surrender in the Soviet headquarters (see here) together with other top-ranking Nazi officers, shows a Lisunov Li-2 in the background. This was the licensed Soviet copy of the Douglas C-47. Also interesting the demolished German fighters found on sight by the conquerors.

The US, having taken control of the field, organized open-days for the general public once per year – reportedly, mostly appreciated by the local population.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

Actually, the years corresponding to the sealing of the Inner Border (see here), from the Berlin crisis of 1961 (which saw the construction of the Berlin Wall) until specific accords partially reopening the land borders especially to Westerners in the early 1970s, were those of the most intense activity for Tempelhof – reaching West Berlin was more convenient by flight. But soon after, the better infrastructure of Tegel, with longer runways and less surrounded by high-rise buildings, took over most of the airline connections to Berlin. Tempelhof went on hosting state flights, general aviation flights, and commercial flights to a lower scale. There was also a permanent presence of US Army forces.

Evoking pictures include one with Willy Brandt greeting general Clay, and much later, President Reagan and the First Lady on a state visit in 1987. In another, you see one of the former Third Reich top-ranking staff Albert Speer – who also contributed to the design of Tempelhof – leaving for Western Germany by flight, following release after serving a long sentence in the prison of Spandau. He had been sentenced in Nürnberg.

Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport

The closure on grounds of noise issues, as noted, left the infrastructure unused for some years. Plans for re-opening as a convention/exhibition centers have been prepared as of 2022, and partial updating works are being carried out.

Getting there and moving around

The former airport is not far from downtown Berlin, around 3 miles south from the Brandenburg Gate in the former western sector of the city. Access to the terminal is from Tempelhofer Damm. Parking is possible along this major alley, or on the many roads around the airport – parking is rarely a problem in Berlin. Be ready to walk though, as usual when touring an airport.

Access possible also with public means of transportation. The front terminal can be easily reached from the U6 stops ‘Platz der Luftbrucke’ or ‘Bhf Paradestrasse’. Access from the east is easier from the U8 stops ‘Boddinstrasse’ or ‘Leinenstrasse’. There is finally an S-bahn station on the southwestern corner of the airfield – ‘Bahnhof Tempelhof’ – where U6 meets with several S-bahn lines.

My last visit to the place dates back to 2022, and as the area was undergoing renovation with a consolidated plan for changing its role and shape – and some works having started in the southernmost part of the terminal building.

Anyway, at the time of this visit the terminal was closed to the public, with limited chances to visit inside on guided tours. The only chance to access the terminal is for the small – yet totally recommended – photo exhibition. The latter can be reached to the left of the main facade of the terminal building. Website with contacts and timetables here.

Touring the exterior is possible on your own, and there are also a few descriptive panels along the perimeter. There are multiple entrances to the former air side, which is a public park with many people around.

Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg

Nuremberg is an ancient imperial city in the heart of Germany, taken over as the symbolic capital of the ‘new kingdom’ by the theorists of the Nazi doctrine, due to its historical significance in German history. This town became the focal point of Hitler-led Nazi Party (NSDAP is the acronym of the party name in German language) well before the fateful general elections of 1933, when Hitler was elected chancellor of the German Republic. Among the activities of the NSDAP since the Twenties was a yearly rally, where for a few days all sections of the party met in Nuremberg for a series of group activities, including political speeches, commemoration of the fallen soldiers of the German wars, sport, camping, dining, etc.

In the years preceding Hitler’s raise to power, these rallies took place in the Luitpoldhain Park, to the southeast of the town center. The park had at its center the Hall of Honor, a memorial to the soldiers of German Wars, erected at the end of the Twenties. Today, leaving behind some construction works carried out by the NSDAP in the 1930s – including a massive Luitpold Hall and a tribune, today completely demolished – the place has regained its commemorative function, and is still used as a nice and sober city park. Yet historical photographs of Hitler celebrating the fallen German comrades ahead of the very monument you can see today produce a strange feeling.

Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Luitpoldhain Zeppelin Field

In the years of the dictatorship, the rallies turned into a megalomaniac ostentation of power, with hundreds of thousands participating in the reunions. Correspondingly, the area involved in these parades was greatly enlarged, and a plan was made to realize a group of dedicated buildings.

The most famous of them, thanks to the historical movies of the parades recorded at the time, is the Zeppelin Field. This was a parade ground designed from scratch by Nazi architects. The white tribune with the huge swastika on top, in the background of an immense, perfectly ordered and disciplined public, crowding the arena and listening to the voice of the Führer, is one of the permanent symbols of the Third Reich monstrous machine. Actually, the same tribune is the subject of another very famous movie, where the swastika is blown up with dynamite after the capture of the city of Nuremberg by US troops, marking the end of the Nazi rule in Germany.

Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field

The tribune and the constructions along the perimeter of the Zeppelin Field underwent major post-war deconstruction works, as the area came to host a car racing circuit and later a rather minimal sporting ground. What remains of the building is still rather massive, yet the top colonnade is gone, and as of 2016 the place looked little guarded and partly abandoned – eventually making it even grimmer! You can be on the exact podium where Hitler stood in his golden days admiring his evil creation.

Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Tribune Hall Zeppelin Field

The final and most prominent part of the plan is the congress hall of the NSDAP. Like most of the gigantic construction project for the area, this building was never completed, yet it reached a rather advanced state of completion. It is a U-shaped, three floors building, clearly inspired to the ancient Roman architecture. It should have been the building for the congresses of the NSDAP.

Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Nazi Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field

Today, this is the only preserved building of the complex, and hosts an extremely interesting museum and documentation center on the history of the Nazi Party and of the rallies. Really an interesting insight in the aesthetics of Hitler’s era and in the strange history of this strange political movement, which has been instrumental in shaping the face of todays Europe – and possibly of the world. Surely worth visiting.

Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field
Nuremberg Congress Hall Zeppelin Field

A somewhat off-topic note, yet fitting in this chapter, concerns the hall of the Nuremberg Trials. These post-war trials were held in Nuremberg soon after the end of the war, mainly because of the significance this city had gained for the NSDAP. The courthouse, used as such also under the Nazi dictatorship, survived the war rather undamaged. Today, it is home to the Memorium, a very interesting museum documenting the trials from an anecdotal perspective, as well as from a more elevated viewpoint, describing its significance for international law – it was the first time an international conflict ended up in a trial.

Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials
Nuremberg Memorium WWII Nazi Trials

Besides the museum, which is mainly centered on panels and photographs, you can see the famous Courtroom 600, where the trials took place. This was a bit altered since the years of the trials, yet some peculiar features, like the artistic doors, are exactly those you can see in the famous video recordings from the time.

Getting there and moving around

The area of the NSDAP rallies can be found about 2.5 miles southeast of the historical district of Nuremberg, Bavaria. It can be conveniently reached by car, or with public transport. Tramway line 8 departs the central railway station and has several stops in the area of interest. The S-bahn station ‘Nurnberg-Dutzenteich’ is 0.3 miles from the congress hall.

