The central role taken by Britain in WWII, firstly containing and then countering the expansion of the Third Reich, is duly and proudly celebrated all around the Country, with memorials and thematic exhibitions, often hosted in historical locations, regularly open for a visit.
The United Kingdom joined NATO as a founding member in 1949, and had already been at the forefront of a European anti-Soviet alliance with France since 1947. The strategic political and military ties with the US, pivotal in putting and end to WWII in Europe, were kept over the following decades, against the menace constituted by the Eastern Bloc. Thanks to its geographical position, and bolstering a nuclear arsenal, strategic bombers and submarines of its own, Britain was a major player of the Cold War.
Despite that, the Cold War left behind comparatively less memories than WWII, with only a handful installations open to the public, and somewhat out of the spotlight. In this regard, this reflects an attitude generally widespread in Europe towards the traces of the second half of the 20th century.
However, for people with an interest in the Cold War age, and more in general for those with a thing for (especially nuclear) warfare technology, there are two really unmissable sights in Northern England, which make for a vivid hands-on experience of the ‘era of Soviet threat’.
One is the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, with a fascinating history starting in WWII and spanning the entire duration of the Cold War. Here one of the finest collections of nuclear-war-related material in Europe can be found, together with much additional material from the era, in a largely preserved historical site.
Another is the York Cold War Bunker, built in the Cold War age to provide protection to the staff of the Royal Observation Corps (ROC) in case of a nuclear attack, as well as the ability to help coordinating fundamental public functions – health, transportation, food and energy supply, etc. – in a post-attack nuclear fallout scenario.
Both sites are regularly open for a visit, and provide a vivid testimony of civil and military plans and facilities seriously prepared in England for a nuclear apocalypse scenario.
The Hack Green site is located deep in the Cheshire countryside, about one hour driving south of Manchester. Actually, it is in a really secluded location, far from any sizable urban center, and away from major roads. Even today, when this facility is working as a top-level museum, some attention to the signs is needed to reach the site.
Once by the gate, you are immediately driven back in time by the appearance of the tall military-style external fence with official government signs, and by the blunt and in impenetrable appearance of the big concrete bunker – what you see is only the part above ground level! – with a big antenna protruding from the top. Nearby, you can see an apparently still off-limits area, with a now-dead radar antenna and an old Jet Provost trainer in RAF colors.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
History
The history of the Hack Green site dates to as back as WWII, when it was established as one of the 12 most developed Ground Controlled Intercept (GCI) centers, out of 21 total nodes in Britain. Essentially based on the airspace scanning radar plants available at the time, the so-constituted ‘Chain Home’ surveillance system was operated by the RAF, and intended to track intruding German aircraft, thus directing air force planes against them. Radar aerials appeared on site at the time, suitable against relatively slow moving propeller-driven aircraft of those years.
With the start of the Cold War, and the need to reconfigure the defense against the USSR and Warsaw Pact forces operating with jet-powered aircraft of increasing speed, several modernization plans were started in Britain, aimed at implementing more effective detection and threat-countering radar technology, like ‘Green Garlic’, and later ROTOR. The latter called for the institution of a chain of detection nodes, not much dissimilar in concept from the older ‘Chain Home’ of WWII, but much more articulated, efficient and technologically advanced. At the time one of the most expensive government-funded operations ever, 66 installations were implemented all over Britain within ROTOR before the mid 1950s, with different roles in the network. The bunker you see today on the Hack Green site was one of them.
Keeping up with the fast-developing offensive technology of the 1950s and 1960s required a continuous update of the defensive network, in particular asking for the addition of intercontinental missiles to the enemy arsenal to counter. The US-led ‘Ballistic Missile Early Warning System’ (BMEWS) included 12 early-warning radar stations around the Atlantic, including a single station in the UK (RAF Fylingdales, Yorkshire, still in operation today). Before BMEWS went operational (early 1960s), triggering a re-organization of all other defense radar systems by the time obsolete, Hack Green took an interim role as one of only 4 radar stations operated by the RAF monitoring all military and civilian traffic through the British airspace, coping with new fast jetliners. The name of the Hack Green radar site in that stage was ‘Mersey Radar North’. Finally, in 1966 the RAF released the site to the government, which put it in mothballed status.
It was in 1976 that a new life began for Hack Green. Starting in 1958, the Home Office invested much in the preparation of an emergency structure, capable of keeping of managing a post-nuclear attack scenario, and keeping the basic public functions active. In the event of a total nuclear war, a failure of the national hierarchy and military chain of command was forecast, as a result of an extensive damage to the infrastructures and communication systems. In order to recover as fast as possible in such an emergency, the UK would split in 11 regions, each with a regional seat of government (RSG). In the region, a civil Regional Commissioner would take a leading administrative role, and would be responsible for coordinating disaster recovery operations, like supplying medical resources, food, water, and reconstructing infrastructures, while waiting for the national government to reactivate its functions. The Commissioner would be aided by the UK Warning and Monitoring Organization (UKWMO), which took over the function and organization of the older Royal Observation Corps (ROC) established during WWII. This structure was further potentiated in the 1960s and 1970s, also introducing a similar regional scheme for the military in case of a nuclear attack.
The seat of the RSG was in the Regional Government Head Quarters (RGHQ). Following some years when it was hosted in Preston, then in Southport, north of Liverpool, the RGHQ for the 10th region (then 10:2, following a split in two halves of this large region) found its home in Hack Green. The former radar facility was potentiated enormously, and set up with the ability to host 160 civil and military staff for 3 months without resupply in case of a nuclear attack on the UK.
Within the framework of the emergency plan for a nuclear attack, the RGHQs all over the UK went on operating until the demise of the USSR in December 1991, to be soon deactivated over the following years. Hack Green was scrapped of all content, and put up for sale in 1993. It was privately acquired in the mid-1990s, and carefully restored in some parts, or being stocked with interesting material from the Cold War era in some of the many rooms.
A tour of the bunker
Access to the bunker is via a concrete slide, and through a metal gate. Originally the male civil servants dorm, the first room you meet is now a kind of storage for items recently incorporated in the collection. These include a jeep, a model of an Avro Shackleton, and interestingly a nuclear warhead. The original system to activate the rooftop antenna is in a cabinet along a sidewall.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The ticket office and canteen are now in the original canteen area of the Hack Green site. Restored to a 1960s appearance, parts of the kitchen furniture are original from the site. Along the sidewalls are several memorabilia items, including some original Soviet emblems, not unusual today in museums on the other side of the Iron Curtain (see for instance here), but hard to find in the UK.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
An adjoining room reproduces the environment where the ROC would have worked in case of a drill or real nuclear attack. Among their function was the pinpointing of nuclear explosions. The forecast and monitoring of the fallout is strongly bound to the local weather and winds. This was kept under surveillance through reporting stations scattered on the UK territory (more than 1 thousand), which transmitted information to Hack Green and other RGHQ and UKWMO bunkers (see the York bunker later in this post). They could then coordinate recovery operations, avoiding extreme exposure to radiation of the emergency staff.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Monitoring was through dedicated sensors, and communication through specific transmission gear. Two display cases in the same room feature interesting instruments, training documents, and memorabilia items from the rich history of the ROC, documenting also their activities in WWII.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Ground floor
The Hack Green bunker largely retains its original arrangement. It is composed of a ground and an underground floor. Along the main corridors are interesting examples of the papers produced by the UKWMO, and by the civil defense service during the Cold War. Among them, are leaflets for the population, with best practices in case of a nuclear attack.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Also interesting are more technical posters from the era, either outlining the role of the public organizations monitoring a potential nuclear apocalypse scenario, or providing technical details on the effects of nuclear weapons – what to expect in terms of damage or health issues, depending on the type and local condition of a nuclear explosion.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
For sure a focal point in the exhibition of Hack Green today is the display of nuclear warheads, and nuclear-related material. Hosted in a room previously employed by emergency staff, the exhibition retraces with original material, mock-ups, rare pictures and videos, the history of the British nuclear arsenal, managed by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).
The WE177 was designed to constitute the backbone of the air-dropped nuclear deterrent of the UK. Examples of this bomb are on display together with technical material employed to monitor their status and manage launch or drills. In service between the 1960s and the 1990s in association with larger strategic bombers like the Vulcan, or smaller fighter-bombers like some versions of the Harrier or Jaguar, it could be assembled in some different versions, sharing the same baseline construction, but with nominal yields ranging between 10 to 450 kilotons.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Also on display are pictures and mock-ups of the old Polaris warhead, together with the original casing employed to transport this 200 kilotons item! A US design, the Polaris was acquired by the UK in 1963, to supply the Royal Navy and constitute the UK underwater deterrent. The Polaris missile featured a three-warheads fuse, bearing a total yield of 600 kilotons.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A very rare artifact is the warhead of project Chevaline, a British design to improve the potential of the Polaris, which saw limited service with the Royal Navy in the 1980s. The Polaris/Chevaline was replaced by the Trident missile system, still employed today in the nuclear deterrent role.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Besides the central exhibition of nuclear warheads, the display cases in the same room offer a wealth of super-interesting technical gear and memorabilia related to nuclear weapons. These include components and cabinets of radio and radar systems, to be transported on board aircraft or to be employed on the ground. These parts come from different ages, and from several Countries, including the Eastern Bloc – for instance, a very rare Soviet suit to work on high-power radar antennas for maintenance. Powerful radars actually emit rays with a high power-over-volume (power density) ratio especially in the vicinity of the emitting apparatus. This may even turn deadly for humans (roughly like being in a microwave oven would be!), and precautions are needed when working in such environment.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A really unique collection on display is related to Geiger counters and dosimeters. These include environmental and personal use devices, from various ages and nationality.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Two display cases are dedicated to material coming from beyond the Iron Curtain, most notably from the USSR and the GDR! It is really hard to imagine how this material could manage to come to Hack Green.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Part of the display is dedicated to the civil defense corps of different Countries, with helmets, emblems, papers and uniforms, showing how similar actions in preparations for a nuclear war were carried out in many Nations of continental Europe, also in the Eastern Bloc. Actually, a very close relative of the UKWMO RGHQ control center, with a totally similar function, can be found in a perfectly preserved condition in Poland (see this post).
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
More memorabilia items come from the history of civil defense in the UK. Among the most rare artifacts are the only surviving example of the ‘Queen’s telephone’, which was employed for enforcing the Emergency Power Act, which among other things may have transferred power to the Regional Commissioner. There used to be one such phone in each of the RGHQ, but all were destroyed for security reasons following the shut-off of the bunkers, except this one, and the one at the other end of the line – in the Royal residence.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
An adjoining room hosts a reconstruction of the radar screen room from the age Hack Green was employed as a radar station managed by the RAF. All panels are lit, providing a vivid, pure Cold War experience!
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
To the end of the main corridor, you can reach another entrance to the bunker, which is nowadays normally shut. However, this used to be the main entrance, and close to it are the control room of the bunker and the decontamination area.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The control room is not accessible, but the large windows allow to take a glance to its original appearance. It is still employed to control electric power and air conditioning. Manned nuclear-proof bunkers are customarily pressurized, sucking contaminated air from the outside, which is carefully filtered for poisons and radioactive particles, and pumping unfiltered bunker air to the outside (see this post for another example in a Soviet bunker).
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
People entering after work out in the fallout-polluted environment were decontaminated through showers, and used anti-radiation suits were left in an isolated sink still on display.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Before leaving the ground floor, you can find on the ground level the female dorm for the staff of the RGHQ bunker. In the same room, an original system for communicating on the very low frequency bandwidth has been put on display. This Cold War relic could be employed to issue orders to the strategic submarine force. This very cabinet was employed by Prime Minister Thatcher for ordering the attack against the Argentinian ship General Belgrano.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A final room on this floor is the sick bay, sized for the staff of Hack Green only, but equipped to manage health issues resulting from the exposition to a nuclear attack.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Underground floor
Descending to the underground floor is possible via the original stairs. The first room you meet features an exhibition of original Soviet uniforms, belonging to some high-ranking officials from various branches of the Red Army. Really hard to see in this part of the world, their origin is well documented.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Close by, is a small display of military material from the Soviet bloc, ranging from original weapons, to communication systems, emblems and instructional posters for the troops (similar to what you can find in dedicated museums in former Warsaw Pact Countries, like here or here).
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Nearby is a communication room originally employed by the military staff of the bunker, working in parallel with civil servants in the management of the nuclear emergency. Original radio transmission gear of military standard is still in place.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Before entering the core preserved area of the bunker, i.e. the rooms of the RGHQ, you can find the original water and air supply systems, and the corresponding technical cabinets, in a big room on the underground level.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The rooms of the RGHQ are all interconnected, and located to the side of the corridor on the underground floor. The way they look is from the days of activity of Hack Green as a RGHQ, i.e. the 1980s. Typical Cold War technology from the time is featured in this area.
Firstly, you enter the warning room, which used to be the contact point of the RGHQ with the national surveillance system. By design, the BMEWS at Fylingdales should have picked up an incoming ICBM within 30 seconds from launch, spreading an alert signal at all levels. This would have been received here and by the entire civil defense system within 90 seconds. This would leave roughly 4 minutes (out of a total of around 6 minutes for the missile to come to Britain from the Eastern Bloc) to tell the population of the incoming missile, which would happen through some thousands sirens scattered around the UK. The physical alarm signal management system was called HANDEL, and was employed from the 1960s to 1992. The apparatus on display at Hack Green, a node of HANDEL, is notably still working, albeit disconnected.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The warning room can be accessed directly from the Commissioner’s room, both an office and private room. Original maps and furniture can be found in this room, the only private one in the bunker. Immediately next to it is the cipher office, a communication office connecting – at least in non-emergency conditions – the center with the external world. Ciphered language was employed for safe communication with governmental offices, both domestic and abroad.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Next are a conference room, for meeting within the staff of the RGHQ, and a broadcast studio. The latter was focused on radio broadcast instead of TV, since the latter would not work in case of a nuclear attack. The idea was for the Commissioner to communicate directly with the administrative region, possibly repeating messages of national significance, or instructing about local disaster recovery actions, evacuation operations, etc.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The tour goes on with a very interesting area, stuffed with original electronic and communication material. Communication from the bunker to the other similar bunkers withing the UKWMO was possible through a dedicated system called Emergency Communication Network (ECN). The main function was that of constantly updating the map of the fallout and of the operations taking place at all levels, including all surviving infrastructures. Many maps and teletypewriters, original components of the system, are part of the display.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The ‘brain’ of the system was the Message Switch Exchange (MSX). A top-tier system elaborated by British Telecom in the 1980s, it looks exceptionally complex. The lit cabinets and modules provide a really vivid impression of how it should have looked like back in the Cold War years. The electronic cabinets and wiring driving to the rooftop antenna are still lit as well.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A rare, incredible portable satellite communication antenna is on display. This was employed in peacetime condition, and stored inside the bunker when under attack.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
The screens where the meteorologists and nuclear scientists displayed all the information gathered and prepared forecasts are another unusual Cold War sight.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Perhaps unexpectedly in a 1980s hi-tech environment, a purely analog, wired telephone exchange system is on display. This is original as well, and was kept in service as a ‘last line’ backup system within the ECN until 1992, should the futuristic MSX system fail under an attack.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A complement to the exhibition of the RGHQ is the fire control room, where a big screen and several communication consoles were employed for directing firefighting actions at a regional level. Following the experience of Nagasaki and the extensive nuclear tests of the 1950s, it is known that fires resulting from the extreme temperature and radiation intensity associated with a nuclear explosion are possibly even more dangerous to buildings and infrastructures than the shock-wave itself.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A display which is not original from Hack Green, but found an ideal home in this bunker, is made of a reconstructed room from the Regional Air Operation Center (UKRAOC), which would gather information from the BMEWS. The material on display used to be at RAF High Wycombe, where the UKRAOC facility was located in the Cold War years.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Fed by the BMEWS early warning station at Fylingdales, the apparatus in this room was constantly updated on the defense situation. A Soviet ICBM attack would be detected here, and from here the alarm signal to the entire national civil and military defense system would be triggered. This really one-of-a-kind reconstruction is really evoking, with the original panels all lit, and a dim light background!
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
A final room on the underground floor hosts a reconstruction of a Soviet missile launch room. Perhaps not accurate as a reconstruction, it is however centered on original material and memorabilia items from the Soviet bloc. This area has been employed as a set for movies.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
At the base of a second stair well ascending to the ground floor you can find a reconstruction of one of the more than 1 thousand peripheral posts of the ROC. Such posts, scattered on the UK territory, gathered information for the RGHQ, and constituted the ‘sensors’ of the nuclear attack detection network. The technical gear includes over-pressure and radiation intensity transducers.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Getting there and visiting
The bunker is in a very secluded location, about 25 miles west of Stoke-on-Trent, and roughly 60 miles from Liverpool and Manchester. Very little advertised in the area, and not much known to the general public even in the UK, this hidden gem can be reached very conveniently by car, not much conveniently with public transport. The exact address is French Ln, Nantwich CW5 8BL, United Kingdom.
The bunker was built far from the crowds. Do not be worried as you see the road getting narrower and you feel like your NAV is taking you to nowhere – you are probably on the right path! Once there, you will find a large inside parking, and a top-level management of the entire facility.
Hack Green – Secret Nuclear Bunker – Crisis Regional Government – Cold War – UK
Visiting is on a self-guided basis, with tons of explanatory panels and illustrations allowing to make the most out of your visit even if you have just a normal interest and preliminary knowledge of the topic. For a specialist, this super-interesting, one-of-a-kind site may require at least 2 hours for capturing the details, and possibly take pictures. Website with visiting information here.
York Cold War Bunker
Besides the impressive Minster and the beautiful historic town, York has the distinction of being the seat of one of the few Cold War bunkers preserved in the UK. Differently from Hack Green (see above), the bunker in York was installed relatively late in 1961, in the middle of the Cold War. Since then and until the collapse of the USSR, it acted as a node in the UK Warning and Monitoring Organization (UKWMO), collecting information and coordinating emergency actions around York in the event of a nuclear attack. A cluster of reporting points was linked to the bunker in York, which took the name of Headquarters of the N.20 Group within the UKWMO.