Today the area is mainly green, with much room for relaxing with a good walk. There are some explanatory panels with maps outlining the scheme of the Nazi master plan, including the buildings which were actually erected, those which were later demolished, and those which were just planned.

The centerpiece is the museum ‘Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände’, in the unfinished congress hall. Despite the distance from downtown Nuremberg, this is a major attraction for foreign visitors, hence the museum is prepared for large crowds. Visiting is possible with an audio-guide in many languages, and it is really worth the time and price. Website here.

The Memorium Nuremberg Trials, is hosted in a still active section of the Courthouse and is conveniently reachable by car of with the U-bahn U1, stop ‘Bärenschanze’, about 1 mile west of the historical town center. It can be visited on a self-guided basis, with audio-guides in many languages. This exhibition is really well designed and very interesting, and may take a couple of hours for a complete exploration. Yet due to the relative absence of tangible ‘hardware’ it may turn out unbearable for smaller children. Website here.

Spiritual Headquarter of the SS, Wewelsburg

The castle of Wewelsburg is connected to one of the most obscure aspects of the Nazi ideology – magic practices. The castle was founded centuries before the advent of the Nazis. Soon after the rise to power of the NSDAP, the head of the SS Heinrich Himmler got fascinated by the triangular perimeter of the castle, which appears to point towards the North. This is nothing special for a normal mind, but the SS  were the treasurers of the German race culture, and they were trying all the time to establish a solid link between basically themselves and the ancient settlers of Greenland – the Thule people – described in some legends as the most ancient northern population. This was instrumental in sustaining that the world belonged to the SS, which had been there since before everyone else.

Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric

This apparently silly idea represented for this group of fanatics a sufficient motivation to trigger a world war, were they saw themselves as the leaders of a liberation movement, regaining a rightful control over Europe (just to start) to the German race, after centuries of undue occupation by other races.

Wewelsburg gained more and more importance as the Nazis started preparing for war. The northern tower of the castle was declared the center of the world, and the heart of the SS soul. The School of Wewelsburg represented the spiritual leadership of this military organization, which enjoyed a surprising independence – and an extensive budget – even in the suffocating bureaucratic apparatus of Hitler’s political dictatorship. As such, Wewelsburg came in the middle of a visionary master plan, where it had to be at the center of a circular construction with a radius of 1 kilometer. Construction works started on this project, satellite concentration camps for forced laborers being opened on site for the purpose. The work did not develop much though, due to the intervening war events and things evolving differently from the Nazi plans.

Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric

The castle underwent some modifications under the SS. It was generally refurbished to host regular reunions of the comrades of the School of Wewelsburg, with SS-themed furniture which can be seen in the local museum devoted to this incredible story.

Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric

Furthermore, the northern tower was largely modified inside, with two round rooms appearing one above the other on two levels. The top one was completed as the ‘Room of the Black Sun’. It is centered on a mosaic pavement with a swastika motif. A disk made of pure gold, disappeared after the war, represented the sun in the center of the pavement, and marked the very center of the world.

Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric

The bottom room is basically a crypt, receiving little light from the outside, and resembling a chapel. At the center of the room you can find a basin like in a baptistery. All around there are little stands, possibly provisions for thrones. On top of the vault, just beneath the sun in the top room, there is a rare stone sculpture of a swastika.

Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric
Wewelsburg Castle SS Nazi Center of the World Black Sun Esoteric

The real use of these rooms is rather mysterious. It seems likely that Himmler with the School of Wewelsburg wanted to create a kind of ‘elite of the elite’ in the SS. The crypt might have been a place for ritual initiation ceremonies, and the top hall a kind of meeting area for the group. Selected officials and intellectuals of the SS met regularly in Wewelsburg, but basically no documentation exists of the content of these meetings. Yet the well-known mental inclination and conviction of the components of the group, the symbolic significance of the Wewelsburg site for these people and the temple-like setup of the northern tower suggest some sort of esoteric ritual might have taken place here.

The area reportedly fell into disrepair soon after WWII, and even worse, conceived by some as the shrine of the still alive ‘spirit of the SS’, it rapidly became the stage of black masses, magic practices and satanic rites. To contain the drift, the top hall was turned into a Christian chapel and an altar was put in place. This was later removed when castle opened as a museum on local history, a youth hostel and more recently as part of a very interesting museum and documentation center about the SS.

Getting there and moving around

The castle of Wewelsburg is located on top of a cliff in the homonym village, about 8 miles southwest of the medieval town of Paderborn, immersed in a beautiful north-German landscape. It appears to be about 2 miles south of the Paderborn-Lippe local airport. The castle can be conveniently reached by car, parking available nearby the entrance.

There are several exhibitions, including a museum about the ancient history of the castle, a documentation center and museum on the SS, which provides access to the Northern Tower and its mystery rooms, and a space for temporary exhibitions – at the time of my visit, there was one on the racial aspects of Nazi ideology. All museum are very modern and extremely interesting. There is also a hostel right inside the castle.

The site is really interesting to visit and a good destination for a nice half-day trip for everyone. Yet despite the nice panorama and the pleasant 16th century architecture, the association of the castle with dark activities in the dark years of Himmler and the SS makes this castle mysterious and somewhat grim, adding to the experience.

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.

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

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.

Aalto’s Highlights in Finland

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Possibly one of the worlds best-known architects from the 20th century, Alvar Aalto – together with his wife Aino, also an architect – enjoyed a great popularity since the beginning of his working career. He began with experimental works mostly based on mixing and harmonizing many styles from different ages and countries – especially Italy, a Country the Aalto couple visited for the first time during their honeymoon, and which they fell in love. In the last 1920s with the birth of the functional style Aalto became a herald of this new architecture, which he mixed with an instinctive and very personal vein, resulting in something really original and easily identifiable. Aalto’s creations usually feature a great care for any detail, making any room in his buildings natural to use for its intended function.

Aalto’s work is of course well represented in his Finnish mother country, a nation which always acknowledged him as a great artistic personality and which he never left for long.

This short post presents some of the highlights of Aalto’s production in Finland. While far from complete, the sites listed here may offer already an idea of the diversity of the functions of Aalto’s buildings.

Photographs were collected on a visit to Finland in August 2017.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Sights

Villa Mairea, Noormarkku

Surely one of the best known creations of Alvar Aalto, this beautiful mansion was built in 1938 for the Gullichsen family, owner of a successful wood pulp business and paper factory. This was not the only work commissioned to Alvar and Aino Aalto by this family.

This residential building was designed in Aalto’s typical interpretation of functional-organic architecture. The great variety of the materials and the attention to all details both inside and outside is also typical to this architect, which in this case could work without any relevant budget constraints.

The mansion is immersed in a young forest, in the hilly countryside north of Pori, close to the western coast of Finland.

Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto

The front façade features a small covered porch leading to the door.

Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto

Access to the slightly overhead garden is through a pergola on the northeastern corner of the house. The garden features a large swimming pool, a fireplace and a dinner table.

Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto

The large windows can be removed completely to transform the large ‘double living room’ occupying most of the ground floor into an open space communicating directly with the garden and nature around.

Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto
Villa Mairea Noormarkku Alvar Aalto

The windows are pretty heavy though, and this technological feature was used only rarely.

Visiting

The villa is still property of the Gullichsen family, and sometimes used for vacation or party time by the owners. Tours are arranged through a local guide by permission of the owners on a semi-regular schedule. You will need to make a reservation through their website for visiting, picking one out of the available dates. Payment is due on the day of visit, credit cards accepted. Parking is possible close to the villa. Unfortunately, on regular tours it is not possible to take pictures of the inside, and only the ground floor can be visited. Anyway getting a view from inside will add value to your visit, so it is highly recommended. The guided tour of the inside takes about 45 minutes.

Finnish Glass Museum, Riihimäki

This beautiful museum traces the history of Finnish glass design. While not an ancient tradition in this Country, Finland has reached in the 19th and 20th century a great fame in this field.

A first part of the museum is dedicated to the evolution of the techniques for glass manufacture.

Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala

Then follows a huge collection of glass artifacts produced in Finland in various ages and for different purpose. Among them, there are also some very famous designs by Alvar and Aino Aalto, as well as other Finnish designers.

Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala
Riihimaki Glass Museum Finland Iittala

Visiting

The museum is a famous attraction and can be reached quite easily. All information here. The visit may take 1 to 2.5 hours depending on your level of interest. The sight of all those glass artifacts is captivating even for those with little interest for design and art!

Säynätsalo Town Hall

Another well-known masterpiece, the complex in the small town of Säynätsalo was built in the years 1949-52 to host the local town hall, a public library as well as some private business. Red bricks cover the exterior, which is articulated in two main buildings designed around an inner courtyard for pedestrian access.

Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto

The inside of the city hall building presents a series of smaller rooms on the main level, aligned along a corridor opening on the courtyard. Anything from the chairs to the door handles and lamps was designed by Aalto, making the ensemble really harmonious.

Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto

The upper floor is present only in a square-based corner tower, and here you find the main hall. It is very tall, but lighting is through narrow windows and together with the colors of wood and brick, it induces a sense of calm, warmth and concentration.

Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto
Saynatsalo Town Hall Alvar Aalto

Visiting

Today the town hall is not used for this function any more. Actually there are some small businesses like a bistro and a bed and breakfast in it. Yet the place is preserved mostly as it was, and a good part of the main level and the former town hall can be visited. Visits are offered on a regular basis at least in summer. Website here.

Muurame Church, Muurame

The church of Muurame is one of the last ‘eclectic’ works of Aalto (1929), in an age when modernism was already spreading among avantgarde architects. The inspiration from Italian architecture is pretty evident, testifying on the close bond between Aalto and the Italian architectural heritage.

Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto
Muurame Church Alvar Aalto

The location on top of a small hill is pretty suggestive.

Visiting

Not well signaled unless you come very close, the exact address is 7 Kirkkotie, 40950 Muurame. The place is only open for ceremonies. I was very lucky as I happened to pass by when a marriage was just going to be celebrated, so I could get a quick view of the sober, elegant interior. The exterior can be neared without problems all the time. Official website in Finnish here.

Jyväskylä

The town where Alvar Aalto spent his youth did receive much in return from its illustrious citizen. Surely one of the most prominent examples of social architecture is the main campus of the local University – today one of the three top-ranking educational institutes in Finland.

Several buildings were designed as the backbone of this campus between 1951 and 1958. The inspiration came again from classical architecture, especially Greece, as Aalto’s view was that of reproducing the basic plant of an acropolis. Among the buildings in the campus probably the most notable are the library and the teacher’s training school nearby.

Jyväskylä University Library Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä University Library Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä University Library Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä University Library Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä University Library Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä University Library Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland

A very nice scenery is constituted by the sports ground, with a series of low-profile buildings around it forming a really proportionate ensemble, like the stage of a theater.

Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland
Jyväskylä University Finland

Another notable building by Aalto is the city theater, completed after the death of the architect based on his design, and the former building of the Police department nearby, conceived to somewhat deceive the role of the institution making it look somehow less ‘martial’ than its usual function may imply. An older design close to the city center is that of the building of the Trade Unions, closer to the eclectic period of the designer.

Jyväskylä Theatre Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Theatre Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Theatre Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Theatre Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Theatre Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Theatre Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Trade Unions Alvar Aalto
Jyväskylä Trade Unions Alvar Aalto

Finally, a unmissable highlight in town is the Alvar Aalto Museum. Designed by the architect, it hosts a nice collection of prints, drawings as well as pieces of furniture tracing the evolution of Aalto’s style with many interesting details.

Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum
Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto Museum

Jyväskylä benefits from a generally fortunate setting – here are some photographs of the lake and some new buildings in town.

Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland
Jyväskylä Finland

Visiting

A visit to Jyväskylä with the museum and a walk along a trail touching all Aalto’s works may take from a half to a full day. A website suggesting a trail with links to the pages of the corresponding attractions is here. The University campus is still in use, like the theater and the building of the Police – today an office building. As a result, visiting the interiors may be tricky. Despite that, a walk in the campus and in the city center together with a visit to the Alvar Aalto Museum may fully justify a detour to this lovely town.

Rovaniemi

The town of Rovaniemi was totally destroyed by the retreating German Army in the closing stages of WWII – the so called Lapland War. As a result, construction work could be carried out without the constraints typically bound to the presence of an older neighborhood. Alvar Aalto was tasked with the design of a new city center, featuring a city hall, a theater – ‘Lappia-talo’ – and a public library.

Lappia Talo Rovaniemi Alvar Aalto
Lappia Talo Rovaniemi Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto

The buildings were erected in multiple stages between the Sixties and the Eighties, after the death of the architect. The ensemble is very harmonious and nice to walk, not intimidating as mostly usual for similar buildings especially in the US.

Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Hall Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Lappia Talo Rovaniemi Alvar Aalto
Lappia Talo Rovaniemi Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto
Rovaniemi City Library Alvar Aalto

A possibly more famous building in Rovaniemi – not by Aalto – is the Arktikum, built in 1993 and hosting some local museums.

Arktikum Rovaniemi Alvar Aalto
Arktikum Rovaniemi Alvar Aalto

Visiting

The civic center is still used for its original function. At the time of my visit it was closed for Sunday. A website in Finnish with information on the history of Aalto’s building in the northernmost region of the Country, including his works in Rovaniemi, can be found here.

Helsinki

Aalto’s contribution to Finland’s capital city has its most visible example in the Finlandia House, or ‘Finlandia-talo’ in the local idiom. This long and flat building is located close to the parliament and was built in 1971, among the last works of the architect. It is a ‘social event’ building, hence it hosts a theater, conference rooms and areas for exhibitions.

Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto

The inside is on two main floors. As usual with Aalto’s buildings, despite the size, which for the case of the Finlandia house can be appreciated from outside looking at the length of the eastern façade, you don’t feel disoriented nor overwhelmed especially once inside.

Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Finlandia Hall Helsinki Alvar Aalto

All details of the furniture have been designed with the building. Unfortunately, I could not visit the upper floor thoroughly for a congress was taking place there.

The building has a historical significance, for it was here that the Helsinki Accords involving the US, USSR and most European Countries of the time – including those belonging to the Soviet sphere of influence – were elaborated and signed in 1976, forcing an evolution of espionage and repression systems in communist Countries.

Further buildings by Aalto include the House of Culture – or ‘Kulttuuritalo’ -, inaugurated in 1958. It is composed of two main blocks with a theater and offices. The blocks are fused together by a covered passage and a low building with a connecting corridor, so they appear as an ensemble.

Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto
Kulttuuritalo Helsinki Alvar Aalto

Originally built for the questionable cultural and propaganda activities of the local Communist Party, the complex has been used for long now as a popular rock concert venue.

An example of business architecture is the Headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution – known with the abbreviation ‘Kela’ in Finnish. The effort of the designer to avoid creating an imposing, bulky and intimidating building inspite of the narrow streets around, and the need to host rooms and offices for about 1000 people, is evident. The façade is broken and made partly modular, the height of the building is reduced as much as possible, and the horizontal lines of the windows tend to evidence the horizontal dimension. The volume is made lighter by including an open porch at the level of the entrance. The warm tones of the materials produce a sense of calm, yet preserving the sobriety of the appearance, where there are no decorations nor any curved line.

The headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution Kela Alvar Aalto
The headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution Kela Alvar Aalto
The headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution Kela Alvar Aalto
The headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution Kela Alvar Aalto
The headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution Kela Alvar Aalto
The headquarter of the Social Insurance Institution Kela Alvar Aalto

Visiting

The Finlandia House is located in central Helsinki and used for congresses, concerts and exhibitions. Having a walk around and inside is possible without particular restrictions except during official events. It is also possible to take a guided tour of the venue, information here.

Similarly, part of the House of Culture can be accessed most of the time without prior notice, but full visits are offered at least in summer on a regular basis. Information here.

As far as I know, the ‘Kela’ building is not open to the public, but it is possible to have a look around and come close to it without restrictions. The location is nearby the northwestern corner of the Olympic Stadium.

Paimio Sanatorium

Probably the best-known work of Aalto’s production, the hospital in Paimio is unanimously regarded as a milestone in the history of modern architecture. The hospital was built in 1933, and used as a sanatorium for tuberculosis and later as a general hospital.

Today it is a rehab center owned by the University of Turku, which is not far away on the coast and where Aalto had his studio. Visiting the inside is usually not possible, but you can walk around the complex without being disturbed. The location deep in the countryside, far from any crowded town and away from traffic, is really suggestive and peaceful.

Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto

The central building for patients is the most distinctive – a tall, flat and narrow wing where the rooms are aligned along a long angled façade looking south. The main wing is connected to other blocks – for surgery, administration, etc. – through a central volume where the entrance to the building is also located.

Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto
Paimio Sanatorium Alvar Aalto

The complex of the hospital is completed by a series of residential buildings for the staff. These are small examples of residential functional architecture, not designed to be luxurious, and still inhabited today.

Visiting

As far as I know, visiting is not possible inside. The outside can be toured de facto, even though I guess the land around the hospital belongs to the hospital, so you’d better avoid attracting too much attention. The hospital is a bit tricky to find, cause it is not advertised as an attraction and it is well out of the village of Paimio. The GPS coordinates to reach the entrance are 60°27’53.0″N 22°43’54.4″E.

Wünsdorf – Nazi/Soviet Supreme Military Command

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For war historians and urban explorers Wünsdorf does not need any further presentation – a central place in the military history of the 20th century, famous for the many abandoned military buildings, from stately headquarters to interred bunkers. The name of this small town appears even in the very modern and interesting Military Museum of Dresden, where it is easy to find an original sign – in double alphabet – from the time when Wünsdorf hosted the Soviet military headquarters in the communist German Democratic Republic.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Sign
Wünsdorf/Zossen Sign

This report is based on photographs I took in spring 2017 in Zossen and Wünsdorf during a customized visit to the place I arranged with a local guide. For visiting information scroll down to the bottom of the page.

History – in brief

The small town of Wünsdorf, about 15 miles south of Berlin, has a serious military tradition, dating back at least to the beginning of the 20th century. At that time a large military complex with many barracks was set up by the order of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II – a central player in WWI – in the neighbor town of Zossen.

To this ‘Belle Époque’ era belongs part of the housing still in place today, as well as some of the largest and most aesthetically pleasant buildings in town. Among them, a former training camp for athletes of the army, and some big command buildings.

Following the dawn of the Nazi era, the place gained further relevance, with the institution of the German Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, also known as ‘Oberkommando der Wehrmacht’, or ‘OKW’ in brief. This was presided by general Wilhelm Keitel for all the duration of WWII, and represented the ‘top of the pyramid’ in terms of military decisions, as general Keitel reported directly to Hitler.

The staff of the OKW could be accommodated in purpose-built bunkers here, designed to withstand severe air bombing action, as well as to be disguised as normal country houses from above. These were known as the ‘Maybach bunkers’.

Besides bunkers for housing military personnel, a large communication bunker, known as ‘Zeppelin bunker’, was built to the purpose of connecting the brain of all military operations with the various divisions scattered over Europe and fighting on more war fronts.

When WWII finally came to an end, the Soviets captured the region, and that was the onset of a full new chapter in the history of the town. The reference name ‘Zossen’ was dropped in favor of ‘Wünsdorf’. The area of the two villages was totally cut-off by a 17 km wall, guarded with a top security level. Inside, housing for around 40,000 staff was prepared in subsequent stages, adding many purely Soviet-style residential buildings to what was still in place from before and during the Nazi era.

The supreme command of all Soviet forces in the occupied territory of Germany – to become the German Democratic Republic, or ‘GDR’, in 1949 – was installed here. All four branches of the Soviet armed forces had their respective headquarters in a corresponding sector of the ‘prohibited citadel’, with inner walls dividing the four areas. These headquarters controlled more than 200,000 troops stationed in the GDR until the early Nineties.

The Soviets tried to blow up the Maybach bunkers, with some success, and also the Zeppelin bunker, with no success. They developed it into an nuclear-proof installation, and added two further bunkers, for controlling military operations – including all air patrolling ones – in real time over the territory of the GDR, and along the crucial border with the Federal Republic and the Western world. Similarly to WWII, once again Wünsdorf was the main stage of crucial decisions for the full span of the Cold War.