An eminently intelligence collection and information relay facility, the bunker was manned by the Royal Observation Corps (ROC), who provided voluntary civilian staff to support the monitoring and communication functions of the bunker in the UKWMO network. The bunker ceased operations and was basically sealed in 1991. Until that time, the ROC ran the facility, carrying out regularly scheduled drills and simulations. The bunker was designed and sized to offer its staff a self-support ability of a few weeks in a nuclear fallout scenario. Besides all supporting facilities, including water tanks, pumps and power generators, the facility was centered on a set of sensors for nuclear blast detection, as well as provision for fallout forecast and monitoring.
The bunker has been taken over by the English Heritage, a structured nationwide historical conservation association, which restored the site and opened it to the public.
The York Cold War Bunker is not far from the historical center, yet in a quiet residential area. Access is from a small parking area among low-rise buildings. The greenish paint of the concrete walls and the tall metal antenna on top cannot be spotted from much farther away than the parking itself. Curiously, the pedestrian door of the bunker stands some feet above the ground, and can be reached via a concrete stairway. Then once on top and inside, you need to descend some flights of stairs to get underground.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
Compared to the Hack Green bunker, the York group headquarter is more cramped, with smaller rooms, lower ceilings and narrower corridors.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
The first part of the visit covers the supporting facilities. These include a ventilation system, which as customary for nuclear-proof bunkers (but the same is true for older bunkers dating from WWII) filtered the incoming air and ejected the inside air, basically pressurizing the bunker environment with respect to the outside atmospheric pressure. This avoided passive ingestion of contaminated air from the outside.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
A power generator and a water pumping system are also visible. A control panel for all the plants has been preserved, similar to the machinery in this area, dating from the time of construction.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
The centerpiece of the visit is of course the reporting room. The reason for putting a headquarters in relatively low-sized York was the presence in the area of significant food production industries, as well as of a major railway node in Northern England. Furthermore, military facilities like the only BMEWS station in the UK happened to be in Fylingdales, northern Yorkshire. These features would make York a valuable strategic target for an attacking enemy. The main function of the bunker within the UKWMO was that of ascertaining the position and intensity of a nuclear explosion on the territory covered by its jurisdiction.
Anticipated by the early warning ballistic missile detection system protecting the UK, the hit could be recorded by the sensors available in the bunker or in other reporting points scattered around in the country. The bunker would then try to predict and follow the evolution of the fallout. This would allow coordinating emergency and recovery actions including fire suppression, medical evacuation, water and food transport and supply, etc.
The central reporting room looks mostly like an operations room in a military headquarter. It is structured on two levels, with large maps and boards for visually updating the situation and writing information. Batteries of telephones and teletypewriters allowed obtaining communications and sending updated information to allow emergency services as well as decision centers to carry out post-attack operations. This system was not dissimilar from the counterpart beyond the Iron Curtain (see for instance this center in Poland).
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
Nearby the reporting room, the components of the sensor suite allowing to detect the position and intensity of a nuclear explosion are on display.
The first is the bomb-power indicator (BPI). The working principle is that of reading the over-pressure caused by the shock-wave invariably produced by an explosion, and particularly intense for a nuclear explosion, releasing an immense amount of energy in a small volume and within a very short time. The supersonic traveling shock-wave is responsible for the mechanical breaking of building and superstructures, like antennas, suspended power lines, bridges, piers, etc. Being a wave of pressure, its intensity can be measured by pressure transducers, which for the BPI show the reading on a simple analog dial.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
The transducer, seen handing from the ceiling in the exhibition, would stand on the rooftop of the bunker, exposed to the explosion. This type of sensor was also installed in smaller reporting points scattered over the territory of the UK.
A second sensor was the ground zero indicator (GZI). Here the working principle was also very simple. The main element in the GZI is a metal drum with a small hole in the side, and a piece of photographic paper covering the inside surface of the cylinder. An explosion would send a high-energy light beam through the hole, producing an impression on a precise point on the paper. By positioning in a very accurate way the drum on its pedestal on top of the bunker, according to a precise fine-tuning, it was possible to retrieve the direction of the incoming beam. By composing the reading of more than one precisely-located drum, it was possible to pinpoint the position of the explosion by triangulation, both in terms of geographical position and altitude. The latter is a very relevant practical information, since for instance the quality and hazard of the fallout are strongly related to the proximity of the explosion to the ground.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
The GZI, a purely analog sensor, had the odd feature of requiring collection of the photographic paper by venturing outside of the bunker after and explosion, i.e. facing the fallout.
The third and most evolved system on display is an AWDREY computer. The name stands for Atomic Weapon Detection Recognition and Estimation of Yield. This artifact is very rare to see, and a quite refined piece of engineering for the time. It was supplied to 12 headquarter bunkers of the UKWMO, including York, and was operative from the early 1970s. The computer is the computational part of the system, whereas the detection system was based on a sophisticated transducer put outside, on top of the bunker. The working principle was much more sophisticated here, and related to the evolution of the intensity of the radiation coming from the core of the explosions in the first instants of the detonation process. Several stages of a nuclear explosions happen in a row on a scale of a few millionths of a second. These include a predictable oscillation of the intensity of radiation. The exact features of this oscillation are correlated to the yield of the explosion. The ability of AWDREY to collect and interpret data from the early stage of the explosion would allow it to reconstruct the position and yield of the explosion at once.
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
Tuned on experimental data from nuclear testing in the field, this system delivered good general performance, with some inaccuracy in case of intense atmospheric phenomena taking place – or during fireworks, when the York system was apparently misled in one occasion, interpreting it as a Soviet attack!
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
York Cold War Bunker – York – England
The tour is completed with a view of the dorm for the civil servants of the ROC, and with a short exhibition on some historical and political aspects of the Cold War.
Getting there and visiting
The York Cold War Bunker is professionally managed by the English Heritage. Visiting is only possible with a guide. Please note that as of 2022, pre-booking is strictly necessary, since there is no ticket office on site. The guided tour lasts about 45 minutes, including a well-crafted introductory video. At the time of writing, only the first underground floor is open for a visit, but plans for an expansion of the visible part of the facility are being drafted.
The tour is very interesting and detailed, with some educated humor to make it more enjoyable! For specialists, it will be too quick, especially if you like to take pictures. However, the site indeed deserves a careful look also for the more technically-minded people, especially considering the little number of similar facilities open in Europe – and of course in the UK, where it is a one-of-a-kind destination, and a true must for Cold War historians.
The location is about two miles west of York Minster. Convenient to reach by car, several public parking lots are available in front of the gate or in the neighborhood. The exact address is Monument Cl, Holgate, York YO24 4HT, United Kingdom. Website with full information here.
During the Cold War the condition of Denmark on the international stage was among the most complex. Coming from years of neutrality before WWII, conquered in a matter of days in spring 1940 by neighbor Germany, at that time in the throes of the Nazi fury, it found itself on the front line of the two opposing blocs soon after May 1945.
Having not been occupied by the Soviets during WWII, it could better choose about its future, and in 1949 the mother country of the Vikings joined NATO as a funding member – unlike neighbor Sweden and Finland – thus giving its availability to its Allies to help countering Soviet influence over the territory under its control.
History in brief
Often overlooked when looking at the world map for its relatively small area, at the beginning of the Cold War the geographical position of Denmark nonetheless was – and, to some extent, still is – strategically very relevant. It is right on the inlet of the Baltic Sea, with a proximity to the foreign coasts of Norway and Sweden such to allow easily blocking the marine traffic on the Kattegat strait, when needed, by means of mere cannon fire from the coast. During the Cold War, this meant a virtual control over a sea where the USSR and Eastern Bloc Countries had many industrially relevant and non-freezing ports, as well as navy bases. Furthermore, the islands of Denmark, where large cities like Odense and Copenhagen are, can be found as close as 1.5 hours by boat to the coast of the German Democratic Republic – once one of the most heavily militarized countries on earth, also thanks to a massive Soviet presence. The smaller island of Bornholm, further east, is even closer than that to the coast of Poland.
A curious fact in history demonstrated the proximity of Denmark to the communist sphere of influence, shaking the minds of top ranking Soviet military. On March 5th, 1953, on the very same day of Stalin’s death, the first defection of a jet fighter from the Eastern Bloc took place, when a Polish MiG-15 on a routine flight along the Baltic Coast suddenly left his mates and rushed to Bornholm, where it landed on a field, leaving the aircraft in almost pristine conditions.
The cautious reaction of the Danish government and military forces reflects the position of the country at the time – they had identified the USSR and their satellites as a clear and present threat, and consequently they had taken the side of the West. Yet Denmark knew it could not withstand a direct military hit by the Soviets for more than a few hours, therefore as a form of self-protection, any form of provocation, at least in the early 1950s, was carefully avoided. While the pilot of the MiG was allowed to escape to the UK and then the US, the aircraft was quietly ceded to the US military for technical inspection in the FRG, but then re-mounted and returned to Poland. Other examples of a policy of constant detente with the Soviet Union are represented by the refusal to have NATO bases on its territory, or despite the adoption of the Nike missile system for the airspace protection, the missed deployment of the corresponding tactical nuclear warheads.
Of course, in recognition of the strategic relevance of this pleasant country, plans for a Soviet invasion which would strike in northern Europe, with the objective of reaching to the ports of the North Sea in less than a week from Eastern Germany, included as a major target the quick occupation of the Jutland peninsula, and of the islands of Denmark as well. This had to be done by marching fast through the northern regions of the Federal Republic of Germany, and simultaneously landing troops on the Danish islands.
About this post
Albeit not enough populated to sustain an army capable of resisting the eastern opponents on the other side of the Iron Curtain, thanks to its position on the map, Denmark took over seriously a fundamental border monitoring and interdiction task in favor of all NATO forces. Two tangible witnesses of this are the military bases of Stevnsfort and Langelandsfort, both located on the southern coasts of the islands, overlooking key sea straits, and pointing south to the East German coast. Both have been shut down after the end of the Cold War, and now they can be visited as top-tier military museums.
Further souvenirs from the Cold War era can be found in the Defense and Garrison Museum in Aalborg, a wide-spectrum military museum with a focus on WWII and the Cold War, and in the Danish Museum of Flight, where exemplars from the heterogeneous wings of the Danish Air Force are displayed, together with unique specimens of Danish aircraft production from the inter-war and early Cold War period.
This post covers all these four sites, visited in summer 2019. Presentation doesn’t follow any special order.
This museum on the eastern coast of the island of Zealand (the same of Copenhagen) is actually a former Cold War military fort, operative from the early 1950s to the year 2000. It was re-opened as a museum in 2008, carefully preserved in most part in the forms it had in the 1980s, the most technologically advanced years of the Cold War.
By the entrance to the museum area you can see three surface-to-air missile, namely an old Nike-Ajax, and a much more performing – and bigger – Nike-Hercules. Both were part of the US Nike airspace protection system, which was deployed in Denmark around Copenhagen. The missiles are from the Cold War years, but were not originally present on Stevnsfort.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Strictly speaking, Stevnsfort is not the part of the installation you access first. The area you meet when getting in from the parking used to be a missile base in charge of the Danish Air Force. It was built for the Hawk system, another US interdiction surface-to-air missile system, the heir of the Nike system. Actually, Nike Hercules batteries in Denmark were withdrawn from use – as elsewhere, see this post – in the 1980s. Their role was taken over by Hawk missile batteries, gradually entering service since the 1960s, and operated till 2005 in Denmark.
Differently from its predecessor, the radar-based Hawk system was entirely movable, making it more flexible and less vulnerable. As a result, there are basically no bunkers in this area, and all constructions here are ‘soft’. Target designation and tracking was demanded to three sub-systems, namely a radar-pulse antenna for target individuation, an interrogation friend-or-foe (IFF) and a target-tracking/homing antenna.
Two radar-pulse antennas are displayed. The aerial emerges from a tent, which covers the electronics and motor of the system. Both are mounted on a truck trailer, which is actually totally movable. The range of the radar scanner was about 75 miles.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
The IFF antenna is a smaller barrel-shaped device coupled with systems on-board aircraft, needed to distinguish between an enemy aircraft and a friend or ally. The target-tracking/homing antenna, with its distinctive two radar dishes, shares the installation setup with radar-pulse antennas – it sits on top of a trailer, covered in a green tent.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Close by, trucks and special moving cranes to mount the missiles on their launch gantries are displayed. Also containers for the missiles are shown, together with an example of the Hawk missile itself. The launch order could arrive only from the central Air Force command, except in case of a communication breakdown, when each missile base could decide on its own – at the high risk of making a mistake!
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Farther on, power trucks and other launch systems are displayed besides batteries of Hawk missiles. The launch gantry is smaller in size compared to that of Nike-Hercules, but each gantry launches three missiles instead of only one. The gantry is anchored to the ground, and when inactive it is shrouded in a peculiar rubber-coated eyelid-like bubble, which can be quickly lowered to let the missiles out.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
On the far end of the missile area, you can see an old-fashioned coastal cannon, part of the original fort, used as an illumination cannon in support of larger cannons in the battery.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
One of the naval gun batteries is the first item you meet when entering the actual Stevnsfort fort. The fort was built between 1952 and 1955 for use by the Navy, and is the oldest part of the installation. Together with the Langelandsfort gun battery and command post (see below), it was tasked with monitoring marine traffic along the straits giving access to the Kattegat and the North Sea from the inner Baltic. For the purpose, it was supplied with a huge underground bunker, its most distinctive feature, as well as batteries of naval guns.
The 150 mm guns have an intriguing history. They were made in Nazi Germany early during WWII, for the Kriegsmarine ship ‘Gneisenau’. This was damaged when still in the dockyard, and the guns were re-designated to be placed on the Danish island of Fano on the North Sea coast, as part of the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall. Following the end of WWII in May 1945, the guns were captured and finally found their way to Stevnsfort.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
The two-guns batteries were capable of 4-6 shells per minute per barrel, and could reach to the coast of Sweden, thus effectively closing the Oresund strait between Denmark and Sweden if needed. While primarily an anti-ship battery, the swiveling turret could be used to cover the coast, in case of an amphibious attack.
Firing direction was by means of a primary radar station on site, which is still in use, complemented by five other stations along the coast. The shells were loaded with an elevator from the bunker underneath. The guns were temporarily deactivated – but not dismantled – in the 1980s, when Stevnsfort assumed the role of main control and communication post for the southern district of the Danish Navy. Joint exercises with the military forces of the FRG were carried out also here in the final years of the Cold War.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
By the entrance to the underground bunker you can spot several air hatches emerging from the ground, and an example of sea mine. The latter was the primary weapon to interdict traffic on the strait, with gun battery fire being mainly directed against enemy mine-sweepers.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Past the entrance, you need to descend a long stair into the bunker. At the base of the stair is an airlock with facilities for decontamination. The Stevnsfort bunker was most notably the first structure in Denmark to be built to withstand a nuclear attack.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
The bunker is not excessively big, with about twenty reinforced-concrete-padded rooms connected by tunnels carved in the rock.
One of the highlights of this installation is the communication bunker, operative since 1984 in an area formerly hosting a hospital, then shut down when the naval batteries were deactivated. This used to be a highly inaccessible facility during the Cold War. Thanks to a careful preservation, the room looks like it was still in use! Batteries of telex and other communication machines originally in place, monitors and modern imaging technology from the Eighties, together with examples of ciphered messages are all on display.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Next to the communication room, the operation room is even more impressive. Similar to the former, it was constantly manned, and totally inaccessible for non-authorized personnel. The radar monitors can be seen towering over the consoles! Military staff on duty identified and followed all marine traffic in the assigned district, both civilian and military, friends and potential enemies.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Catalogs of existing ships are on display. Several thousands ships were identified and observed from this facility in the days of operation. It is reported that patrol ships from the USSR approached the coast under surveillance about 30 times per year, tasked with familiarizing troops with local geography…
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Another highlight of the visit is the ammo storage for the gun battery previously visited. In the storage, explosive cartridges are placed separately from the shells themselves. There were four types of shells, recognized through a color code – grey for armor-piercing, orange for explosive, green for illuminating and blue for inert.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
The almost-100 pounds cartridges were loaded on an elevator, and lifted up to the battery. A ladder provided direct access from the bunker to the cannons, serving also as an emergency exit.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Other rooms you can visit are sleeping quarters for the 250 men which stationed inside the bunker, until the guns were deactivated in 1981. The fort was capable of sustaining prolonged isolation in case of crisis or war. During the Cuban missile crisis, the Stevnsfort bunker was put on maximum alert for a week, with all men living underground, all accesses sealed.
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Cold War Museum Stevnsfort Denmark – Cannons, Bunker and Operations Center
Getting there and moving around
The Cold War Museum Stevnsfort is an international-level museum, to be found 1 hour driving south of central Copenhagen. The official website with directions and opening times is here. Visiting inside the gun battery and the bunker is possible only on a guided tour, where you are given an audio guide in English (also German and possibly other languages) if you can’t follow the Danish-speaking human guide. The guided tour includes also a visit of the missile battery, but this part can be toured also on your own. The guided visit lasts about 1.5 hours, and may turn a little boring in some parts (as usual, the human guide speaks longer than your audio-guide), but it is needed to get access to the most unique parts of the museum. I suggest visiting relatively early in the day, allowing some spare time after the guided tour and before closure to tour the missile part on your own. Free parking ahead of the installation, nice military-themed shop.
Cold War Museum Langelandsfort
This museum has been opened on the premises of a former naval gun installation from the same years of Stevnsfort (see above). Located on the southern island of Langeland, at the inlet of the Belt channel giving access to the Kattegat from the Baltic, it was in a good position to monitor all marine traffic in its sector, as well as for blocking the channel. As a matter of fact, similarly to Stevnsfort, the main target of the naval guns here were minesweepers, for the channel was completely covered with Danish remotely-controlled sea mines, and action of enemy minesweepers would have been necessary before any attack by the bulk of navy forces.
The main naval force in Langelandsfort was constituted of four naval guns, mounted on swiveling turrets, and a fire control bunker which in non-crisis time was used to keep trace of all marine traffic in the sector. The fort was complemented with anti-aircraft defensive positions, a bunkerized power station, and ‘softer buildings’, including barracks. Except for the latter, everything has been restored and can be visited. One of the naval batteries has been restored completely to its original form including the mechanisms underneath, whereas at the base of the other three batteries you can find exhibitions about various aspects of the Cold War – they are all pretty well studied, rich and interesting.