The year 1989 marked the beginning of the end for this military town, with the reunification of the GDR with the Federal Republic and the end of the Cold War. All Soviet forces stationed in Germany – about 500,000 people, including troops and their families -, soon to become Russian forces in 1993 with the collapse of the communist regime in the USSR, began a well-coordinated retreat back to their mother Country, leaving Wünsdorf in September 1994.

Since then, the huge housing is largely uninhabited – the current population having dropped to about 4,000 – and the stately buildings built by the order of the Kaiser are deserted. Nonetheless, differently from other former military bases left to nature or converted into something else, the regional government of Brandenburg has formally taken over the property, which is not totally abandoned, nor in an irreversible state of disrepair, with the aim of selling it or transforming it into a museum.

Up to now, the place is still in the hands of the regional government, and specialized tours can be arranged with a local society of enthusiasts.

Sights

This site is really huge, with countless remains and interesting places to see. My visit took just about 5.5 hours, I think you would really need 1 day – and possibly more – to cover all features with enough time to both learn about the history and take good pictures of everything interesting! Here I will present a mainly pictorial description of the part of the complex I had the chance to visit this time. I think another day I will need to go back and complete the visit!

You may get an impression of the town from above, from this report based on aerial pictures taken during a dedicated flight over the region.

Officers’ House

This is probably the most famous non-bunker building in the complex. It dates back to the early 20th century – the place was the headquarter of a sports training ground established by the Kaiser’s army before WWI. In the Thirties, German athletes were trained here for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. During WWII this became a command building for the OKW, while in Soviet times it was actually transformed into a house for higher ranking staff of the supreme Soviet command, with living rooms and entertainment facilities.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

The main building faces an almost square park, where a huge statue of Lenin was installed and is still standing.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

Inside the main building it is possible to find clear traces of the original ‘Belle Époque’ architecture.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

The inside of the building was spoiled of all furniture – the Russians reportedly tried to sell everything to the German government when they left, but the offer gained little interest. Only little part of the furniture, clearly from the age of the Kaiser, can be still spotted. Among the highlights of the bottom floor, there are two murals, in a typically Soviet naïve style, and a sculptured wall. Somebody is trying to put together Soviet memorabilia in a small museum, but all presented stuff is not original from here.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

On the first floor, a very interesting industry-themed mural and a 20-ft long curved view of Moscow can be found in a corridor. In a completely dark room on the same floor, where once a small memorial museum about the Great Patriotic War – WWII for the Russians – was standing, the retreating Russian forces left one of the few remaining written messages, concerned with the atrocities of the Nazi regime – for the guide this was possibly a subliminal memento for the German People… In the same totally dark room it is possible to find a big, finely sculptured wall.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

To the back of the main building it is possible to find a modern addition by the Soviets, a cylindrical building once hosting a diorama of the battle of Berlin. The diorama was transferred in the village of Zhukovo, halfway between Kaluga and Moscow, in the westernmost part of Russia, when the Russians left.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters

The two wings to the back of the Officers’ House host two highlights of the show. In the southern wing it is possible to find an empty swimming pool, dating from the days when the place was a sports training ground, with little changes, which include the showers and the diving board, built by the Soviets. The construction technique was very good, and the pool was operated until 1993-94 reportedly with little updates.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

In the northern wing it is possible to find a theatre. This is a bit creepy, for it is totally dark – electric power was cut off years ago – but everything, including the curtain over the stage, is in place like a performance was about to begin! The Soviet past of the place is clear here thanks to the decoration of the medallion over the stage, resembling the monument of the Soviet Soldier in Treptower Park, Berlin. In the roomy foyer it is possible to see the numbered hangers still in place!

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

The White House

Across the road from the Officers’ House it is possible to see another early 20th century building, used as a command building by the Soviets during the Cold War, and affectionately called ‘The White House’, both for its primary role in imparting orders and for the colonnade gracing the front façade. The building is inaccessible, and still property of the regional government.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters

Nearby, a former house for officers dating from before WWII is now operated as a local city hall.

Today, some of the many immigrants coming from Africa to Europe are being hosted in a building close to the White House by the German Government.

Soviet Railway Station, Bread Factory and Soviet Housing

Due to its great strategic relevance in the Cold War era, the prohibited town of Wünsdorf was daily connected two-ways with Moscow. The last train to Moscow left in September 1994. The railway station of Wünsdorf-Waldstadt today operates on a local railway, with trains mainly to and from downtown Berlin. The old Soviet terminal and some warehouses nearby have been abandoned and are in a state of total disrepair.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station

Close by the station, it is possible to find an abandoned and unattractive small factory with a tall chimney. This is where literally tons of bread were produced every single day since the Nazi era and up to 1994 – reaching 25 tons per day when the place was most crowded in Soviet times. The building was considered a strategic asset by the Nazi, who built it with a 60 cm reinforced concrete roof able to withstand air bombing.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bread Factory
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bread Factory

Whilst not very crowded, today some houses from the early days in the village of Zossen have been nicely restored to their original conditions. Unfortunately, they still share the roadside with some abandoned or not refurbished Soviet buildings, keeping the typical ‘Soviet ghost’ aura alive in the town.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing

Maybach Bunkers

Two complexes of peculiar bunkers were built in the Thirties – Maybach I and II – for housing staff of the OKW. From the distance and from above, these half-interred bunkers had the appearance of large farm houses. In reality, they were designed to be bomb-proof, and when they were blown-up by the Soviets after WWII they did not collapse completely.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker

One of the two Maybach complexes is very close to the fenced area where the Soviets had their three interred bunkers.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker

Zeppelin Bunker

This communication bunker was built under the Nazi more than 60 feet deep into the terrain. It was made of layers of land and concrete, making it extremely durable and difficult to destroy. As a matter of fact, the Soviets tried to blow it up after the Potsdam conference in summer 1945, but they didn’t succeed at all. They decided to re-use it, sealing part of it to withstand a nuclear attack – including airlocks, reinforced doors, showers for decontamination, and sleeping quarters for troops trapped in by radioactive fallout. When leaving in the Nineties, Russian troops took home all technical rigs, stripping the bunker almost completely of any technical hardware.

Among the highlights in the Zeppelin bunker there are the sealed main entrance built by the Soviets and the decontamination facilities.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

Going down it is possible to appreciate the size of the German design, with tens of rooms, long and roomy corridors and staircases. A small exhibition is dedicated to communication hardware from the Nazi and Soviet times. Copies of the Nazi schemes of the communication network from here to the Eastern front allow to understand the proportions of the system.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

One of two long tunnels – the longest is about 600 ft! – was turned into a sleeping quarter for troops isolated in case of nuclear attack, and original berths are still visible today. Another corridor was so long it was used as a rifle range!