The command bunker is the first construction you meet. The building is from the 1950s, and it shares many aspects with Stevnsfort, though this is much smaller. You can see sleeping quarters and a kitchen, which would be used especially in case the fort was sealed, i.e. in case of high alert or war.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The control rooms are three. Two are for tracking marine traffic in the marine district of the Belt, and also for coordinating air operations from other military installations in Denmark. A radar antenna and an observation tower outside, likely complemented by similar gear in the area, provided a complete real-time picture of the civilian and military traffic in the sector. It is reported that ships going to Cuba with SS-4 nuclear missiles and related supplies were spotted in these rooms months before that material was photographed by the US, when the crisis broke out.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The third control room is the fire control room for the whole fort, coordinating fire from all four gun batteries. Fire control was by means of a very interesting piece of machinery, a fully mechanical computer, taking in atmospheric data like temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, and target data. No electricity was needed except for lighting the goggles of this analog computer! A similar item was present in Stevnsfort, but I could not see it during my guided visit.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
In an adjoining room you can see a perfectly restored communication facility, with ciphered messages hanging on the walls, as well as original transmission machines and early computers. There is also a personal study room for the commander of the post.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Besides the control bunker you can find an anti-aircraft position, centered on a four-barreled anti-aircraft gun. Similar to all others, the small bunker underneath could be manned and sealed in case of war.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The cannon battery closest to the control bunker has been restored completely, including the bunker underneath. The 150 mm guns, one per battery, were made in the final years of WWII by Skoda works in Plzen, in the then-Nazi occupied territory of Czechia. They were originally intended by the Wehrmacht for the Atlantic Wall in Denmark, but they never became operative there. Instead, they ended up to be installed by Denmark to counter a Soviet threat on the Baltic.
The mechanism for supplying cartridges to the cannon is similar to that in Stevnsfort, with an elevator lifting the explosive charge and the shell separately to the level of the gun. However, here the storage bunker is just beneath the cannon, and the lift does not carry the cartridge directly inside the turret, but to a hatch in the reinforced wall besides the cannon – something similar to some of the smaller cannon batteries of the Atlantic Wall built by the Germans.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Inside the bunker you can see the ammo storage, as well as a sleeping compartment for the 15-men crew needed to operate the cannon.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Some example shells have been preserved, with colors corresponding to different functions of the shell (see Stevnsfort above).
The cartridge elevator room is very small, and access is from both sides. Explosive and shell came from opposite directions, each from the corresponding storage room.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The bunker under the next cannon battery has been dedicated to the analysis of the threat from the Danish perspective. Here you see copies of the Soviet plans to invade Denmark, as part of an operation to conquer central and northern Europe lightning-fast in case of an open war against the West. Among the most striking items, you can see detailed Soviet maps covering all regions of Denmark – with city names and all writing in Cyrillic!
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
There is also a nice collection of ordinary weapons and military supply from the Eastern Bloc, and especially from the neighboring German Democratic Republic. A very special feature is an example of the ‘Blücher decoration for valor’, a medal created by the GDR to be attributed to individuals for actions of exceptional courage in the defense of the GDR, and to be assigned only in case of war – thanks to the Cold War never turning ‘hot’ for the GDR, nobody could be awarded this decoration.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The next battery is dedicated to espionage and spy gear, with many examples of James-Bond-like trinkets, actually used by both enemy and Danish spies. Machinery for ciphered communication, once considered hi-tech, is also on display, together with maps used by a Danish spy visiting the Polish coast, and satellite imagery of East German/Soviet airbases.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The exhibition in the last battery is about the Cold War and society, and is full of old photographs of pro-Soviet protesters in Denmark, spies, famous characters of the Cold War, momentous events taking place in Denmark during the Cold War and so on. Most notably, there are also many artifacts from both Denmark, the Eastern Bloc and the USSR, including medals, posters, portraits and much more.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Similar to the control bunker, the power station has been preserved in its original condition. Three diesel engines could provide power to all bunkers in case of war or failure of the grid for whatever reason. Immediately outside the entrance to the power station bunker there are apparently some suspended showers…
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The large area of Langelandsfort has been selected also for the exhibition of a submarine, a mine-sweeper and two aircraft! The submarine ‘Springeren’ was used by Denmark in the 1990s and early 2000s, but it was built much earlier and operated by the Norwegian Navy. Sadly, after the retirement of ‘Springeren’, the Danish Navy shut off completely its underwater branch. The ship is a small conventionally powered attack submarine. The interior is apparently pretty modern with respect to older German or US WWII U-boats.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The submarine features six torpedo tubes.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The mine-sweeper has the appearance of a small conventional boat, but with room for a crew of several men. It is hosted in a hangar together with examples of sea mines – apparently US models.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The two aircraft are a SAAB Draken of Denmark and a MiG-23 of Poland. They represent some of the most advanced aircraft of these opposing countries at the height of the Cold War. Both exemplars are well preserved inside hangars protecting them from the weather and sunlight.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Another interesting sight is a reconstruction of a civil defense bunker, with much original material, including packs of ration cards already prepared for the population in case of war. In an adjoining room you can see a reconstruction of a bunkerized broadcasting studio – the national TV channels were tasked with providing updates to the population in case of an attack, hence a similar facility was prepared in the basement of the TV headquarters.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Close to the ticket office, you are offered a very well-designed exhibition tracing the timeline of the Cold War, with some clever text and many pictures, some of which rather uncommon – really worth spending some time on, before or after visiting the museum.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
There is also room for temporary exhibitions, in a hangar which includes an original section of the Berlin Wall.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
The building of the ticket office is also interesting. From the back of it you can get access to a smaller exhibition about travels to the DDR (the native acronym for the GDR), with everyday items, old Interflug boarding passes, and some incredible postcards – apparently, modern Soviet-style housing and heads of Marx were the items that GDR postcard-designers liked most… Fragments of the Berlin Wall are also on display.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Ahead of the entrance there is an old and pretty big hammer and sickle, originally from a Soviet ship. The commander threw it outboard when the Soviet Union officially ceased to exist. It was collected by a Danish sailor and ended up here. Nearby you can see a reconstruction of the Berlin Wall, and an original Trabant crossing it.
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Koldkrigsmuseum Langelandsfort, Bagenkop – Cold War Museum Denmark – Cannon Battery, Bunker and Operations Center
Getting there and moving around
The Cold War Museum Langelandsfort is located close to the southern tip of the island of Langeland, which is connected with bridges to the major island of Fyn, where Odense can be found about 1-hour north of the museum by car. You can move around the museum on your own, there are several panels with explanations. Most panels have at least a quick translation in German and English. All presentations are very well designed and maintained. Visiting may take at least 2 hours for an interested subject, and even more especially if you are taking pictures. Free parking ahead of the entrance, and picnic area nearby. Official website here.
Aalborg Defense and Garrison Museum
This museum was opened in the year 2002, in the hangar of a seaplane base constituted by the occupying German forces in 1940. The base was potentiated in more instances during WWII, and a half-interred command bunker similar to those of the Atlantic Wall was added.
Aalborg has been a military post for centuries, therefore the museum is centered on several aspects of war and military life. Of course, the majority of the artifacts on display date from WWII and the Cold War period.
The hangar hosts a small collection of aircraft, which capture your sight when you get in. Most notably, there are a venerable F-84, an F-86, and somewhat older T-33 and Gloster Meteor.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Close by, you can find a more modern F-104. Jet engines of American make from some of these aircraft have been taken out of the airframes, and put on display separately.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Again in the center of the hangar you can see a Hawk missile system, including the missile battery and movable power and control trucks. Also anti-aircraft guns and searchlights from various ages are on display.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Items from WWII include a nice exhibition of locally-collected gear used by the Danish resistance movements. Supplied by the Allies from the air, they managed to build several types of bombs, mines, and so on, made to disturb and damage enemy transports, or to kill enemy staff in well programmed para-military actions.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Memorabilia include the engine of an US B-17 bomber, sadly downed over the Baltic during the crew’s final mission, the original Luftwaffe eagle once standing on the building of the local German air command, and a Nazi flag weaving on some public building in town in the years of the German occupation.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
There are also many photographs from the area from the war years, and reproductions of German maps and local newspapers. The latter tell about relevant facts taking place during the war, as reported by the local media. There are also diplomas of merit issued by the US and Britain in favor of a local citizen, member of the resistance.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
A part of the exhibition is about civil defense. Similar to the US, Britain and other countries during the Cold War, this service was activated to prepare the population to a nuclear war scenario, and to provide shelter and a chance of survival, by means of bunkers and deposits of supplies. Here you can see a reconstruction of such a shelter, and items which used to be stored in preparation for survival in the nuclear winter.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
There is also a nice collection of light weapons from local firms, uniforms and communication rigs.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
A few uniforms and technical gear from the current supplies of the Danish military are on display as well.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
In a room to the side of the central hall, you can find uniforms dating from WWII, including German stuff. The story of a Dane coming to the US and fighting for the US Army is also told in a corner, also through some memorabilia.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
On an elevated platform you can find an exhibition about the Cold War. This is mostly made by panels retracing the history of that confrontation over the decades. Among the most peculiar items on display, a copy of the invasion plan studied by the Soviet in case of a sudden war with the West. That plan included the rapid conquer of Denmark, due to its strategically relevant position. A copy of a Soviet-made map of Aalborg in Russian, needed in case of war, is another example of the unique artifacts on display.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
This special Cold War exhibition is completed with a set of field and anti-aircraft weapons from various ages of the confrontation.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Other rooms around the main hall display modern uniforms, NATO-related material, military supply from various ages and even a throne used by the Queen of Denmark on an official visit.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
In an adjoining smaller hangar you can find a rich collection of trucks and weapons with various – not only military – functions.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Outside, a highlight of the museum is the former air command bunker built by the Germans. This has been filled with memorabilia from the Nazi occupation period. An unusual and little-known story is told here, about the German refugees from Eastern Prussia, a region loosely coincident today with the part of Russia around the town of Kaliningrad (ex-Konigsberg). This area used to be part of Germany since before WWI, and it remained under the Weimar Republic, even though separated from German mainland. Neighboring Lithuania was annexed to the Third Reich before WWII – similar to Sudetenland – on account of the proximity to that region, with the excuse of a significant German group living in Lithuania. In 1939 the Germans re-gained control over northern Poland, and the two regions of Prussia were reunited in the Reich.
Following the victories of the Soviets in 1944 and the ensuing landslide-march towards Berlin, Eastern Prussia was lost to the enemy. Refugees escaped to mainland Germany, and the administration of the Reich sent these folks in several areas relatively far from the front – including a significant number to occupied Denmark, and especially in the hangars in Aalborg, where the museum is today. So the hangar acted as a hospitality center for the refugees. This was something strange though, for the refugees were not local nationals, but instead enemies. This led to a controversy soon after, when the war ended. In the event, most of the refugees returned to their land of origin, only to find it permanently occupied by the Soviets. Some handmade artifacts of these German refugees can be seen on display in the bunker.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Finally, a very good collection of tanks, field guns and movable howitzers from various countries including the Eastern Bloc and mainly from the various ages of the Cold War can be admired on the museum apron. For the most part, these are reportedly kept in working condition.
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum – Defense and Garrison Museum – WWII and Cold War Weapons – Denmark
Getting there and moving around
The museum is located close to central Aalborg, on the waterfront. You can visit it totally on your own. Some of the exhibitions are described in more languages, but some parts are in Danish only. Nonetheless, the visit can be very rewarding for experts and for the kids as well, thanks to the chance to touch many of the artifacts on display. A two-hours time may be enough for having a look, more time is required for a more in-depth visit or if you want to take pictures.
Convenient parking just ahead of the entrance. Website with full information here.
Danish Museum of Flight
This fantastic collection of aircraft can be found next to Stauning Airport, on the west coast of Jutland, at the level of the Ringkobing firth. This is by far the largest aircraft collection in Denmark, and the reference air museum in this country.
The exhibition is well designed and rich, and it covers both the civil and military branches of aviation. Furthermore, a good half of the aircraft appear in fully airworthy conditions.
There are three thematic hangars. In the first you can find civilian aircraft from various ages, smaller sport aircraft and military trainers mainly from the inter-war period or the late 1940s. Some of them appear airworthy.
Most notably, there is the front part of the fuselage of a Douglas DC-7, formerly in service with the national carrier SAS, still on business today. The cockpit and the crew compartment are well preserved. The analog instrumentation adopted on this plane, which dates from 1957 and represents the last and most advanced of the Douglas propliners, is abundant and remarkably sophisticated.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Another unique aircraft on display is an Aerospatiale Corvette, an executive jet by the same French airframer who participated in the Concorde project. You can also board the plane.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Similarly rare today is the DeHavilland Dove, a British-made short range liner from the early Cold War period. Similar aircraft, cheap to operate, went on flying well into the 1970s in many countries. Here you see an exemplar in the colors of Cimber Air.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Among the trainers, you can find a DeHavilland Tiger Moth and a Chipmunk from the same manufacturer. Less common aircraft include a DeHavilland Hornet Moth, which apparently spent most of its flying time in Kuala Lumpur, and a nice Bucker Bestmann, a German trainer adopted and license-built also in Sweden.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Despite never adopted by the Danish military, a V-tailed Fouga Magister French trainer apparently found its way to here. It was reportedly flown in private hands by a Danish professor, before being donated to the museum.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
In the first hangar are also examples of Danish aircraft production, including the reconstruction of an early prototype by a local pioneer. Propellers and dismounted engines and systems, likely used for training purposes in the past, are an interesting part of the exhibition too.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
A huge collection of model engines, some air traffic control consoles and airport trucks complete the exhibition in the first hangar.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
The second hangar is mainly devoted to aircraft manufactured in Denmark. Most notably, the Skandinavisk Aero Industri – abbreviated in SAI – specialized in trainers and small transport in the inter-war and WWII period, and knew a good national and local international success between 1937 and 1954, when it disappeared – and with it basically also the Danish aeronautical industry.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Some of the aircraft on display are unique exemplars, the last witnesses of this interesting story. Not all aircraft here are from this manufacturer though – an ubiquitous Piper Cub in its distinctive yellow colorway can be found as well, together with a Supermarine Spitfire. Also here, most aircraft appear to be in airworthy conditions.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
In the last hangar, which despite being the largest one, is the most crumpled, you can find military aircraft retracing the history of the Danish Air Force supply. The aircraft here are all from the Cold War period, hence giving to this hangar a historical connotation. This part of the exhibition is also particularly nice, as you can walk close and beneath the aircraft, an ideal setting for getting pictures of smaller particular features.
The variety of present aircraft is very interesting, and reflects the close bounds of Denmark with the US and Britain. Aircraft from the early Cold War include Lockheed T-33, a North American F-86, and two different versions of the Republic F-84.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
An exemplar of the latter is supplemented with JATO – Jet Assisted Take-Off – bottles under the fuselage. The mountings of the underwing rockets on the F-84 and of the belly rockets on the F-86 are really unique examples of Cold War technology!
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
A big Consolidated Catalina amphibious aircraft towers on all others in the hall, while a Douglas C-47 transport in excellent conditions is preserved in a corner, with an interesting ski system mounted on the landing gears.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
British aircraft from the same early era include a Gloster Meteor and what appears to be a pretty rare Fairey Firefly. Another US design is a T-6 trainer, to be found under the wing of the Catalina.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
More recent designs still from the Cold War include a Lockheed F-104, a British Hawker Hunter and a Swedish SAAB Draken.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Especially the configuration of the latter – both the general configuration and the arrangement of the landing gear and wing pylons – is really unique, reflecting a different yet interesting school of aircraft design.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Rather uncommon out of the US, a North American F-100 Super Sabre is also on display, with a foldable Pitot boom.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Finally there are a Hawk missile battery, a movable command center and service trucks.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Modern aircraft are represented here by an F-16. There are also two helicopters of US make, closing the collection.
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Danmarks Flymuseum Denmark Museum of Flight Jutland Skjern Cold War Planes
Getting there and moving around
The museum is located between Stauning and Velling, two small villages on the inner coast of the Ringkobing firth, western Jutland. The facility is modern, with a large free parking and a picnic area. It is located on the border of a local airport, immersed in nature – a very pleasant location. The museum requires about 2 hours for an interested subject, 2.5 if you want to take pictures. Website with full information here.
Just like West Germany, post-WWII Italy found itself on the border with a communist dictatorship, Marshal Tito’s Yugoslavia. Even though Tito and the government of the USSR were never close friends, from the viewpoint of the western alliances Yugoslavia represented a potential threat.
This mistrust was also a result of the aggressive policy Yugoslavia had adopted against Italy after WWII, imposing the cession of a piece of traditionally Italian territory in the northeast part of the country as a war compensation. This had triggered a significant migration of the local population, who was trying to escape from communism to mainland Italy and abroad. This added to the bitterness of the Italian-Yugoslavian relationship, to the point that the new border was not formally settled until the 1970s.
Italy was among the founding members of anti-communist NATO in 1949. This meant the chance to take part in a coordinated defense effort against the eastern bloc. Among the tangible results of this cooperation was the adoption of American war material, including aircraft and, as soon as they became a reliable war asset, missiles.
Considering air defense, besides a number of manned aircraft, the airspace of western Europe was protected by two defensive lines of surface-to-air missiles (SAM) extending roughly from the North Sea to the area around Venice on the Mediterranean. This was studied especially to counteract bombing raids carried out by a great number of enemy bombers simultaneously attacking from the east. This huge defense system was based on the US-designed Nike and Hawk missile platforms, and deployment started in the late 1950s.
SAM installations in Italy comprised the low to intermediate altitude Hawks, with a quick reaction capacity against low-level intruders. These were managed by the local Army. High altitude Nike-Ajax and later Nike-Hercules missiles were operated by the Italian Air Force against high-altitude targets, typically bombers. New dedicated groups were established since 1959, trained in the US to work with the new missile platform. At its height, the Nike force in Italy counted on 16 such groups, apparently corresponding to as many launch bases.
Concerning the effectiveness of the Nike defense line, it soon became obsolete, in the sense that a significant part of the strategic deterrent was transferred to ICBMs by both the NATO countries and the USSR. As a result, SAM defensive lines conceived against aircraft intrusion and low-level attacks would turn out more useful than the high-altitude and high-yield Nike-Hercules. As a matter of fact, all Nike platforms were deactivated in Italy and everywhere in Europe by the early 1980s, well before the end of communism in Europe.
Following deactivation, most bases, stripped of all hardware of any value, were simply locked up and abandoned. In Germany very few traces of this extensive system remain to this day (see this post). Together with the US, Italy is possibly the only country where this fragment of military history is documented through the active preservation of one of the former SAM launch bases.
The Nike-Hercules base preserved in Italy is called ‘Base Tuono’ – ‘tuono’ meaning ‘thunder’ in Italian language – and was operated between 1966 and 1977. It is in a gorgeous mountainous setting in the northeastern Alps, about an hour from the little town of Trento. After years of disrepair, a part of it has been refurbished with original material and opened as a beautiful, partly open-air museum, where you can get a lively impression of how the base would have looked like in the years of operations.
The following photographs are from a visit to ‘Base Tuono’ in Autumn 2018.
Sights
Nike batteries were composed of two connected but geographically separated areas, an integrated fire control area (IFC) and a launch control area (LCA). In the first resided the electronic aiming part, comprising all the antennas and electronic gear necessary to collimate the target, compute the expected kill point of the missile, and to track and guide the missile to that point. The launch area was composed of an array of three flat concrete pads, each supplied with a hangar for storing the missiles, gantries for putting typically three missiles at a time (per pad) in launch position, and a concrete shelter to oversee and trigger the launch sequence. An extensive description of the Nike SAM system can be found on this excellent dedicated resource website.
Due to the features of the radar guidance system, the IFC had to stay in line of sight from the LCA, and at a higher – but not excessively higher – elevation. At ‘Base Tuono’, due to the mountainous setting, the two areas are not far, yet they are not easily accessible from one another. Furthermore, what remains today of the former base is all concentrated in the launch area. One of the three original pads – ‘Alpha’ – has been preserved, where the other two – ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’ – and other ancillary buildings as well, have been completely demolished, and a water basin can be found in their place. All installations and housing in the former control area on top of a local peak – Mount Toraro – have been wiped out, but you can get an impression of the original plan of this part of the base walking around on your own.
Launch Control Area
The launch pad ‘Alpha’ is the focus of the museum. Approaching from the parking, which is located close to the site of the former barracks and canteen, you can spot from the distance three Nike-Hercules missiles aligned in vertical launch position. A water basin covers a large part of the former base, as you can see from historical pictures. Launch pads ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’ are totally gone, similarly to the original outer fence delimiting the large perimeter of the installation.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Getting closer to the launch pad ‘Alpha’ you can notice an array of radar antennas, which were originally in the IFC area on top of Mount Toraro. The area of the launch pad features a reconstructed inner fence, which was in place around each pad in the original base.
The pad is basically rectangular in shape, with a hangar on one side, a protection rim and the launch control bunker on two opposing sides and a free side where today you can find the ticket office.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Three missiles are placed on top of their launch gantries. The gantries are part of a sophisticated rail system, designed to allow an easy side motion of the missiles from inside the hangar to their respective launch positions outside. The missiles were stored horizontally in the hangar to the far top of the rail on trolleys. When being readied for launch, the trolleys were pushed along the rail to the launch position, where the trolley was joined to the gantry. The missiles were raised to a vertical attitude together with the trolley with the help of a lift, which was a movable part of the gantry.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
While the pavement is covered in asphalt, you can see the gantries and the rail system are staying on hard concrete foundations. These are among the few remains you see in the German Nike site covered in this post.
Inside the hangar you can spot a Nike Hercules missile, with lateral cutouts to expose the inner structure. These reveal the four-canister solid-propellant booster stage, which was ignited first and was separated from the bullet-shaped second stage when exhausted. The latter features the warhead, the electromechanical rigs of the guidance system, and a single solid-propellant sustainer rocket engine. The rocket had a range of about 25 miles, and a top speed over Mach 3, making it a really remarkable piece of technology especially compared to the soviet counterparts of the time.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
All around the missile in the hangar you can see inner parts of the missile itself and of the ground fire control system as well. There are also panels with the history of the base, and original warning signs and instructions painted on the inner walls of the hangar – and similarly on other walls of the base. These writings are in double language, both in Italian and English. While the base was managed by the Italian Air Force, such installations were integrated in the NATO defense line, so many procedures of the Italian Air Force were in English. Furthermore, US military staff was required on site ‘by design’ in case of operations with nuclear warheads, which the Hercules could optionally carry. Nuclear warheads were never deployed to this base though.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Further items on display around the three missiles on the open apron include an old Nike-Ajax missile, a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter – the Italian Air Force was the last in the world to retire this model from service, as late as 2004 – and two trailers aligned in a row. The trailers are the battery control trailer, or BCT, and the radar control trailer, or RCT. Both trailers were originally in the IFC area of the base, and were operated by the staff responsible for offensive operations. In the days of operation, there was always somebody on duty in the trailers.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
The BCT is, roughly speaking, where targets were designated, the kill point computed and the launch sequence triggered. The most notable feature are the two computerized plotting boards used to identify the target and to define the flight trajectory of the missile. The LOPAR detection radar and the identification friend-or-foe (IFF) radar reported information to this trailer, which coordinated the attack.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
In the RCT stood the operators of the TTR and TRR radars, which were responsible for keeping trace of the target and for monitoring the missile during the flight towards the designated kill point.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
To the back of the two trailers, it is possible to spot the rectangular shapes of the LOPAR radar and of the smaller IFF radar. The two round-shaped antennas are the TTR and TRR radars. In many pictures they are portrayed inside a bulbous cover, conferring them a distinctive spherical shape.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
The concrete bunker to the opposite side of the launch pad with respect to the trailers is a protected room for the launch section panel, which is a kind of control panel for triggering the launch sequence of the missiles. The bunker served as a shelter for the operators of the launch section, for remaining on the outside in the vicinity of the missiles during launch operations was extremely dangerous.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
During the guided visit, you are given a demonstration of the launch sequence from inside the control room, which is insulated from the outside with double tight doors. The firing procedure was quite complicated. Actually, it was a direct signal traveling along a cable connection from the battery trailer that gave the go to the missiles. Yet there were redundancies for increased safety, and it was possible to trigger the entire launch sequence from within the firing section, in case communication with the BCT was lost. During normal operations, the OK from the operator of the control panel in the bunker had the function of a further go/no go safety layer for the launch.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
A trailer with a panel similar to that in the bunker can be found outside. This likely represented a further redundancy, or like the F-104 it is a piece coming from somewhere else.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
To the back of the bunker with the fire section panel you can find an original watchtower from a US base in northern Italy, similar to the towers originally in place around the missile base. Close by, there is a nice example of the canisters used to the transport the stages of the Nike-Hercules, as well as the crane used to assemble it. There is also a further example of the second stage of the missile.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Getting there and moving around
The ‘Alpha’ battery of the launch control area is open as a museum, called ‘Base Tuono’. It is located on the road SP143, which departs from Folgaria, a small town about 12 miles south of the regional capital town Trento. You can find clear roadsigns leading to the site from Folgaria.
The museum has opening times, visiting is generally possible on a self-guided basis. Access to the bunker and the trailers is possible only on guided tours. All information on their website (in English). Large free parking about 0.2 miles away from the entrance.
There is much to see for technically minded subjects, but the visit will be surely appealing for children too. I would recommend to allocate at least 45 minutes for the visit, and up to 2 hours if you want to take a guided tour and take all the pictures on your own. The scenery around is gorgeous, so it will be easy to combine this destination with a nature trail or with other tourist destination in the area.
Integrated Fire Control Area
This is where the radars and trailers used to stay, together with barracks and service buildings. It can be found about 2 miles south east direct line of sight from the launch pad, on top of Mount Toraro. Differently from the launch control area, this area has been demolished and sanitized. No buildings remain in place, yet some of the former foundations and platforms to anchor the trailers can still be seen.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Reaching to the top of the peak is interesting to appreciate the view of the launch site from here. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit low clouds obstructed the sight.
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Getting there and moving around
Even though the wide original road to reach this part of the base still exists, for some reason access to the top of the mountain is not allowed by car. In order to get to the trailhead from the museum, you can take your car and keep going southeast along the SP143 for about 1.5 miles. As you go ahead, the road will change the name to SP92 on your nav. Soon after the road starts descending, you will find the trailhead to your right, with a horizontal obstacle and a prohibition sign for cars. You may park there. It is likely the trail to the top of Mount Toraro will be on your nav too, for it is basically a normal road. The distance to walk to the top is about 1 mile, along the former service road to the base – covered in asphalt, gently ascending, no risk of any kind.
Between the end of WWII and the collapse of the USSR in the early Nineties, Germany was caught in the middle of the confrontation between the West and the Soviet bloc. An unnatural and heavily guarded new border was established between the two adversaries, which crossed the extensive territory of todays Germany. Thanks to the presence of American, British and French military forces over the western territory of the Country, and of the Red Army to the east, with the start of the Cold War the German ‘inner border’ became a modern line of the front for this new type of confrontation (see this post).
All armies stationed there benefited from substantial resources poured by the respective governments in the setup of permanent military detachments and infrastructures. The aim for the nations involved was that of having on the spot a credible force, capable of effectively fighting an enemy army – as well as hitting the populations of neighbor Countries – in case a new war was started in Europe. In the end, an open war was never fought, yet for decades it was deemed possible, and in some crisis moments even likely (see this post).
This chapter presents pictures from five Cold-War-themed sites in southwest Germany. Photographs were taken in April 2018, and in the summer of 2020 and 2021.
With the end of the game for the communist empire and following German reunification, Russian forces withdrew from all bases in Germany – as well as from many other Countries in Europe – and so did the foreign NATO allies, with a very few exceptions. Most former military bases and military infrastructures fell in a state of disrepair, and by the years the majority were either completely wiped out or converted into something else. Nonetheless, especially in the less crowded territories of the former communist East Germany, visible traces remain from the period, in the form of – sometimes immense – abandoned airports and military bases (see this post and links therein).
Comparatively less traces of the once substantial presence of NATO forces are to be found in todays western ‘Länder’ – i.e. administrative regions – which used to be part of West Germany. Yet something of interest for Cold War ‘archaeologists’ can be found also here.
A long chain of anti-aircraft missile batteries was implemented based on the Nike missile system designed in the US, and implemented by the US Army as well as other NATO armies in West Germany. The defensive line was established in the 1950s and updated over the years, running almost parallel to the border with the communist DDR, but located pretty far from it and well within the territory of West Germany. It stretched from the North Sea to the Bodensee, on the border with Switzerland. There are some very extensive references on the web providing a complete description of the Nike defensive barrier both in the US and abroad, a very rich one here (the link should point directly to the German section).
In this chapter you can find some pictures from an exploration of an abandoned Nike Hercules site next to the town of Wurmberg, just out of Pforzheim, between Stuttgart and the French border. It used to be run directly by the US Army.
Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) were part of the tactical plans of both the US and the Soviets in Europe. The Pershing platform, based on the homonym theater-level nuclear missile, was deployed in Germany, and placed in the inventory of both the US Army and the West German Luftwaffe. The missile was updated in several instances in the decades of the Cold War, until it was banned by the INF treaty in 1988, agreed upon by the administrations of Gorbachev and Reagan.
Among the strongpoints of the Pershing missile deployment in Europe, a huge warhead deposit was built close to the town of Waldstetten, next to Schwäbisch Gmund in southern Germany. In this chapter you will find photographs from an exploration of this mysterious site.
Furthermore, a nice collection of aircraft from both sides of the Iron Curtain can be found in the southwestern corner of the Country, next to the town of Villingen-Schwenningen – one of the few air museums in this part of Germany. Similarly, the large collections of the military museum in Stammheim, next to the town of Schweinfurt in northwestern Bavaria, and once close to the ‘Inner Border’ with the GDR, has on display substantial specimens from the Cold War era.
Finally, a special feature presented in this chapter is a group of pictures from the former airbase in Giebelstadt, south of Würzburg, Bavaria. Today a privately owned general aviation airport, this former military airbase gained a special historical significance when it was selected for the departure of secret overflights of the communist territory beyond the Iron Curtain, performed with the Lockheed U-2 in the late Fifties, by decision of president Eisenhower.
Nike Missile Battery – Wurmberg
The site in Wurmberg, east of Pforzheim, was actually Battery ‘Delta’ – i.e. the fourth – of the four missile forces managed by the the 3rd Battalion of the 71st Air Defense Artillery (ADA) regiment.
Typical Nike missile batteries were composed of two geographically separated areas. The largest was the ‘Launch area’, with missile storage facilities – sometimes reinforced underground bunkers, sometimes more usual ‘soft’ hangars – and launch pads. The other was the ‘Integrated Fire Control area’ or ‘IFC’, where all antennas and electronic equipment for target detection and missile guidance were placed. Due to the limited speed of motion of the missile guidance antennas, the distance between the launch site and the IFC had to be greater than a threshold, while the elevation of the IFC had to be somewhat above the the launch pads. These technological constraints led the choice of the sites suitable for the installation of the Nike batteries.
The site was deactivated in the Eighties, and both areas were sanitized in more instances, basically demolishing any buildings. The ‘final stage’ of the operation is likely to be underway at the time of my visit, as you can see from the pictures, where piles of gravel and moved land can be spotted all around the launch site.
Surprisingly, a feature that has come to our days virtually without any alteration is the external fence of the launch site, which runs all around the launch area and is still particularly impenetrable. Also the rounds of barbed wire on top are still there.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The exploration of the launch area is pretty straightforward. It is rectangular, basically flat and aligned along an east-western direction. Close to the eastern end, you meet a flat area with a concrete pavement – now partly demolished – and a curved road nearby. This is where the missiles and warheads were assembled. Nike missiles could mount nuclear warheads, but apparently this was a rarely adopted option.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The next notable item to the west is a water basin, still in a very good shape. There used to be a water system all around the base. Remains of demolished buildings can be spotted around here too.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
A mystery electric cable comes out of the ground on a spot. It is noteworthy that the launch area and IFC were connected by an underground cable, but I don’t think this is the one you see in the pics.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
This battery had three launch sectors, bearing the little imaginative names of ‘Alpha’, ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’. You can find them in a sequence, walking towards the west end of the site.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The pads of the Alpha sector, while now greatly damaged by the demolition work, are still in place with their metal covers.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
There were three launch pads on each sector. The area of each sector appears unnecessarily large, but actually the missile storage hangar used to stay beyond the launch pads, occupying about half the area of each sector. Today these soft constructions have disappeared.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
To the west of each sector there is a small bunker, intended for the protection of the troops working around the launch pads, in case of an attack to the battery. These bunkers are not very damaged, so they constitute a very interesting part of the site today.
The protection bunkers have two exits on the two opposite sides – so the Alpha bunker connects the Alpha and Bravo sectors, the Bravo bunker the Bravo and Charlie sectors, while the Charlie bunker connects the Charlie sector to the logistic storage area to the west end of the launch site.
The Alpha bunker is well conserved – except for some spoiling by some idiot writer. There is no camouflage paint coat outside, just some plain green paint, and the walls inside are painted in a bright crimson color. The bunker has two opposite entrances, and two corresponding corridors leading to two massive tight doors, which give access to a central protected room, insulated from the outside.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Writings in English are still there in the central room of bunker Alpha.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The launch sectors Bravo and Charlie are more damaged than Alpha.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The Bravo bunker is camouflaged, and differently from Alpha the walls inside are painted in water green. It is possible to notice how the central room was separated from the rest of the structure for blast insulation, similar to other missile sites (see this post). There is a wide slot at the level of the doors.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Further writings in English and some original linoleum pavement are still perfectly visible.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The Charlie bunker is different from the other two. The facade is wider, it is coated in a camo paint, and bears the name ‘Charlie’ above the eastern door. Inside it is very dark, possibly as a result of a fire. In the insulated room it is possible to see an original air conditioning system.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The three launch sectors are connected to the south by a wide road, from where you can appreciate the extension and state of conservation of the original fence.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The IFC area is located just north of the small town of Wurmberg, on top of a hill. Unfortunately, the former military site has been wiped out and a nothing less than a waste disposal facility has taken its place! Anyway, from this vantage point you can clearly see the launch area, roughly two miles to the west.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Getting there and moving around
Getting to the launch area is very easy. Leave the highway N.8 close to Pforzheim (the exit is 45b Pforzheim-Süd) and take for Pforzheim on Wurmberger Strasse. Take the very first road to the right and park your car there. You will see a gate open since ages and an almost unmaintained road taking straight north and climbing gently uphill. This road will take you to the official gate of the launch area in 0.4 miles. Getting in is probably prohibited, but the area is pretty remote and secluded, and I didn’t see a person around during all my stay.
The site is geographically compact, so touring may take about 2 to 2.5 hours taking all pictures, if you have planned your movements in advance. A tripod is strictly necessary for taking decent pictures inside the very dark bunkers.
The IFC area can be reached going to Wurmberg, leaving the same exit but taking the direction opposite to Pforzheim. You will soon reach central Wurmberg. Cimb along Gollmerstrasse, then along Oschelbronnerstrasse. Where the village ends and the road stops climbing you will see a field to your left and a waste disposal facility to your right – this used to be the area occupied by the IFC area. Looking west you can see the launch area and the taller buildings of Pforzheim further in the distance.
Pershing Warhead Storage Bunkers – Waldstetten
The site in Waldstetten is basically an array of warhead storage bunkers, built between 1954 and 1958 by the US Army. In 1972 these bunkers became a part of a Quick Reaction Alert site, managed by the 1st Battalion of the 41st Field Artillery Regiment, tasked with supplying the nearby storage site of the Pershing missile in Mutlangen, just north of Schwäbisch Gmund. The site saw major action in 1982, when 36 Pershing II missiles were installed in Mutlangen as an answer to the deployment by the USSR of an updated version of the excellent SS-20 Saber IRBM system.
During the Eighties the 1st Bn 41st FA was reformed more than once, until it became 2nd Bn 9th FA in 1986, only to be disbanded in 1991, following the dismantlement of the Pershing system as a consequence of the INF Treaty between the US and USSR.
It should be mentioned that whether the nuclear warheads of the Pershing missile ever made their way to this storage site is a matter of discussion. As a matter of fact, the missiles were in the nearby Mutlangen site, and their installation triggered well documented protests by the usual pacifist folks, who encountered difficulties in understanding the moves of the Reagan administration, which helped with successfully putting an end to the Cold War and to many communist dictatorships in Europe. What the bunkers in the Waldstetten site were used for is not totally evident, and it should be recalled they were built in the Fifties, before the deployment of the Pershing system.