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

The bunker was powered by diesel engines – originally submarine engines under German ownership. These are gone today, but the smell of diesel fuel is still very marked in their room. It’s hard to imagine how noisy this place had to be! Some of the Soviet fuel tanks and air conditioning piping are still there, with original technical schemes.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

A lift was added by the Soviets – it’s not working any more. On the bottom level there are water pumps and other supply systems. Normally this area cannot be toured, also due to water flooding problems.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

In a small wing of the bunker it is possible to see the effect of the Soviet attempt to blow-up the bunker. The dynamics of the attempt are not clear – what explosive was used and where it was positioned. A pierce in the steel/concrete armored ceiling and a cracked reinforced concrete pillar are the only visible results. The size of the crater in the ceiling suggests much explosive was used, but the damage around is fairly limited and very localized. A feature of many military buildings occupied by the Soviets, signatures and graffitis in cyrillic alphabet can be found on some concrete walls of the bunker.

Soviet Half-Interred Bunkers

Really close to the entrance of the Zeppelin bunker, it is possible to find the way into two other less visible facilities.

One of them is a small communication bunker of simple construction. This is basically straight, with a round shaped cross-section. The corridor leading to the main part of the building is rather narrow and pointing down to the underground. The main part is much roomier, with curved steel frames making the walls and ceiling. This was used also as a training facility. This bunker was totally stripped by the retreating Russian troops.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

The second bunker is much more articulated. It was codenamed ‘Nickel’, and the Soviet construction type is UK-20. This was a communication and control bunker for military operations, in particular for air operations. Even though this bunker was stripped similarly to the other two, some technical rigs and tons of paperwork can be spotted in the semi-dark environment of this installation.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

Technical plants include the original water pumping system and several high voltage cabinets.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

The room where the air control center was is lighted. It is very big, and copies of the original schemes help to understand how the setup was. Everything there was taken back to Russia by retreating Russian army.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

Other interesting items include propaganda posters from Soviet times – they always look very exotic!

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

Garrison Museum & Red Army Museum

In the old pre-WWI stables two really unmissable small museums have been prepared. I would recommend visiting them after the site itself, to better understand the relevance and usefulness of the exhibition.

The first is centered on the history of the garrison in Zossen from the years when the barracks were built, and it documents the history of the Officers’ House and all other pre-Soviet buildings around. A focus is given also to the Nazi period, with many photographs and memorabilia. All panels are unfortunately in German only, but the pictures speak for themselves.

Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum

The second collection is dedicated to the Soviet period. Here you can find memorabilia from all stages of the Cold War era, including both museum items already preserved by the Soviets in a museum previously existing in Berlin-Karlshorst, but also everyday items and stuff from Wünsdorf.

Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum

Among the many panels, a small insight dedicated to the huge nuclear base in Vogelsang, covered in this other post of mine.

Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum

Headquarters of the Soviet Air Force

Besides the building of the society running the guided tours of the place, it is possible to find the abandoned headquarters of the Soviet Air Force. A modern statue of a pilot is standing ahead of an Asian restaurant, whereas the main building is inaccessible. A statue of Lenin – not easily visible from the street – can be found in the vegetation, ahead of the main façade. To the side of the building it is possible to find a typical Soviet memorial.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters

Much More…!

Among the other uncommon things you can find around in Wünsdorf, there are some Winkel-type air raid shelters, 19 of which were built in the Nazi period for military staff. Most of them were blown by the Soviets, and some of the 7 (?) remaining ones are preserved today.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter
Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter
Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter
Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter

Visiting

As reported, this ensemble is huge and well looked after. Technically speaking, it is not abandoned – at least the most interesting parts of it. Parts – like the Officers’ House – are awaiting for somebody to own them, parts are destined to remain tourist attractions – like the bunkers and museums. For these reasons, to make your visit practical and enjoyable, and for making the best of your time, I strongly suggest contacting a guide.

Actually the local society also in charge of the nice and interesting book selling activity, for which ‘Bücherstadt Wünsdorf’ – ‘Wünsdorf the Town of Books’ – is famous, runs guided tours on a regular schedule. Full information also in English from their website here. Besides the pre-scheduled tours, some longer special-themed tours can be booked in advance. If you are visiting – like me – from abroad, then I suggest taking contact with the guide before going there.

When I visited, I arranged with the guide a ‘double-tour’ in English just for me, asking to merge two of the tours offered with pre-booking. This was not a cheap alternative – I had to pay alone the price intended for two group tours, but all in all that was worth the financial effort! – but above all I must say I regret not having had more time!

The guide is nice and extremely knowledgeable, he speaks a perfect English and Russian as well. He knows anything from the history of the place, including interesting anecdotes and technical notions. He will take you to all places of interest with a minivan, and of course he will give you all the time for taking pictures, including some with a tripod in especially dark conditions – he has two portable lights for helping in the task! So the guided tour will not be boring at all.

After that, you may like to go back to have a look to the exterior of some buildings you had not the time to check out during the guided visit.

The towns of Wünsdorf and Zossen are basically a single entity, but possibly not on your nav. In case you get confused when driving to the building where you should meet the guide, just follow the signs for the book selling activities – the building is the same.

I mentioned there is a railway station, and of course you may choose to come in by train and move by bicycle – walking would be too time consuming in my view, due to the distance between points of interests. Coming by car is also very practical if you are not moving by train on your trip, and there is room for parking almost everywhere.

 

 

Air Museums in the Former GDR

CarloR2 Comments

Due to its strategic relevance to the Soviet empire in the years of the Cold War, the territory of the former German Democratic Republic, or ‘GDR’, experienced an uncommonly intense military presence, growing over the years from soon after WWII to the end of the Soviet Union and the retreat of Russian troops to their home Country.

The coexisting armies of Eastern Germany and of the Soviet Union each managed land, sea and air groups operating from the GDR. As a result, still today the countryside of the former communist-ruled part of Germany is full of airports – many of them abandoned or converted to solar powerplants – and former tank training camps.

Besides this hardware, leaving clear traces reaching to this day, the quick collapse of the Soviet system and the end of the Cold War generated an enormous quantity of military surplus at all levels in the mid-Nineties.

In particular, soon after reunification the People’s Air Force of Eastern Germany was merged with the West-German ‘Luftwaffe’, whose name was retained and which became the German Air Force still operating today. The result of the merger was not ideal from a logistic and supply chain point of view, with too many aircraft and helicopters with radically different designs – implying different spare parts, maintenance procedures, specialized training, … Consequently, all Soviet models, which had been the backbone of the East German forces, were soon stricken-off the military register, many of them going to private collections.

For this reason, you can often find former GDR aircraft in museums all over Europe. Clearly, many of them remained in the territory of their bygone mother Country, enriching local air collections and museums. This post is about four less-known gems of the kind close to Berlin and Leipzig. These photographs were taken during visits in 2017 and 2021.

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Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

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This collection is located on the outskirts of the town of Cottbus, easily reachable about 70 miles southeast of Berlin. The premises occupied by this mainly open-air museum are to the south of the former local airport/base which was more recently converted into another solar plant. Actually, a hangar from here dating from WWII was dismounted and relocated to the state of Virginia.