Of the 28 bunkers originally built, 25 exist today while three have been demolished in a landslide. The site is located in the trees along two broad circular roads, once service roads. Today it is in the heart of a natural preserve, and the roads are used by MTBs and hikers, whereas the Mutlangen site has been converted into a solar power plant.
The local administration has prepared a placard with a map and a short history of the place (in German only), which I spotted only by the first bunker you meet climbing uphill along the road approaching the site from north. You can see the placard in the pics below, with the corresponding map. The position indicated with ‘Standort’ on the map is where the placard is. I suggest starting you exploration from there.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
About half of the bunkers can be accessed. Except a few, they are basically indistinguishable.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Inside they are empty and very basic in shape, with just one large storage room. Other bunkers are inaccessible, and some have been converted into bat shelters.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
A notable bunker is 870 (see the map in the pic), which bears on the front facade graffiti from US troops, probably veterans visiting the place in recent times after it was closed up. Today it is a bat shelter.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
In 869 you can find some naive paintings, including one portraying a truck probably dating from the years of operation.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
A mystery bunker is 856, which is very different from all others. It has two small entrances, apparently for humans only, and a group of small chambers ahead of the larger storage area. This has no wide entrances, suggesting it was not used for warheads nor anything similar, and a blind room to the back. Unfortunately, this bunker is also covered in indecent graffiti.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Another interesting sight, especially visible to the west of the bunker area, is the original fence of the storage site, with a number of aligned concrete posts and traces of barbed wire. The line of the fence is shown also on the map.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Getting there and moving around
The storage bunkers are located on top of a hill, and some climbing is required to reach the bunker area. The place is not fenced, and there are multiple access points from all directions. I personally parked at the end of Dreifaltigkeitsstrasse in Waldstetten and accessed the site from the west. After touring it, I came back passing by the placard mentioned above. The road is steeper on that side of the hill, but starting from the placard may ease your exploration.
Please note that the on most part of the site the cell phone coverage was very weak, with no access to internet data. I strongly suggest downloading your maps before being on site.
The place is secluded and the bunkers are much overlooked by the locals, who keep on the main track and just cross the area – you will probably move around undisturbed if you walk in and around the bunkers.
Due to some amount of mild hiking required, a complete tour of all bunkers may take about 3 hours, including time for pictures.
The first is a single hangar, stacked with smaller aircraft and a helicopter, plus memorabilia and parts of aircraft of diverse proveniences and ages, including German machines from WWII, and later from both sides of the Iron Curtain.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
The main part is a grassy apron with an open air collection. Here you can see aircraft of American make in the colors of the West German Luftwaffe, including an F-86 Sabre and F-104 Starfighter.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
British aircraft are represented by an English Electric Canberra and a DeHavilland Vampire of the Swiss Air Force.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Other models from western Countries include an Italian Fiat G-91 reconnaissance aircraft and a German Dornier Alpha Jet trainer.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Models from the Soviet world include an Antonov An-2 biplane, which can also be boarded, and a Yakovlev Yak-18, bearing a post-Soviet Russian flag and registration markings.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Probably the star of the show, a well restored Polish-built MiG-15 is presented in the markings of the Red Army.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
The third part of the museum is a series of restoration hangars, where a number of aircraft are being restored, whereas some replicas are being assembled, possibly partly from original parts. These include a Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe, and a Dornier Do-335 Pfiel, of which only one original exemplar exists in Washingtong, DC – definitely a rare sight.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Getting there and moving around
The museum, located on the side of a local touristic airport, is easily reachable in Spittelbronner Weg 78, 78056 Villingen-Schwenningen, just on the eastern border of the beautiful Schwarzwald region. Website with full information here.
Military History Museum, Stammheim am Main
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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The museum in Stammheim, northwestern Bavaria, stands out as one of the largest and best preserved military collections in Germany, especially concerning the two World Wars and the Cold War. The museum is composed of a set of large adjoining hangars, and an open-air part. The hangars are rich in dioramas, built around real weapons (both heavy and light), tanks, as well as rigs, uniforms and dresses from the corresponding ages.
The first hangar is centered on WWII. Here a large central diorama represents a scene from the advance of US forces on German territory. A group of civilians reacts welcoming the American forces with white flags, whereas some armed civilian guards and some German soldiers keep a more cautious attitude.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Among the original US vehicles is a light tank, starring in the movie ‘The Monuments Men’ besides actor George Clooney. A German Goliath self-propelled drone-tank is on display in this scene.
Two house facades imitating traditional German architecture complete this central diorama.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
In the same hall, more dioramas show for instance a German anti-aircraft battery, with a four-barrel gun and a searchlight. Range-finding rigs are also on display.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
To the far end of the same hall, a Soviet T-34 and a Sherman can be found, besides self-propelled cannons and more vehicles set in smaller scenes.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
In a lateral passage, scenes from the African theater of WWII are displayed. These include vehicles and weapons with a distinctive desert camo coat. Another diorama displays a school in Germany from the same period, with young men involved in light anti-aircraft defense.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Scenes from pre-WWII and from WWI are presented in yet another, smaller hall. Field artillery pieces from WWI are clearly discernible from more modern ones. A field kitchenette from the time is also on display.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Classical display cases feature many interesting items, including military uniforms from WWI and WWII, military decorations, air navigation charts and flight instruments.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The Cold War is covered in the last two hangars. Here field guns, mortars and armored vehicles mainly from the Federal Republic and from the German Democratic Republic – some of them still working – are put on display, side by side.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The exhibition in this part is complimented by numerous flags and smaller pieces of military material, including communication gear, water mines, transport vehicles, a military Trabant.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Part of the show is an ex-DDR early MiG-21. This can be climbed (not boarded), providing a nice view of the ensemble.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The museum is close to Schweinfurt, geographically next to the border with the former GDR. A reconstruction of the Inner Border impenetrable fence (see this post), with original signs and plaques, is duly on display.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The outside part of the museum displays a few heavy armored vehicles from WWI, WWII and the Cold War. They include a rusty, US-made M26 Pershing tank from WWII, a Federal Germany Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled battery from the Cold War, and more.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Visible from a distance are a set of US-made surface-to-air missiles, distinctive silhouettes from the Cold War age. These include a Nike Hercules surface to air missile. Surface-to-surface platforms include a venerable and pretty rare Matador early cruise missile. This grandparent of modern cruise missiles features a distinctive swept-back wing, and a booster underneath the fuselage to the back.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The nose cone of a Pershing (possibly) is on display, together with a rare Lance missile, a surface-to-surface missile from the 1960s-70s, in the inventory of the Federal Republic in those years. The plaque on the launcher witnesses the Canadian origin of the single-missile wheeled rack, built by Orenda.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Behind the missiles, aircraft on display are a Soviet designed Antonov An-2 biplane, and a US designed Republic F-84 Thunderstreak, in the colors of the Luftwaffe of Federal Germany.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
All in all, this wonderful collection has much to offer for everybody with an interest in the military history of Germany since WWI to the Cold War era. The museum sets up reunions of enthusiasts, and special days with tank movements and live displays.
Getting there and moving around
The Stammheim am Main museum is located 7 miles south of Schweinfurt, a major center in the area, and about 12 miles northeast of beautiful Würzburg. It can be conveniently reached when traveling between the two, right on the bank of the Main river. The exact location is along the intercity road SW1, on the crossing with Maintalstrasse in the village of Kolitzheim. Parking right ahead of the entrance. Small restaurant on site. Since the museum is stuffed with tons of interesting items, even though compact in size, visiting may easily take more than 2 hours for an interested subject.
Former US Airbase, Giebelstadt
The now sleepy general aviation airfield in Giebelstadt has been a rather active military airbase for many decades. A Luftwaffe fighter base in WWII, it was among the first airbases to host the new Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter. In 1945 it fell in the hands of American forces, who intermittently used it for various temporary deployments and flight operations over the immediate post-WWII years. The early Cold War era and the 1950s were a new period of intensive use. The runway was lengthened, and more modern facilities for stationing troops and aircraft were built anew, in place of older and damaged German ones from the Nazi era. Powerful, cutting-edge radar installations were put in place, due to the proximity with the East German border. With the transition to fast jets, the proximity of the airfield to the border was actually too much, so that interceptors could not scramble in time from Giebelstadt, in case of an enemy attack from beyond the Iron Curtain. However, this would be an advantage for reconnaissance missions, launched during the Eisenhower administration, starting in 1956.
Giebelstadt was one of the few bases for the balloons of Project Genetrix. That was a first, partly successful attempt to gather intelligence through unmanned overflights of the USSR. In the same years, Giebelstadt was intended as the main operative base for the CIA Lockheed U-2s, to be used for a more risky – since manned – but much more effective way to collect photo and signal intelligence.
The actual deployment started in 1956, with some delay due to the need to prepare the airfield for operation of the one-of-a-kind Lockheed U-2. The latter flew in the meanwhile from Wiesbaden, where the headquarter of US military in Germany was at that time. This was not much liked by the US intelligence community, since the latter city was more crowded than the small country village of Giebelstadt, and this exposed highly secretive U-2 operations to a higher risk of espionage.
Missions carried out by the U-2 were of basically two types. The first was relatively risky ELINT missions along the border with the USSR, where defenses were stimulated without entering the enemy airspace, to obtain precious information on the reaction capability and the enemy anti-aircraft barrier, including the position of radar sites, etc. The second mission type was high-risk ELINT/PHOTINT missions, or ‘overflights’, where Soviet airspace was actually penetrated. In the latter case, the U-2 made use of its superior altitude and range performance to carry out long missions above the defenses of the USSR. As known, the development of high-performing SAMs, reaching up to the cruising altitude of the U-2 meant it was not invulnerable any more after 1960. This put an end to overflights. However, a total of 24 mostly successful overflight missions were carried out between 1956 and 1960, each of them specifically studied and approved with the direct involvement of president Eisenhower.
Besides missions along the border, or over satellite countries of the Eastern Bloc (still considered a high risk, but not as high as a direct overflight of the USSR), a single overflight of the USSR was actually flown from Giebelstadt. This was mission No. 2040, flown on October 13th, 1957, with Hervey S. Stockman at the controls. A report from this mission can be found on a CIA document here.
Following the end of the U-2-based intelligence missions, Giebelstadt was ceded to the US Army in the years of Kennedy. The Army used it as a huge base for helicopter operations well into the third millennium – the base was deactivated and returned to Federal Germany only in 2006.
Today, the now private airport can be barely neared without triggering security service. However, even a quick look along the fence will reveal clear traces of the US military tenancy. From hangars to fences, to softer constructions north of the airfield, everything is much US military standard.
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
The runway – huge for todays single-prop and glider activities! – can be seen clearly from the south and from the eastern end.
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Antenna arrays and a now oversize control tower are other witnesses of the past military activity.
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Getting there and moving around
Giebelstadt airport can be conveniently reached along road N.19, about 8 miles south of Würzburg. Unfortunately, despite the road passing right besides the airport, there are very few options for stopping close to the fence with a car on this fast road, and similarly on the road going along the southern fence of the airport, taking east to Mönchsmühle nearby. However, the eastern runway head can be approached from the latter. Just turn north towards the base in the vicinity of the general aviation hangars in the southeastern corner of the airport. The road is a dead end, and you will likely trigger some inspection by people inside the fence, so not much to worry about if you stay outside.
Another part which can be toured is the former administrative part/barracks to the northeast. This can be entered driving along the northern side of the airport. This area has been taken over by private companies, and you might trigger some inspection by the respective security agencies. They are rather friendly though, so again, not much to worry about if you take picture staying in your car.
Soon after the end of WWII it was realized that nuclear weapons could pose a real threat to the survival of the governmental chain of command. The US nuclear shots in Japan in August 1945 had demonstrated the destructive power of nuclear ordnance, which might wipe out the political brain of an entire nation in a moment, typically by hitting its capital city.
The Soviets carried out their first successful nuclear test in 1949, when Stalin was still in charge. Due to limitations of the range of aircraft at the time – when long-range missiles were yet to appear on the scene – an attack to the continental US was a remote threat, but things were very different for all countries in Western Europe. Thanks to the annexation of large parts of Eastern Europe and the establishment of puppet governments in many others further west, Stalin’s rule now extended well into central Europe. Bombers taking off from communist Poland, Czechoslovakia or the German Democratic Republic could easily target large cities of every neighbor nation, including Britain, France and of course Federal Germany.
To mitigate the risk of loosing control of the nation in case of a Soviet nuclear attack on the capital city Bonn, the first chancellor of the newly founded Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, approved the plan for a nuclear-proof bunker in 1950 – the so-called ‘Regierungsbunker’. Essential governmental functions could be maintained and military operations coordinated from inside.
Albeit greatly reduced in size, the place is today open to the public and makes for an interesting witness of the Cold War. This brief chapter shows some photographs of this bunker, and some more from the German Museum of Contemporary History, a very nice and modern museum on post-WWII Germany, recently opened in the former federal capital Bonn.
Sights
Governmental Atomic Bunker – Regierungsbunker
The design of the bunker was completed in the 1950s, and was based on the extension and conversion of preexisting unfinished railway tunnels in the valley of river Ahr, some 10 miles south of Bonn. These tunnels had been built during WWI as part of a projected railway to help supplying the war front. Works were halted in 1918. Years later, the place was deemed ideal for a secret government bunker, since the distance from the capital city could be covered very quickly, but the facility was sufficiently far from the likely target of a nuclear attack, and hidden deep in the countryside for a more effective deception.
The approval for construction works on the bunker failed to come quickly though, and the project was put in practice in the early 1960s. By that time war technology had changed significantly, both in terms of the yield of nuclear warheads and range of strategic missiles. It is highly controversial whether this underground bunker would withstand more than the original design yield of 20 kilotons, which after the improvements of the 1950s was now on the lower end of the scale. Yet it was thought that a direct hit on the bunker was unlikely, so the design was deemed suitable for the task of protecting the head of the political and military hierarchies in case of an attack on nearby Bonn.
Anyway, the bunker was excavated extending the original tunnels into a complex of two sub-systems, with a total length of about 10 miles of reinforced concrete underground passages. The insulation and ventilation system was a major concern to avoid contamination in case of a nuclear attack. A complex system of tight doors forming airlocks with decontamination rooms was a substantial feature of the design, together with the emergency exit system.
It became operative in the mid-Sixties, and in case of an attack it could be fully autonomous for 30 days, sheltering about three thousands people. NATO training operations and simulations for crisis management were carried out regularly. The cost for running this extensive structure was enormous, and it was shut down in 1997, a few years after the USSR had dissolved and the capital of Federal Germany had moved to Berlin.
The bunker was dismantled, cleaned and a very small part – about 0.2 miles out of the original 10! – reopened as a museum.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Visiting is only possible on guided tours. After an explanatory video on the story, you are driven along the tunnels of the bunker. The most notable features are the super-thick tight doors. You meet the most impressive at the beginning of the tour. It is cylindrical, and it was operated by a dedicated hydraulic system, which could seal up the bunker in just seconds. The thickness and weight of these doors were designed to both withstand a blast and to insulate the bunker.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
On the tour your are given a demonstration of the emergency alarm – with original lights and sounds – which announced that the doors would be shut soon.
Nearby you are shown the decontamination facilities, with showers and an adjoining medical room.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Most of the offices are gone today, but some have been reconstructed or refurbished. They are mainly related to the control of the many gates and systems necessary for bunker operation.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Artifacts on display from older times are really iconic from the Cold War, and include an anti-radiation suit and gear for measuring radiation levels.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Further on, you can see a reconstructed NATO situation room with original signs and maps. Note the names of many Forrestal and Nimitz-class carriers, true icons of the Cold War and all operative at the time (see this post US aircraft carriers). The borders of the USSR were very close to Central Europe!
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
There are many pictures of the original state rooms, intended for emergency parliament operations. Broadcasting facilities from the Cold War years are also displayed.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
To the far end of the bunker it is possible to have a look on a dismantled part of the tunnels. Today the whole 10 miles network should look like that, empty and dark. There used to be an upper floor in the tunnels, but this was demolished except in the part now open to the public.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
In the last part of the tour you move to the upper floor, where you are shown example bedrooms and a medical facility. A small exhibition about the bunker appearing in the news closes the experience.
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
Federal Germany Government Atomic Bunker Regierungsbunker Bonn
All in all, notwithstanding the crowds, this is a primary relic of the Cold War in this part of Europe, extremely interesting for anybody with an interest in recent history and the confrontation between the two blocs.
Getting there and moving around
The bunker is a famous local attraction for Germans. You can find moderate (to big…) crowds of visitors at least in the warm season. The visit is tuned on German-speaking visitors, but you are provided a detailed paper guide in English on request, and this allows you to enjoy the visit if you can’t understand German. Furthermore, tours in different languages are available for groups by prior arrangement. Moving around in large groups can be a problem especially if you want to take pictures – the only decent examples I could take on the tour, lasting about 1 hour, are shown on this page. The location is Am Silberberg 0, 53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. There is a small parking at the same level of the entrance. Visiting does not pose any physical difficulty. Full visiting information in English on this website.
German National Museum of Contemporary History – Haus der Geschichte, Bonn
When Nazi Germany capitulated, Europe had to face a scenario which had never been experienced before. Thousands of foreign soldiers were scattered over the former territory of the Third Reich, taking control after the collapse of the German government. They were from many nationalities, and diplomatic issues surfaced already in the first weeks following the end of the war, especially between the Soviets and the US-British-French occupation armies.
Furthermore, Germany had been for long under an inhumane ideological dictatorship, so a new form of democratic government had to be established from scratch – at least in the opinions of most western allies, while Stalin on the other hand was not in favor of that idea. To guarantee peace, normal rights to the population of Germany and to start the reconstruction of the many destroyed towns and cities, it was necessary to transfer power back to German politicians and to feed the economy, but as control was contended among the former USSR and western allies, there were no generally accepted formal procedures to manage such scenario.
The fact that for years there had been no place for political parties except Hitler’s NSDAP made things harder, for new political forces had to be formed from nothing, finding gifted elements not compromised with the Führer and his ranks, and capable of leading a nation in an extremely difficult social and economical condition.
Who these people were and what happened in the turmoil of the post-WWII years is the first topic of this modern museum. The irremediable divergences between the East and the West were especially visible in Germany, where the Cold War was not just a name, but caused the country to be split in two very different parts, with two enemy governments and a heavily guarded, impenetrable border dividing them (see this post). The years of the ‘two Germanies’ up to the collapse of communism in Europe and in the USSR is the second big topic of this museum.
Following a well designed route going up in a modern building built for the purpose, the fascinating history of Germany in the Cold War years is revealed through artifacts, flags, portraits, political propaganda items, official documents and much more. The museum is far from superficial, describing facts in good details and allowing to appreciate the complexity of diplomacy in this particular confrontation. You may come to understand how Germany was actually the front of a new type of war between the East and the West, which lasted for decades, strongly influenced international economy, changed the way of life of millions and had its victims on both sides.
Among the oldest artifacts on display there are multi-language leaflets distributed to the population soon after the German capitulation in WWII, decreeing the end of the Nazi rule, the abrogation of the entire system of laws, and the transfer of power to the occupying armies.
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
From the early Cold War period there are authentic autographed copies of the constitution of Federal Germany, an instrument of accession of Federal Germany to the NATO alliance, candidate flags for the newly created Federal Germany, original paintings and sculptures portraying Stalin, mugs celebrating the friendship between the communist party of Germany and the Soviet Union. Even a piece of Gary Powers’ downed Lockheed U-2 is part of the show (the greatest part is on display in Moscow, see this post).
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
German National Museum of Contemporary History Bonn Haus der Geschichte
The museum is also stacked with pictures and items of everyday life. It often hosts conferences and temporary exhibitions. All in all, a very interesting museum and a must-see for anybody with an interest in the Cold War and in the very special role of Germany in the second half of the 20th century.
Getting there and moving around
The museum is in the former governmental part of Bonn, which has been converted into a top-level executive area, with modern buildings hosting the headquarters of big companies, convention centers, opera theaters, museums and so on. The exact address is Willy-Brandt-Allee 14, 53113 Bonn, website with full information here. The museum is not big, but the duration of your visit may vary greatly depending on your level of interest, from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours. The museum was free when I visited. It is very popular among Germans. If you come by car, there is a big parking about 0.3 miles to the south, serving this museum, the local railway station and the art museum nearby.
Among the most unequivocal signs of the oppressive communist dictatorship in the former German Democratic Republic – ‘GDR’ or ‘DDR’ in German – are probably the many buildings once operated by the STASI, the German cousin of the well-known Soviet KGB.
Being a state security service by its very name – STASI stands for ‘STAat SIcherheit’, or state security -, this organization was responsible for the capillary control over the behavior of the citizens of the GDR, to the aim of counteracting any threat to the communist rule. It was mainly composed of a para-military staff and of an extensive network of informers – so extensive that actually about 1 out of 180 in Eastern Germany worked for the STASI, while by comparison in the USSR 1 out of 595 worked for the KGB. The main goal of this agency was keeping the statu quo, hence any suspect behavior of East-German citizens, deemed subversive with respect to the communist rule, was reported, investigated and usually suppressed.
People found guilty of acts against the State – i.e. against the communist government – were often sentenced to years of imprisonment. This meant that prisons and camps flourished in the GDR, as people got arrested and at least kept for interrogation just for having received western newspapers or having colored their rooms with posters of American pop singers. How the STASI came to know of similar ‘violations’ was by means of informers, who triggered secret investigations carried out with ‘James Bond gear’, like cameras and microphones hidden in coat buttons and bags. Microphones and cameras were also usually installed in the walls, chandeliers and doors of the houses of suspected subjects.
This huge institution was among the most feared and hated – as well as expensive to run – in the GDR, and soon after the reopening of the border and the demolition of the wall in Berlin in 1989 many of its buildings were occupied by the population. To deny responsibility in the unfair trial, imprisonment and confinement of many citizens, the staff of the STASI began ‘burning’ its archives immediately, but they were so extensive that this rapidly turned out to be impossible. The STASI was disbanded among the first governmental agencies of the GDR in the early months of 1990, even before the two halves of Germany were merged. Finally the archives were made publicly available during the process of the German reunification. Many people came to know they had been carefully observed and spied in every movement during their everyday life.
Today, some of the most prominent buildings once operated by the STASI are open to the public and represent an interesting and worrying memento of this chapter of the history of Germany. The following photographs are from some such sites I visited over the years from 2013 to 2023.
The headquarters of the STASI occupied an extensive citadel composed of many big, multi-storey buildings. Like the KGB, the tasks of the STASI weren’t limited to internal state security, but also to border protection – a very serious business in Eastern Germany, as you can see from another page of this site dedicated to the German inner border – and espionage activities abroad. The various directorates occupied their respective buildings in the citadel. The place is in a semi-peripheral district of former East Berlin named Lichtenberg.
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
The main building hosts a museum of central relevance on the topic, where you can find much data about the history and the impressive size of this agency, as well as spy gear – for instance mimetic microphones for listening to conversations in private houses. The stories of some of the victims of the communist surveillance machine are also reported. Envelope-opening devices and rags for preserving the odor of those arrested for watchdogs are displayed in showcases.
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Probably the highlight of the museum is the apartment and office of Erich Mielke, the director of the STASI from 1957 – well before the wall was erected in Berlin – up to the dissolution of the GDR. Many original directional offices have been preserved and nowadays can be visited.
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
The place is very evocative and retains much of the disturbing ‘GDR atmosphere’, typical to this and other similar installations. The number of visitors is much lower than close to Checkpoint Charlie and the DDR museum near the Berliner Dom, which are mostly cheesy tourist attractions with comparatively little content. On the contrary, in this museum you can still easily perceive the commitment of the GDR goverment towards its own survival, and the proportion of the oppressive apparatus that was created to this aim – here you clearly understand the STASI was a serious business and changed the life of many people.
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
Berlin Lichtenberg Normannenstrasse Stasi Headquarters
After visiting the museum in the central building you may have a look around to the exterior of other buildings in the citadel, today mostly unused, abandoned or partially occupied by private businesses – I guess the place still retains for many people a very negative aura.
Getting there and moving around
Today the citadel can be reached very conveniently by car or with the U5 (between the stops Magdalenen Strasse and Frankfurter Allee). The museum is fairly modern and well presented, but as of 2015 when I visited the ticket could be paid only cash and some explanations were in German only. Inside the museum there is no air conditioning, and it can be very hot and uncomfortable in summer. Parking is not a problem in front of the main entrance or nearby. Website here.
STASI Prison and Restricted Area, Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
The second largest quarters of the STASI are located in yet another outer district of former East Berlin. Old photographs of the area clearly show that this part of the town was interdicted to visitors not connected with the business of the STASI – there used to be fences and gates all around, cutting some of the roads entering the district. Besides some directorates and administrative buildings, this citadel hosted a prison and a labor camp. The former was the main STASI prison in East Berlin, and those who were arrested on account of suspect activities against the State were usually carried here, where they had to withstand interrogations.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
This place is really grim and appalling. It looks like the staff of the prison had just left. Everything from what you see to the smell of the cells, offices and interrogation rooms is totally evocative of the original GDR atmosphere.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
The STASI became the owner of the place in 1951, after the Soviets, who had managed the occupied territory directly after the German capitulation in 1945, left control of many administrative functions following the creation of the GDR. Under the Soviet rule, in the years of Stalin between 1945 and 1951, a labor camp was set up here and the main building of the prison – a former canteen for Nazi staff – opened for business. More than 20’000 people passed through this installation between 1945 and 1951, many of them on their way to deportation to the USSR.
Under the control of the STASI, the camp was dedicated to non-political prisoners, where the prison, enlarged in more instances as the STASI citadel was growing up, was for the ‘enemies of the State’. More than 20’000 people were imprisoned here between 1951 and 1990.
The place can be visited only on guided tours, offered on a regular basis also in English. Following the tour you can see various imprisonment cells. The worst – and really inhumane – from the times of the Soviets are in the basement of the main building, with no windows and no ventilation, where many people were crushed together waiting for interrogation or deportation.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
The majority of the cells date from the era of the GDR, and are more modern. As the main business of the prison was that of extorting confessions, the prisoners were progressively brought in a state of psychological prostration. Preventing any form of communication was part of the treatment, so most cells for newly arrested people were for one person only. To isolate those arrested even more, when moving from the cell to the interrogation rooms and back the wardens observed special red and green lights, telling when there was somebody else in the corridors. This way the inmate would not see anybody except for the warden and the officer who interrogated him during all his or her stay in the prison.
Padded cells with straitjackets like in asylums were used in the process of extorting confessions, when the inmates were treated with drugs causing hallucinations and loss of physical control. These can be seen in the basement of one of the buildings.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Also visible are some cells with open top for spending half a hour per day in open air.
An interesting item presented in the exhibition is a minivan that was used for taking people quietly to the prison. The appearance and markings are those of a normal cargo van for transporting goods, whereas the interior is structured with micro-cells for arrested people.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Interrogation rooms are aligned on a corridor, and are extremely essential, featuring a shabby furniture. Greasy traces on the wallpaper and the smell of old fake leather heated by the sun is make the original atmosphere come alive.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
A further wing is where a clinic for inmates was located. The clinic was of good level, with much technical instrumentation to manage several regular or emergency situations. The office of the director of this wing is another example of pure East German design. Most notably, the once omnipotent Erich Mielke appears to have been interned here following his arrest after 1989.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
A one-of-a-kind exhibit is a railway truck for inmates. Besides the rather uncomfortable compartment design, with small chairs in a very little space, this transport was made really inhumane through the lack of air conditioning, the windows with bars and even a white glass, which deliberately created disorientation. These trains were artificially put on the lowest priority, so as to make traveling a painstaking experience for inmates.
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Stasi Remand Prison
The memorial is not central, so only those really interested in the history of the GDR, and of East Berlin and the STASI usually come here. Nonetheless, it is managed like a good level international museum, with guided tours, facilities for groups and a serious bookshop. Before taking the tour you are offered a movie telling the history of the prison in brief and showing the testimonies of former inmates. All in all a very interesting – and instructive – experience, surely worth a detour from the more touristic districts.
After visiting the prison, you may have a look around to the other buildings in this citadel. You can find a map in a cheap but interesting booklet they sell in the bookshop (‘The prohibited district’, by Erler and Knabe).
Getting there and moving around
The correct address of the prison building is Genslerstraße 66, Berlin. You can reach it easily by car. The neighborhood is primarily residential and not central, so parking won’t be a problem. If you have not a car, you can arrive conveniently with the tram line M5 from the most central districts. The correct stop is Werneuchener Strasse, and from there it’s about 0.4 miles to the gate of the prison. Website here.
STASI Prison Lindenstrasse, Potsdam
Behind an elegant façade like many others you can find in central Potsdam there is a prison comparable in size to the ‘main’ prison in Berlin Hohenschönhausen described above, and mostly unknown to the general public crowding this small and beautiful historical town.
This building was used as a prison by the Kaiser, the Nazis, the Soviets and finally the GDR. It was renovated and modified in many stages during its long history, and during WWII under the Nazi rule, some sections of the courthouse in central Berlin were transferred here, when the original buildings of the Nazi courthouse got damaged as a result of Allied air raids.
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Differently from Hohenschönhausen, the prison in Potsdam is not part of a ‘citadel’, even though the KGB headquarters in the GDR were not far – actually they can be found close to Schloss Cecilienhof, Potsdam, now partly converted to luxury apartments and villas.
Another difference with respect to Hohenschönhausen is the style of the building, which dates back to older times. This is reflected in the plan and in many details of the construction, which at least from the exterior is very elegant.
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Inside you can find Soviet cells in the basement – also here the most inhumane – and other cells packed along narrow corridors on several floors. In the inner courtyard there is a central block of open top cells for ‘recreation’, and traces of the original cameras and surveillance systems.
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Something you may appreciate is the fact that you can visit the place on your own. Paneling with data or telling the stories of former inmates are totally in German, but you are given a leaflet with explanations and a map of the place at the entrance. Also a few original interrogation rooms have been preserved and can be seen.
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
Potsdam Lindenstrasse Stasi Prison Courthouse
The entry price is very reduced, so visiting is of course a must for the committed tourist, and interesting also for the general public. The place is ‘mimetic’ and not much advertised, so you won’t find the usual flocks of visitors, unlike the royal estates in Potsdam… Much recommended.
Getting there and moving around
The precise address is Lindenstrasse 54, Potsdam. It is in central Potsdam, so you may park at your convenience for visiting the district and have a stop there if you like. Similarly, if you are coming with the public transport system just go to the central district and walk to the place. Website here.
STASI Pre-Trial Prison, Rostock
Similarly to the prison in Potsdam, the anonymity of the façade of this building in central Rostock, placed to the back of a section of the courthouse still working today, is really deceiving. A prison capable of hosting more than 100 inmates can be reached today via a small door leading mainly to the offices of the faculty of the local university. Once inside the building you will notice a worrying fence on the side of the stairs going to the first floor, where you can get access to the prison.
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Besides the many cells, it is possible to find a very interesting exhibition on the history of the GDR and of the STASI, with much data and stories from the time. Also many artifacts can be found, like spy gear, rags for preserving the odor of inmates for watchdogs to make capture easier, state bonds used to pay informers, and more.
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
The main function of the prison was that of keeping those arrested for interrogation until they were sentenced. More than 4000 people spent some time in this prison, mainly for ideological crimes, in the years of the GDR.
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
The place can be visited for free with an audio guide also in English. Some parts, including the open-top cells outside and the rigor cells in the basement can be visited only in a guided tour – as far as I understood, these are offered in German only.
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
Rostock Stasi Remand Prison
On the top floor you can see an interesting exhibition on people who escaped or tried to flee the GDR by sea.
Getting there and moving around
Centrally located in Rostock – a lively city on the coast of the Baltic Sea – at a walking distance from Rosengarten. If you are moving by car, you can park on Hermannstrasse, and reach the door to the back of the courthouse block (opposite a small market). The door is heavy, so press it hard, it may be open even if it looks closed. Website here.
STASI Maximum Security Prison ‘Bautzen II’, Bautzen
Originally designed as a pre-trial and short-term court jail by the local government, the prison of Bautzen II was erected under the Kaiser to the back of the courthouse in the homonym town in the southeastern corner of Saxony, today very close to the border with both Poland and the Czech Republic. A larger penitentiary, named Bautzen I and originally conceived as a juvenile jail, was built around the same time in town.
With the advent of the Nazi dictatorship, both facilities began to be exploited for the prosecution of political dissidents, or to isolate elements of ‘inferior races’. Violence, intimidation and extorted confessions began to be the rule. Both branches of the prison of Bautzen fell under Stalin’s control at the end of WWII, and this corresponded to an exceptional increase in the number of inmates, which included a substantial share of former Nazi staff and opponents of the Soviet regime.
After the creation of the GDR, the facilities in Bautzen went on working as primary centers for the confinement of political prisoners, together making for possibly the largest detention center in the country. The smaller jail of Bautzen II, with slightly more than 200 single cells, was turned into a maximum security prison intended for the most dangerous ‘subversive elements’ of the whole state. While Bautzen I is still an active state prison of todays Federal Germany, Bautzen II has been opened to the public as a memorial.
The dreary access from outside is through three gates, and this adds to the perception of the place as really ‘no hope’.
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Similarly to the prison in Potsdam (see above), Bautzen II can be toured on a self-guided basis, without a group. Most parts of the prison are opened, and several cells can be accessed.
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Some of the cells retain the original furniture, even shabbier than the usual communist standard. The metal staircase in the middle of the prison building allows to better appreciate the size.
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Besides rigor cells with additional bars and an incredibly small walkable area, some groups of cells are separated from others, with armored doors splitting the corridors in contiguous isolated sections. This was possibly a special feature of this maximum security prison. You can experience an unreal silence when sitting in a cell closing both the doors of the corridor and of the cell.
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
There are also some ‘common areas’ for inmates to work and stay, and an external courtyard divided in sectors, to allow inmates to spend some time open air, but without the chance to meet or see each other.
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Bautzen II Maximum Security GDR Prison
Getting there and moving around
The prison of Bautzen II is open as a national monument, a website with full information about visiting is here. I noticed that there are descriptions in German only throughout the prison, so you would better go prepared at least on the history of the place – starting for instance from the website – to get the most from your visit. The location is Waigangstrasse 8a, which is behind the courthouse of Bautzen, 0.8 miles to the east of the historical town center, conveniently reachable walking from the railway station and also by car. The area around the courthouse is mainly residential and parking can be found easily. Bautzen I is still today an active regular detention facility and cannot be visited.
A vital center of the Sorbs, an etnic group of Saxony and Brandenburg recognized by the German Federal Government, the town of Bautzen is nice to visit and rich of historical content. It is about 45 miles east of Dresden, and bolsters a picturesque, perfectly refurbished town center with medieval to baroque architectural elements.
STASI Headquarters, Dresden
The STASI headquarters and prison in Dresden have been developed starting 1945, originally as a prison for the Soviet NKVD (later KGB), on the premises of a former factory not far from the river Elbe and the historical district of the town – which would lay destroyed for decades following air raids in WWII. Similar to the prison in Lindenstrasse, Potsdam (see above), the underground floor of the former factory building was turned into a prison, with provision for a number of very basic cells typical to Stalin’s era, aligned on a narrow corridor.
Until the facility was handed over to the newly-formed GDR in 1952, the Soviets interned here mostly German citizens accused of cooperation with the defunct Nazi regime, as well as subversive elements, unfriendly with the Soviet controlling forces. As usual within a dictatorship, indictment was largely arbitrary and sentences extremely harsh – following arrest, most people were deported to forced labor camps of the Gulag system in the USSR, some were brought to Moscow to be hanged, and many were sent to provisional camps established in the ‘Soviet occupation zone’, later to become the territory of the GDR.
In this part of the exhibition it is possible to step in most of the cells, very small and essential.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
A room is dedicated to the Gulag system, whereas another is a memorial for those taken to the Dresden prison and who reportedly did not survive the ordeal of the Soviet detention system, or where sentenced to death on the base of political reasons.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Also visible are some service rooms, like the bathrooms and rooms for the guards.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Along the corridor an emergency cable could be pressed by the guards at any time when in distress, triggering an alarm. From this part of the prison it was possible to access a inner courtyard.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Concurrently with the handing-over to the STASI, the facility was expanded, with offices and a modern multi-storey prison building.