The collection here is very rich, the majority of aircraft are kept in a well-maintained, non-flying condition, with a pretty large area devoted to aircraft restoration, and a well prepared and perfectly presented inside part with memorabilia, artifacts, aircraft parts, models, … – all in all, a primary attraction of the kind, well worth visiting for any aviation enthusiasts.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

By passing the gates you will walk between a part of an Airbus A380 used for testing – a bit of an outlier for a military museum… – and an array of MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 formerly in service with the air force of the GDR.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

The display of these aircraft side by side, the MiG-21s also in multiple different variants, is very interesting for making comparisons and spot both obvious and less evident differences between these iconic Soviet models.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

A more rare, recently restored MiG-17 is proudly standing in front of the entrance to the main building of the museum.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Other highlights of the collection include two Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft. One of them bears markings of the Luftwaffe, suggesting it was used for some time in the air force of reunified Germany. The difference in size between the two massive Sukhois and the sleek MiGs is apparent having them sitting close to each other!

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

On the grass closer to the former runway are some Soviet helicopters, including a very well-preserved Mil-24 attack helicopter, also in Luftwaffe colors.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Close by, a couple of other MiGs in a bare metal colorway – one of them from Tschekoslowakia – can be spotted, together with some old western models, in the original colors of the Luftwaffe – these include an F-84, F-86, T-33 and a rare Italian G-91.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Other less aggressive aircraft in the area include a Let L-200 twin-propeller aircraft possibly for training, a Yakovlev Yak-11 acrobatic aircraft and some other aircraft for training, observation or crop dusting.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

A full array of service trucks from various Soviet manufacturers are aligned in an open hangar, where a Soviet anti-aircraft SA-2 missile with its light launch gantry is also present.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

The inside collection – not the usual dirty-and-dusty collection typical of wannabe air-museums, but instead a clean and well-presented, good-level small museum in itself – shows something on the local history of the former airport, various jettisonable seats from Soviet aircraft from different times, technical schemes for maintenance and training, as well as local findings of aeronautical interest. Among the latter, some pretty rare parts of downed aircraft from WWII, both from Nazi Germany and from the Allies – including the Soviet Union.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Also interesting was a temporary exhibition about the MiG-21 and its world-class success. The only thing I regret about the inside part is that all explanations were given in German only.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Some very interesting findings on the outside include a largely complete wreck of a Focke-Wulf FW190, what appears to be a bulky Napier Sabre II 24-cylinders engine, possibly from a Hawker Tempest or typhoon, a MiG-15 awaiting restoration, plus other engines and aircraft parts.

I would recommend this place for a dedicated visit about 1,5-2 hours long, especially if you are touring the area south of Berlin, very rich in terms of recent and past military history.

Getting there

Cottbus can be reached quickly by train from Berlin, but the museum is far from the town center. Going by car is definitely more convenient, a very fast highway going to the border with Poland – a few miles away – connecting Berlin and Cottbus in about 1 hour. Contact and information from their official website (in German, but basic info on opening times and location can be obtained very easily with some Google translation). Small parking nearby.

Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

The Luftfahrtmuseum – i.e. aviation museum – in Finowfurt has taken over a part of the former Soviet airbase of Finow, about 35 miles northeast of Berlin. Over the last two decades of the Cold War, this airbase was pretty busy with high-performance Soviet MiGs, ranging from the older MiG-21 fighter-interceptor, the ubiquitous MiG-23 fighter, the rare super-fast MiG-25 interceptor, and up to the modern MiG-29.

Finow received a plethora of aircraft shelters, including the older AU-13 for MiG-21 and -23, but also AU-16(2) and AU-16(3), the former intended for the Yak-28 and MiG-25, the latter for the MiG-29. The picture below portray the relatively rare AU-16(2), with its non-circular vault, in the still-active part of the airport in Finowfurt, today a general aviation field.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

The museum, encompassing the northwestern corner of the former military premises, offers the chance to walk close and inside AU-13 shelters, with their heavy reinforced doors, self-actuated by means of motors mounted close to their own bodies, and moving on a rail.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Parked ahead of a group of such shelters, a MiG-21 and a MiG-23 make for a scenario closely resembling the days of operation of this former Soviet installation. The shelters are interspersed with former technical gear from the base, including searchlights of evident Soviet make – see the writings in Cyrillic.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

A spherical dome on top of one of the shelters may have been the case for a rotating aerial.

An Ilyushin Il-14 old two-engined transport and a Yakovlev Yak-28 bomber sit on the opposite sides of a former taxiway, typically built with large concrete slabs.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

To the far end of the museum area, a low building, possibly a former canteen or technical facility, hosts a nice collection of artifacts, which tell much about the history of Finow over the years. For instance, during the Third Reich, this airbase was involved in testing the Allied aircraft landed in emergency on German territory – models of B-17 and B-24 in the unusual colors of the Luftwaffe witness this episode.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Of course, most of the material on display is from Soviet times. An original schematic of the base, and old signs in Russian – both propaganda posters and more technical explanations – are included in this collection.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Also a few naive paintings from Soviet times have been preserved.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

An interesting collection of Soviet technical gear includes aircraft cameras for optical imagery, helmets, flying suits, as well as weapons partly dismantled possibly for instructional purposes.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Ahead of the small museum building, a statue of Lenin can be found, possibly relocated from another spot of the former Soviet base.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

On a spot nearby, anti-aircraft and theater missiles can be found together with ranging aerials – as well as an ubiquitous Antonov An-2 transport biplane.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

An imposing sight in the museum is a freshly refurbished Tupolev Tu-134, in the colors of the East German flag-carrier Interflug. It was not the case on the day of my visit, but it is likely the aircraft can be boarded on some occasions. Nearby, also a large Mil helicopter – a former transport – can be found ahead of yet another aircraft shelter.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

On display in the latter are some aircraft jet engines, as well as some communications rigs, and some explanatory panels, likely from a former technical school for air personnel.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

A particularly interesting collection is hosted in an adjoining shelter, wisely converted for the scope. It is based on relics from crashed aircraft, from the years of WWII. A very active group of aviation archaeologists operates in Finow, and this fantastic display is the result of their preservation effort.

Artifacts range from engine parts to aircraft components from all the air forces involved in WWII, and include substantial remains from the wrecks of a Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, and a German Föcke-Wulf FW-190, a high-performing fighter manufactured in great numbers, but today sadly very hard to find even in museums.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Finally, closer to the former runway, two shelters cover a few helicopters, including some formerly in service with the Volkspolizei – the police of the GDR – as well as a MiG-15 with two seats for training, and a MiG-21.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Outside on the grass, a MiG-27 fighter bomber and a MiG-17, both in the colors of the GDR Air Force (aka NVA).

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Approaching the exit, a deployable aircraft-stopping harness for emergencies can be seen, close to a movable SAM launcher from the NVA, and a massive Sukhoi Su-22 similarly in the colors of the NVA, like those to be found in Cottbus (see above).