Access for those arrested was via an inconspicuous wooden gate. An apparently innocent cargo van was employed for arrests. It can be checked out and it reveals provision for several segregated micro-cells inside. Once disembarked from the van, some prisoners may have had to wait for the prison check-in process inside mini-cells. Temperature in this area used to be – and still is – terribly hot in the summer.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Once inside, prisoners had to undress and undergo an accurate inspection in the check-in room. They were photographed for records in a special room, where they sat on a chair which was moved by the camera operator to obtain portraits at specific angles. Then prisoners were assigned dresses and slippers for their stay.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
This prison acted as a remand (i.e. pre-trial) prison, with 44 cells on 4 levels.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Cells were for one, two or three people. Single cells were not customary from the 1970s on, except for rigor cells.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
An example of the latter can be seen, with a small chair bolted to the ground and no windows. A special cell was that for writing letters, something that was possible only at prescribed intervals (e.g. once per week) and in this special room – obviously, all communications were checked and censored by the STASI. This cell features a small table, a chair, and a lavatory.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
An uncommonly ‘comfortable’ cell was employed for foreign prisoners, who included those who had tried to help GDR citizens in their escape attempt, and who for some reason had got caught by the STASI. These cells had a window allowing a view of the sky – not possible through the special windows of regular cells – and a larger iron bed, instead of a narrow wooden berth.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Separated boxes in a walled courtyard outside were employed for letting the prisoners spend some minutes per day in the open air.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Walking the prison building you may notice that most of it is still original, including the purely-GDR linoleum floor, and the alarm system. The heavy curtains make the building dark and oppressing. The temperature in the summer is also very hot. The building is very silent, much resembling the original asylum-like feeling.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
A routine operation in a remand prison was interrogation of the prisoners. Prisoners were insistently interrogated by STASI staff before formalizing an indictment. For the purpose, they were taken to the top floor of the building, along a few flights of stairs, up to the the interrogation rooms. Interestingly, the door giving access to this ‘bureaucratic’ part of the facility still bear seals (now reopened), put in the days of the revolution following the demolition of the wall in Berlin in 1989. The offices of the STASI, with material and archives, were sealed for criminal investigation.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Today, in this area a few original relics from the STASI operations can be found, like photographic film, nominal folders, stamps, keys, etc.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
One interrogation room is still visible, whereas many others have been converted and are today employed for thematic workshops by the organization running the memorial.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
As of 2023, the memorial is undergoing restoration, with the reopening of a larger part of the offices planned soon. Momentarily, it is possible to see the original grand auditorium of the STASI, a full-scale theater, with a typical GDR decor and even an original audiovisual apparatus. It is hard to imagine what kind of people could attend some symposium in an elegant room like this, just 50 ft away from prisoners confined in cells, non-criminals confined mostly only because suspected of having some arbitrarily-defined ‘subversive ideas’.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
The quarters of the old NKVD prison are linked to the more modern prison building by a long underground corridor.
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Memorial Bautzner Strasse, Dresden – KGB/STASI prison and headquarters, Dresden, GDR
Getting there and moving around
The former STASI headquarter in Dresden is run as a memorial by a very active society, supported by various preservation bodies and associations. A professional website with much information, including a leaflet with a description of your visit in English, can be found here. A visit may easily take 1.5-2 hours for an interested subject. Many parts of the facility are accurately preserved and make for a very evocative memento. Furthermore, permanent and temporary exhibitions add to the experience and documentary value.
Visiting is possible on a self-guided basis, with explanatory booklets in many languages including English lent for the duration of your visit.
The memorial is located northeast of the historical district of Dresden, right on the northern bank of the river Elbe. The exact address is Bautzner Straße 112a, 01099 Dresden. However, access by car to the inside parking is possible only at these coordinates, (51.06688926262786, 13.782718227181237). Since access is from a major road where a U-turn is impossible, and the entrance to the parking is somewhat ahead of the official address, it is worth employing these coordinates for your nav, otherwise you might be missing the entrance to the parking, being forced to a pretty long tour of ‘one ways’ and ‘no turns’ before you get back to your intended destination.
Memorial ‘In der Runden Ecke’ – STASI Headquarters, Leipzig
Similar to its cousin in Berlin-Lichtenberg, the former headquarters of the STASI in Leipzig has been opened as a memorial. In this case, the building was not made on purpose, but converted from a pre-existing one. A decorated, elegant palace in the city center was chosen for the local brain of the repressive apparatus. The building features an angled facade, since the name ‘on the round corner’ – ‘in der Runden Ecke’ in German.
The entrance hall to the former headquarters has retained much of its original appearance.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
The main part of the exhibition is immediately reached through the original reception office, which has been left willingly untouched since the pre-1989 era – including now dead CC-cameras, and two elaborated majolica murals with emblems of the STASI and some decorations.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
The exhibition takes the ground floor of a wing of the building, i.e. only a small part of the original site. The office of a clerk has been mothballed preserving at most its original, shabby appearance, with a portrait of Honecker.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
In an adjacent room, many rigs for covert mail and communication interception and inspection activities are displayed. These range from steam-pumping envelope openers, to fake postal stamps from Federal Germany, or even from abroad (to send false communications), and even fancier machines for reproducing signatures, looking inside parcels, etc. – every design betraying a really paranoid attention to details, and a true waste of exceptional engineering abilities.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
A complete cell and photo studio – for mugshots – from the now demolished STASI prison in Leipzig has been spared for this exhibition, not much dissimilar from others on this web page (see above).
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
More artifacts on display include audio and image gathering stuff, ranging from micro cameras and recorders, to exceptionally compact, high-precision zoom lenses. Archived rags with the smell of repression victims in case of escape – for dogs – are another specimen from the STASI crazy inventory.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
A room is devoted to the STASI huge paper archive, and to the silly, titanic effort to destroy the evidence of years of illegal spying activity as quick as possible, following the re-opening of the border. The solidified slime obtained from paper fragments is on display. Some very evocative pictures show the immense Leipzig archive and its conspicuous remains after the destruction attempt.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Two more rooms tell about the immediate post-WWII history in Leipzig, with pictures from 1945 with Nazi officials who committed suicide, as well as from the first stage of Allied occupation and Soviet administration – before the GDR was founded.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
An interesting collection of artifacts concerning the Soviet-GDR friendship and alliance is really evocative of a luckily bygone era.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Finally, the corridor is full of interesting pictures, telling about the disinformation role of the STASI, border patrolling, and many other businesses this overpowered criminal organization was in charge of.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
The building is today also seat for an agency managing the old STASI archive for historical purposes. Furthermore, the first floor and the elegant stairs leading to the top can be toured, with some display cases showing attractive Soviet-era artifacts.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
The first floor in particular must have been an official meeting/reception area, or a director’s office. Part of the original furniture is still there, including a mural with the head of Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet Ceka back in Lenin’s time, and an inspirational figure for all fanatics of ‘state security’ in the communist world – an activity which was a synonym for violent prosecution of free will.
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Memorial ‘in der Runden Ecke’ – Former STASI Headquarters, Leipzig, GDR
Getting there and moving around
The memorial is on the border of the pedestrian area in Leipzig city center. It is modestly publicized, but thanks to its accessibility, it might be easily included in a standard visit to historical Leipzig, and it is significantly populated by tourists. Entrance is free of charge, and its professional website is here. Despite the small size, for an interested subject visiting might take 2 hours or more. Free pictures are allowed, and an audio guide in English allows to get much from the visit even for people not speaking German.
STASI Bunker, Machern
The bunker in Machern is an underground facility built for the STASI in 1968-72 as an emergency headquarter, for keeping the chain of command and coordinate operations in case of a potential crisis. It represents a specimen of the level of commitment of the GDR government with respect to the preservation of control, and a witness of the huge budget made available to this particular ministry, inextricably linked to the government itself and pivotal in the survival of the oppressive GDR communist regime over its entire life span.
The crisis in Prague in 1968 possibly triggered the build up of a similar underground network by the STASI, which customarily operated in secrecy. The very existence of the bunker, located some 30 minutes driving from central Leipzig, was unknown to most. The inconspicuous visible part of the facility was deceived in one of the lots in a district of free-time homes for employees of a public company. It was discovered only following the 1989 revolution and the abolition of the STASI.
Compared to underground military installations, either of the NVA or the Red Army, the bunker is rather compact. However, it had provisions for about 100 staff in case of crisis, with a moderate ability to resist military-level attacks, including facing a nuclear war scenario.
The visit starts by accessing the grounds, where an unassuming little country villa of the GDR can be found, which acts as a check-in point, and as a ticket office.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
Soon you may notice the presence of unusual gear on the premises. These include houses and training gear for dogs, cables for allowing leashed watchdogs along a pre-assigned watch pattern, a concrete sentry box, fire extinguishing gear, piles of fuel barrels, a deck for repairing vehicles, and a rather big grey hangar.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
The latter hides the blast-proof double entrance to the underground bunker. Before stepping in however, it is possible to check out an impressive amount of spare parts aligned on shelves, with literally tons of interesting military-grade material – most of them clearly marked as Soviet manufacture. Many mystery boxes with writing in Russian can be seen. Rolls of barbed wire, metal nets, camo blankets, and other material for sealing and deception can be seen together with more technical material, including technical instrumentation.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
A small collection of memorabilia from the STASI years is shown on site, as well as a permanent exhibition with technical schemes and organization details.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
Access to the underground bunker is via a horizontal armored door and through a long flight of stairs. An airlock with two tight doors was installed for making the place blast-proof and seal it in case of nuclear attack.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
Dosimeters and showers for decontamination can be found close to the entrances – there are two of them, both inside the same hangar.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
The bunker was mainly intended as an intelligence center for crisis management. The flow information was guaranteed by a number of communication systems and facilities. Manned stations can still be seen in a number.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
Beside communication facilities, the bunker features sleeping quarters for the STASI staff, a kitchen/canteen area, and a few offices and private quarters for the decision-makers – senior STASI officers. These offices offer a reasonable level of comfort, typical to the the bunkers from the era (see for instance Kossa and the Polish headquarters near Wolin, but a similar level of comfort could be encountered also on the western side of the Iron Curtain, like here in Britain).
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
The bunker is built mainly around a square corridor, with an array of long and narrow rooms, each dedicated to a specific function.
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
STASI Bunker Machern – Nuclear-proof intelligence headquarters near Leipzig, GDR
Soviet material can be found everywhere, including air filters and heaters.
Different from the previous sites bound to the grim and disturbing history of the STASI and of the communist-led repression in the GDR, this bunker offers an interesting perspective into the para-military domestic activity of this former backbone of the single-party government of that country.
Getting there and moving around
The STASI bunker-museum in Machern is a branch of the STASI memorial in Leipzig (see above). An updated web page on this bunker can be found in the German version of the website of the Leipzig memorial (here), with updated information on the planned dates for a visit. The bunker is regularly open only on a few dates over the year, which are published in advance.
The visit allows to access the grounds, where explanatory panels are available in German, as well as the storage hangar and bunker. In the hangar, visitors are offered a short introductory video (in German). Afterwards, it is possible to visit the hangar and the bunker on a self-guided basis. Reservation is not required, but access is regulated on site by gathering visitors to form small groups, who are admitted to the bunker one by one to avoid overcrowding. Time in the bunker is more than enough to check-out the items on display, taking all the pictures. In all, a visit to this installation may take about 1 hour once on site.
Please note that they accept only cash for the ticket.
The location is in the countryside, about 10 miles northeast of Leipzig along the road B6. It is easy to reach only with a car or similar. There is a large parking there (51.376119908957726, 12.633996194227596), also serving the nature recreation area around. The entrance to the bunker can be reached from the parking with a .5 miles walk along a local road here (51.37857212168658, 12.644452664748663). No parking is possible on that road. Please note that the position corresponding to the bunker marked on Google Maps is largely inaccurate.
The bunker is located very close to the former Soviet base of Brandis/Waldpolenz (see here).
KGB Prison and Headquarters, Potsdam
This memorial is strictly speaking an outlier in this chapter, since it was never a STASI facility. Since their arrival in late April 1945, the Soviets installed a major intelligence and counter-intelligence center in Potsdam. An entire district was severed from the rest of this fashionable imperial town – which had fallen in the hands of the Soviets and later in the GDR. Its perimeter was fenced, the area provided with a guarded gate, and interdicted to everybody except authorized Soviet staff.
In it there were residential buildings, as well as central offices of the secret intelligence and security services of the Soviet Union in the heart of the GDR, and immediately on the border with West Berlin.
Today this exclusive residential area has been returned to its original function, except for a memorial, which has been prepared in the former prison originally built by the Soviets in a pre-existing, relatively little and unassuming building.
The Soviet secret services employed the prison from 1945 to the early 1950s as a remand prison for former Nazi collaborators, but also for German citizens considered dangerous or unreliable for the Soviet system. They were typically sentenced to years of forced labors and deported to the Gulag systems. When the STASI was created and took over the surveillance of GDR citizens, this prison was employed primarily for Soviet citizens considered as dissidents, including military staff. It is estimated that the Soviet population in the GDR totalled half million people in the late 1980s, therefore surveillance was not an easy task for the Soviets, requiring a dedicate apparatus with its own facilities.
The citadel and the prison in it went on operating until 1994, among the latest facilities to be relinquished by the then-Russian government.
The largely arbitrary indictment and sentencing of German citizens interned in this prison by the inhumane bureaucratic Soviet government of the years of Stalin indeed made many victims. Therefore, this place is primarily a memorial.
The shabbiness of the entire construction, typical to Soviet KGB prisons (see for instance here) is really striking. The visits starts on the first floor, where a number of cells can be seen. A rigor cell can be recognized by the lack of any light or ventilation. The ground was typically flooded with cold water, and the walls are covered in rough plaster, so that the prisoner could not sit on the ground nor lean against the wall.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
On the top floor, former interrogation rooms today host a very interesting exhibition, with rich and detailed information in multiple languages including Russian and English. They cover the activity of Soviet secret services in the ‘Soviet occupation zone’, and later in the GDR and the Soviet enclaves in it. The brutal treatment reserved to many Germans, typically in the immediate post-WWII years under Stalin’s rule, is witnessed through striking documents, accounts and photographs. Among those sentenced to death were even schoolboys who did not want to learn Russian.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
A focus is put on the structure of the law system of the communist dictatorship in the USSR, as well as on the mechanism of interrogations – including accounts of Soviet defectors.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
Original memorabilia from the place include coats, special armbands for the staff authorized to enter the citadel, as well as original documents from the various ages of operation of the place.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
In the basement are group cells intended for many people on their way to deportation. Graffiti from inmates can still be seen in the plaster.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
A rigor cell which did not allow standing is also part of the exhibition.
A memorial to the victims of Soviet hardship has been installed on a side wall, whereas a modern visitor center completes the exhibition.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
A thematic walk in the former Soviet citadel highlights through explanatory panels the original function of some of these buildings. Now returned to their original imperial splendor, they carry unsuspected grim memories of the communist era. Among the most notable features is the relic of a former small monument. Looking carefully, some of the houses still bear numbers on the facade according to the Soviet-style numbering of town blocks.
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
KGB Prison and Headquarter, Potsdam – Memorial Leistikowstraße
Getting there and moving around
The memorial is called Gedenk‑ und Begegnungsstätte Leistikowstraße Potsdam, and its professionally-run website is here. The address is Leistikowstraße 1 – 14469 Potsdam. Many parking opportunities on site. Reaching is easy also with public transport from Berlin. The prison is very close to the Cecilienhof palace.
The visit is on a self-guided basis, with much information available through the website, including options for smartphone-guided tour to the prison and to the former citadel. The permanent exhibition (in many languages) is rich and interesting, a detailed visit to the prison and exhibition may take up to 1 hour 15 minutes. A walk in the former Soviet citadel, today very enjoyable, may add 30-40 minutes for the more committed visitor.
The Berlin Wall is widely known as one of the most emblematic symbols of the Cold War – a materialization of the ‘Iron Curtain’. The Wall – at least in its preliminary stage – was erected almost overnight in August 1961 by the Government of the GDR (‘German Democratic Republic’, or ‘DDR’ in German), and later developed into a complex and virtually impenetrable dividing barrier with fortifications, multiple fences, barbed wire, watchtowers, watchdogs, mines, truck stopping bars and other devices, isolating the part of Berlin attributed to the US, Britain and France from the Soviet occupation zone.
This monster, which caused many people to lose their lives, or forced them to risk everything – and leave everything behind – in the pursue of freedom, remained in place and was steadily updated until its triumphal demolition in November 1989.
What is less known is that the reason for building the Wall was the urge of the GDR to stop emigration towards West Germany (‘FRG’, Federal Republic of Germany, or ‘BRD’ in German) and the free world. Actually, the Wall was built following a massive emigration wave from the harsh living conditions of the GDR, taking place during the Fifties and mounting until the Wall was built. Literally millions of people fled the regions occupied by the Soviets from the end of WWII in 1945 until 1961.
Consequently, blocking the border only in the city of Berlin would have been nonsense. As a matter of fact, at the same time as the construction of the Wall begun, the government of the GDR started one of the most gigantic ‘border-armoring’ operations in history, by ordering fortification of the whole border line between East and West Germany. The Berlin Wall was actually only the tip of the iceberg, as all the more than 800 miles long border line between East and West Germany, extending from the Baltic Sea to Bavaria and the Czech border, was blocked with the same level of restraining techniques deployed in Berlin, to the explicit aim of preventing people from crossing the fence and going East to West. For the Communist government, East Germany had to be reconfigured basically as a nationwide prison.
This incredible operation, which engaged thousands border troops and tons of equipment, plus required continuous updates of the patrolling technologies, was reportedly so expensive that it contributed effectively to the collapse of the economy of the GDR. It crystallized the so-called ‘Inner Border’ between the two German republics, which had existed since 1945, but had never been so deadly. After the introduction of this strict border patrolling policy the number of people killed or wounded, and of those arrested because trying to cross the border, increased steadily until the re-opening of the border, following rapidly after the demolition of the Wall in Berlin in 1989.