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

The ticket office of the museum is hosted in a former technical facility with reinforced doors, possibly a storage for special ordnance.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Thanks to the proximity with Berlin and the wealth of interesting artifacts, this museum is a highly valuable Soviet counterpart to the Westwardly-oriented museum in Gatow (on a former British airfield near Potsdam, website here). Besides a rich collection of aircraft and technical gear, complemented by a display of interesting findings from the aviation archaeology group, Finow allows to get a flavor of how a Soviet base looked like in the days of operation. For aircraft enthusiasts, a visit may easily take 2 hours or more.

Getting there

The museum is conveniently located in Finowfurt, immediately out of the highway A11 (exit Eberswalde), going from Berlin to Szczecin in northern Poland. It is less than 1 hour driving from downtown Berlin. The museum is mostly open-air, with some collections hosted in former aircraft shelters. A large free parking is available on site. Website here. Please note that credit card may not be accepted. Going with cash is recommended.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

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The museum of Rechlin can be found in the former premises of an Army research center dating from the years of the Third Reich. It is located in the open countryside, about 80 km north of Berlin, in the vicinity of lake Müritz. Following the Soviet occupation of the area in 1945, the center went on as a technical site of the Red Army.

The museum has restored the original buildings, and set up an exhibition mainly focused on the history of German military aeronautics. The exhibition is both indoor and outdoor.

The indoor part has on display a number of German aircraft, aircraft engines and several related parts, mainly from pre-WWII or WWII. A highlight of the show is a number of reconstructed exemplars, created putting together original parts and some reproduced components. Of course, the result is now airworthy, but considering how hard to find these aircraft are today in collections, this is a rare opportunity to have a first-hand look at how these models looked like.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

A very interesting collection of original engines and components from the Third Reich period is on display. The level of engineering sophistication reached in the years of WWII is really astonishing. It was at that time that piston power reached its top development in aeronautics. Furthermore, the first jet engines entering production date from the final stages of WWII too, and are here represented.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Another hangar is mostly dedicated to large 1:1 mock-ups of extremely rare German designs from WWI and WWII, including a Dornier Do-335 in a push-pull configuration, which have been accurately assembled, providing a vivid portrait of how these now very rare-to-find aircraft.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Other exhibits include Soviet-made aircraft, partly dismounted for didactic purposes.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

In another wing, the museum displays a rich exhibition of original artifacts from the era of Soviet occupation. These include many aircraft components, jettisonable seats, helmets, several radio components, papers and pictures.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Simulators for aircraft and helicopter cockpits are also part of the display.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Memorabilia include everyday items, Soviet newspapers, badges and celebration plates. The page of a German newspaper, from the date of the final withdrawal of then-Russian troops back home from Germany, titles ‘Farewell, Muzhiks!’ – really a momentous event.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

In an adjoining room, uniforms and emblems from both the USSR forces and the East-German NVA can be found in display cases.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

The outdoor exhibition is centered on a few original aircraft and helicopters, as well as fast motorboats and other vehicles. Aircraft include a MiG-21, MiG-23, and a massive Sukhoi Su-22.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

As for helicopters, there are a Mil-2, Mil-24 and a Mil-8 – all Soviet-made. The latter two have the main rotor blades still dismounted.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

The research center, and today the museum, is located just about 5 km north of Rechlin/Lärz airfield, active in the Third Reich in aeronautical research – Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet rocket-powered interceptors were studied here. The airfield became a large Soviet base from 1945 to the time when the then-Russian troops left. Today the airport has been converted for general aviation use. A report from an exploration of its premises can be found here.

Getting there

This is a proportionate collection, friendly to visit for everybody, in a nice rural setting. Memories from the history of aviation in Germany before and during WWII, as well as from Soviet operations taking place in the area – an often overlooked but crucial chapter in the military history of the GDR. The exact address is Am Claassee 1, 17248 Rechlin, Germany. Official website here. Visiting may require 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Flugwelt Altenburg/Nobitz

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Similarly to the museum in Cottbus and Finowfurt, this collection – whose name ‘Flugwelt’ translates into ‘World of Flight’ – is built on the premises of a former airbase – Altenburg/Nobitz, 20 miles south of Leipzig. Actually this was a very active center, managed by the Soviets who operated from here in the years of the Cold War with MiG-21, 23 and 27, and was also one of those sites in the GDR selected for nuclear weapons storage. Tactical missiles batteries were located also here in response to the deployment of Pershing missiles by the US on the territory of Western Germany. in the Eighties.

The airbase has been converted to non-military use, and today it is active mainly with general aviation flights. Some former hangars are used by private companies.

The air museum is made of two physically separated parts. The main building with the ticket office is the former entrance to the Soviet airbase. Here an incredible, original mural from Soviet times is still gracing the wall, together with a map of the airfield, again from Soviet times. From there you access the inside exhibition, cluttered with aircraft parts, engines, flight suits,… Not everything from the Soviet part of the Iron Curtain though, as uniforms and parts from Western Germany and other non-communist Countries can be spotted.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

Among the most interesting artifacts in the exhibition, a large explanatory scheme of a servo-actuation plant of an aircraft, with explanations in cyrillic alphabet, and a simulator for a radar mounted inside the MiG-21. Both really used training items, very uncommon to find.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

A part of an A380, two gliders, some Interflug memorabilia – the flagship airline of the GDR – and tons of models and radio-transmission hardware complete the picture. Unfortunately, also here everything is in German only. The volunteers are welcoming and helpful, but unfortunately communication is not easy due to language issues.

In a first part of the open-air exhibition it is possible to find a couple of MiG-21, one East-German and the other Soviet, a helicopter of the Police of the GDR, plus other aircraft from the West-German Luftwaffe, namely a Dassault Atlantique patrol, a G-91 and an F-86.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

The two MiGs have been carefully restored, and the Red Army one appears to have been a former gate guardian at Altenburg/Nobitz.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

Another part of the open-air collection can be found across the street, where a big Transall C-160 a Lockheed F-104 and a Sukhoi Su-22 can be spotted. The area is big and there is room for more aircraft – hopefully, this good-caring staff will have the chance to add even more items to their well-preserved collection in the future!

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

Curiously enough, the area was liberated from the Nazis by US troops in 1945, and handed over to the Soviets only after the end of WWII. A memorial stone remembers the actions of the US divisions fighting in the area in wartime.

Not time-expensive to visit (about 45 minutes to 1 hour for aircraft-minded people), besides a valuable aircraft collection and some rare artifacts of interest for aviation enthusiasts, this places offers the unique chance to enter a preserved gate building of a former Soviet airbase.

Getting there

The airport is located about two miles east of the nice historical town of Altenburg, itself about 30 minutes southeast of Leipzig. I would recommend going with a car and a good nav, for reaching the exact location of the museum may be a bit tricky with visual navigation. Website here, with some basic info also in English. The place is run by volunteers and it’s closed except during weekends in the good season, so carefully check opening times.