Berlin is today an enjoyable city, full of interesting places to visit and things to do, and its urban configuration, so strikingly bound to the Wall and its history – unlike all other capital cities in Europe, Berlin is lacking a true ‘city center’ – with the passing of time is becoming more uniform. Differences between the two sides, once obvious, now tend to vanish, at least in the most seen parts of the city, with new buildings, fashionable shops and malls, stately hotels and governmental buildings rising where once the Wall had created barren flat areas, not restored for long from the ruins of WWII. Obviously, nothing bad in this process, which also makes Berlin one of the most lively places in Europe in terms of architecture.
The grim atmosphere of the Cold War years can still be breathed in many places in town especially in the former East Berlin, but even close to the few memorials of the Wall scattered over the urban territory it’s hard to imagine how it really felt like being there when the border could not be crossed. If you want more evocative places, you should look somewhere else.
In this sense, the preserved border checkpoints and portions of the fortified Inner Border are much more evocative, and constitute a very vivid, albeit little known, fragment of memory, inviting you to think about the monstrous effects of ideology and dictatorship. All along the former border, especially in the southern regions of the former GDR, you can still spot large areas spoiled of trees, where once the border fences run. Scattered watchtowers are not an unusual sight in these areas, even though many have been demolished immediately after dismantling the border. In some focal places, often corresponding to former checkpoints where important roads crossed the border, the fences have been totally preserved or just slightly altered, for keeping historical memory.
The following photographs were taken during an exploration of some of these sites in summer 2015, winter 2016, summer 2021 and again in summer 2023. The exposition follows a southern-northern direction along the former Inner Border.
Map
The following map shows the location of the sites described below. For some sites you can zoom in close to the pinpointed positions on the map to see more detailed labels. Directions to reach all the sites listed are provided section by section. The list is not complete, but refers to the sites I have personally visited. Border sites in Berlin are not included.
Mödlareuth is actually the name of a small village placed along the former Inner Border between Bavaria and Thuringia. The site is not difficult to reach by car, a 4 miles detour from highway N.9, going from Munich to Berlin. Just proceed to the village of Modlareuth, which is dominated by the ‘Deutsch-Deutsches Museum Mödlareuth’ (website here). This encompasses an open-air exhibition of the former border area, plus an indoor exhibition with patrolling vehicles, artifacts, videos and temporary exhibitions. Large free parking on site.
For photographing purposes, I would suggest approaching from the south, from the village of Parchim via H02. Mödlareuth is located in a natural basin surrounded by low hills, and the H02 proceeds downhill to the site, allowing for a perfect view of the former border area.
Sights
Most of the Inner Border once run in rural areas. In that case, ‘only’ double fences, dogs, watchtowers, truck-stopping grooves and mines were ok. In the less common cases when the border crossed or passed close to villages, something similar to what had happened in Berlin was replicated on a smaller scale, and a further fortification layer in the form of a tall concrete wall, was put in place.
This happened also in Mödlareuth, where the small village was split in two parts by a wall, gaining to this town the nickname of ‘Little Berlin’. The place was rather famous in the West before 1989, and it was visited also by vice-president Bush in the years of the Reagan administration.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
As here one of the relatively few local roads not cut by the Inner Border was left, the village was also place for a border checkpoint for cars.
The open air exhibition showcases what remains of the wall – the most of it was demolished restoring the original, pre-war geography of the town -, as well as a full section of the border protection system and checkpoint. Looking from the West, you had first the real geographical border, coinciding with a creek as it was typical. Beyond it, poles with warning signs and distinctive concrete posts painted in black, red and yellow stripes (the colors of the German flag) with a metal placard bearing the emblem of the GDR. These signs had existed since the inception of the inner border to mark it, and date from older times than the other border devices. Then followed the wall. Behind it, a corridor for walking/motorized patrols and a fence. Then you had a groove in the ground, reinforced with concrete, capable of stopping a truck or a car pointing westwards from the GDR. An area of flattened sand followed next, to mark the footsteps of people approaching the border area. In different times, mines were placed in a much alike sand strip. Then followed a final fence.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Except for the wall, the above description applies with slight variants to all the length of the Inner Border.
The net used for the fences was very stiff and conceived to avoid fingers passing through, this way making climbing very difficult.
A peculiar aspect of the wall in Modlareuth is a small door in it. That was a service door for border patrols, used to access the area between the border line in the middle of the creek and the wall itself, for servicing or arresting Westerners. This happened more than once, not only here – as a matter of fact, walking past the border from the West was as easy as walking past the little creek where the border line passed. This was in all respects entering the GDR, even though the fortification line was about 30 feet further into the East. When this happened you could expect to be rapidly arrested and kept for interrogation before eventually being released in most cases. Servicing, like cutting trees and so on, in the strip between the wall and the real border was reportedly a task for very enthusiastic Communist troops, as escaping to the West from there was again as easy as a leaping past a narrow creek…
The road crossing the border in Mödlareuth is not active any more and is part of the open air exhibition. Actually the former customs house hosts the ticket office. Along the former road it is possible to observe an example of car stopping devices and original ‘stop’ and ‘no-trespassing’ signs.
The area was dominated by watchtowers. There are two in Mödlareuth, one original and inaccessible, the other probably cut in height. Both are of a relatively recent model, with a distinctive round section.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Going to the two main buildings of the museum it is possible to find other interesting items, including models of the site, and pieces of hardware like a sample of the standard border wall, and a vehicle stopping device able to cut the road in a matter of a second at a short notice.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
A large depot hosts many vehicles – armored vehicles, 4×4, trucks, and even a helicopter – once part of the border patrols of the GDR, and also of the FRG. Forces of the latter did monitor the border, but as the problem was mainly with the GDR in trying to keep its citizens back, the FRG forces were as substantial as it is usual for a border between states.
There are also original road signs and warning signs, including some in English for US troops.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Finally, the museum offers a well-made 15 minutes documentary, played in English on request, with the history of the Inner Border and of the wall in Mödlareuth, with video recordings from the past which really add to the perception of how the place used to work, and show what it meant for the local population – families split overnight and for decades, as it was the case in Berlin.
When I visited in 2015 the temporary exhibition was unfortunately only in German.
There are information panels scattered all around the village providing an opportunity to better compare today’s village with how it was before 1989.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Leaving to the north-west towards Thuringia along K310, it is possible to spot a part of the most external border fence which has been preserved out of the village. You can walk freely along it. Still in Modlareuth, in the parking of the exhibition a Soviet tank still occupies one of the parking lots.
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Mödlareuth German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
I would recommend this place for a visit, it is convenient to reach and extremely interesting for the general public as well as for the most committed specialist. Visiting may take from half an hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on your pace and level of interest. The countryside nearby is lovely and relaxing. The site is fully accessible and well prepared, with many explanatory information. It may be a bit crowded, as people mostly from Germany are visiting it in flocks… yet visiting is very evocative and rewarding.
Eisfeld-Rottenbach
Getting there
The Eisfeld site can be reached easily from highway N.73, less than .5 miles from exit Eisfeld-Süd. Actually, the highway didn’t exist at the time of the GDR, and the corresponding traffic ran on what is today Coburger Strasse. The very location of the former border checkpoint is today taken by a gas station, serving the highway traffic.
On site, you can still find the ‘Gedenkstätte Innerdeutsche Grenze Eisfeld-Rottenbach’, hosted in the original control tower for the border checkpoint. The tower can be visited as an automated museum, meaning that entrance is possible by putting a few coins in an automatic system to unlock the door. Despite being automated, the museum has hours of operations.
Sights
The Eisfeld site is similar to the one in Eussenhausen (see later), being the location of a former border crossing point. Actually, this checkpoint was built in a relatively later stage in the life of the inner border in 1973, to decrease congestion on major crossing points then in existence.
The highway today running nearby was not there in the Cold War years, hence the relatively smaller road running today into the service area and gas station now taking the place of the former checkpoint, used to be a major road linking the FRG and GDR near Eisfeld.
Of course, having been turned into a service station, the original function of the place is somewhat deceived. However, the control tower greeting you when approaching from the south betrays the original identity of this facility.
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
The control tower was there to oversee and keep a constant watch on border control and customs operations, taking place on the several vehicle lanes beneath. Today, it is home to a very interesting exhibition on the topic.
Most of the exhibition is centered on pictures from the time of construction, operation and final dismantlement. These are very evocative of the bygone era of the Iron Curtain.
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
On the top floor, a scale model of the former border crossing facility can be found. This is extremely interesting to understand the general arrangement of the site, and how traffic flows used to be managed on site. The normal access road from the FRG was interrupted by a preliminary checkpoint, giving access to the control area. Vehicles were split in multiple parallel queues for the official check. The lanes then rejoined and access to the GDR was via a normally-sized road. Basically the same happened in the opposite direction.
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Stopping gear for emergency – conceived especially to stop fleeing vehicles – was located in several points, as well as fences all around the area, with watchtowers and more usual stopping systems for men and vehicles. Garrisons and booths were abundant too.
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Most of this has gone today, except maybe some of the buildings of the service station, recycled from a different function.
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eisfeld-Rottbach German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
The control tower is the most conspicuous remain, together with some pieces of the Berlin wall, clearly not from here, but located here for remembrance. Visiting the small museum – unfortunately with descriptions in German only – may take about 45 minutes. Website here.
Gompertshausen
Getting there
The memorial can be found on the local road connecting Gompertshausen (Thuringia) to Alsleben (Bavaria). Parking opportunities on site.
Sights
The memorial Grenzdenkmal Gompertshausen is centered on an early-generation watchtower. The place was unlikely associated to a crossing point, and it is possible that the local road, now passing right besides the tower, was cut in the days of the GDR.
The memorial cannot be toured unless by appointment. However, its location in the middle of a peaceful agricultural area is rather suggestive of the grim atmosphere of the bygone oppressive communist regime.
Gompertshausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Gompertshausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Gompertshausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Close to the tower, a portion of the fence has been preserved, similarly to the access to an interesting underground facility – with a function which is today hard to guess from outside. A ventilation pipe is clearly visible in the premises, likely connected with this facility.
Gompertshausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Gompertshausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Gompertshausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Not far from the tower, in the village of Gompertshausen, an attentive eye can spot a (likely) former garrison of the border guards, now in a state of disrepair.
Behrungen
Getting there
Unlike some more prominent museums on this page, the ‘Freilandmuseum Behrungen’ open-air exhibition is not associated to a border crossing point. Actually, the public road giving access to the memorial runs parallel to it. Access is very easy driving from the village of Behrungen (Thuringia, former GDR) along Röhmilder Strasse, leaving the town heading east. The memorial can be found to the south of the road roughly 1 mile from the town. A first part of the memorial is a small preserved portion of the fence line, very close to the road. From there you can spot the watchtower. You can approach the latter by car, driving on the original service road, and park right ahead of it.
Visiting the watchtower is rarely possible. However, you can move around the area and cross the border with a short walk on a trail, to get good pictures anyway. The surroundings of the preserved part are in the middle of a natural preserve, making the visit a possible stop when wandering in this very nice area.
Sights
The installation in Behrungen is basically a preserved section of the original border in the deep countryside, not corresponding to any crossing point. The focal point in the exhibition is an early-type watchtower, which has been restored and hosts a small exhibition, seldom open unless by appointment. The detection sensors on top of the tower are still there, as well as the communication antennas.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
A service road with the original prefabricated concrete slabs can departs from the tower.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
As usual in the structure of the border barrier of the GDR, the tower was in the middle of an interdicted strip, between two fence lines – one towards the GDR (north of the tower in this case) and one towards the FRG (to the south of the tower).
Two little portions of the inner fence line have been preserved, and can be seen quite apart from one another along the public road coming from Behrungen.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Besides one of the two fence traits, a smaller concrete shooting turret can be seen. Turrets like this, often covered in camo coat, can be found in a high number all along the line of the former inner border.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
A big portion of the outer fence, south of the tower, is also visible in this exhibition. Running along it, a vehicle stopping moat made of concrete slabs is clearly visible still today.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
In the vicinity of this fence, a mine was found by chance as recently as 2001. A commemoration stone was put in place, to stress how the monstrosity of the wall left a long-lasting and unwanted inheritance for the local population and visitors as well.
Unlike in the Cold War years, you can now cross this border, heading south into Bavaria. The original striped concrete post and white signals, showing the actual line of the border – south from the monstrous fence – are still there.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Further south, you can find the original ‘Stop’ line put in place by FRG authorities, with prohibition signs and an explanation of the rules in the border area dating from 1989. This rules were very tricky, especially for the fact that getting past the line marked by the posts, without even reaching to the fence, was already a border violation. This was something that could happen for Westerners just by mistake, but would trigger capture, interrogation and possibly fines by the GDR border control police.
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Behrungen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
The silent and peaceful area of the Behrungen site makes for a thought-provoking stop along the former inner border.
Eußenhausen
Getting there
The open-air exhibition of the ‘Grenzmuseum Eussenhausen’ can be reached along the St2445, roughly 1.5 miles north of the small village of Eussenhausen in Bavaria. Crossing the border with Thuringia, the road changes its name into L3019, and the closest village is Henneberg, about 1 mile north of the inner border. The exhibition is arranged on a former apron of the border control area, slightly uphill, but fairly accessible for the general public, and with a large parking ahead. The exhibition is open-air and arguably accessible 24/7 for free.
As of 2021, the large border control area on the GDR side of the border line (i.e. in Thuringia) is basically abandoned and severely damaged. For relic- and ghost-place-hunters or like-minded people, this can also be toured, and makes for an evocative sight. A dedicated parking is not available in the vicinity of this former facility, hence parking close to the official memorial is recommended.
Sights
This border museum is located on a former border crossing point between and the GDR and FRG, likely opened similar to other checkpoints in the 1970s, to reduce the traffic jams created by border controls on major transit arteries. Today, the site is composed of three parts, two of which are officially for visitors, and the latter an abandoned site.
The first and most significant part of the site is made of the (arguably) original road giving access to the large control area. The original external fence of the GDR border area can still be seen along the sides of the road, as well as the original external gate.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
It is likely that this area was originally intended for a kind of pre-check of vehicles, heading inside the GDR from the West. Today, the area has been converted into an exhibition of a wide array of stopping mechanisms and control booths once in place in the area of the border checkpoint.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Among the most striking items are one of the closing bars moving on a rail, and pushed by a still visible hydraulic actuator. The mass of the bar allowed to stop heavy traffic, and hydraulic power allowed for a very quick closure. This item was likely transferred here from the eastern side of the checkpoint, since similar stopping gear was intended to prevent GDR citizens fleeing the country.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Concrete shooting points, rather common along the border line also far from the authorized border-crossings, were often camo-painted. Some have been transferred here. A striped border post is also part of the exhibition.
A second part of the exhibition is a memorial built after the reopening of the border, to celebrate freedom. The meaning of the installations here is not always easy to capture. However, original parts of the fence wall rise the historical value of this area.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Finally, the area once used for controls can be found towards the eastern part of the checkpoint. This area is not open for visitors, but is basically open and unguarded, so a check is advised for more curious visitors. Here a tower was put in place to oversee the operations in the control lanes. This can still be seen, albeit severely damaged.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Close by, the large area once occupied by the control lanes can be seen. Original lamps are still there, but the sun shelters and control booths are totally gone. Looking at a historical picture available on the official part of the exhibition (see above), it is also clear that the bulky building on the side of the apron was not there at the time of border operations. Maybe this was built as a hotel – and construction halted before completion – after the reopening of the border.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
A surviving building in this area is that of a small mechanics shop, possibly for the vehicles of GDR border protection corps.
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Eussenhausen German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
The Eußenhausen site is interesting for the easy-to-visit exhibition, but also a glance to the currently (2021) abandoned former control area may be really evoking. This short 360° video captures the unreal silence of this once busy border point.
Schwarzes Moor
Getting there
This site is immersed in a beautiful national preserve area, a popular destination for lovers of hiking or cycling activities. This site used to be a sharp corner of the inner border line. Today, the three German regions of Thuringia, Bavaria and Hessen (the former previously part of the GDR) still meet close to this point. The watchtower and the remains on site can be reached with a short walk on an unpaved, perfectly leveled and easy road from a large parking area, put in place for the visitors of the national preserve.
The parking can be reached by car approaching from Bavaria, where road St2287 meets St2288. The closest sizable village is Frankenheim, geographically just one mile north, but connected to the parking via a somewhat longer curvy road. The tower cannot be visited inside, and this small complex makes for a 24/7 open-air memorial, which can be neared without restrictions.
Sights
Smaller than other sites, but nonetheless interesting also for the vantage position on top of a hill and immersed in a beautiful natural preserve area, the Schwarzes Moor site is visible from a distance thanks to a late-generation, slender, square-based watchtower. This has been restored thanks to the intervention of local businesses, and the sight it provides from a distance is quite evocative of how the inner border should have looked like in this hilly countryside back in the years of operation.
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
A small remnant of the original fence put on the western side is also in place, right ahead of the watchtower. One of the original gates in the fence was apparently located here, arguably used only for maintenance operations. No crossing was possible in this area.
A striped original ‘DDR’ concrete border post, as well as a few white poles with a similar demarcation function, can still be seen, making for an ideal photo subject – provided you dare to walk on a pasture area generously pointed by the results of cow digestion…
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Possibly less obvious to a less trained eye, a portion of the vehicle-stopping moat, once aligned with the largely disappeared fence, can still be seen, partially invaded vegetation.
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Thanks to its elevated position, the former wide area of the border, once spoiled of any vegetation and today invaded by younger trees, is still visible from the hilltop where the tower is. The original service road running along the fence line, made of typically-GDR prefabricated concrete slabs, helps to capture the shape of the sinuous line of the border.
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
Schwarzes Moor German Inner Border Innerdeutsche Grenze
A historically relevant stop for those touring this region for the beautiful panoramas and for sporting activities, you will hardly miss this hiking trail head when roaming in the natural preserve.
Point Alpha
Getting there
The place is located between the small towns of Rasdorf, in Hessen, and Geisa, in Thuringia. It is very famous (website here), and official ad signs can be spotted also along highway N.7, going from Munich to Hamburg, near the town of Hunfeld, Hessen. From there it is a 12 miles drive – in a very relaxing, typically German countryside – to the site. Approaching from Rasdorf on the L3170, it is possible to access the site from two sides. If you go straight uphill to the top, you reach the small museum to one end of the site. If you take to the left just .2 miles before reaching the top of the hill, you access the site from the opposite end, where the most peculiar part of the complex – a US Army outpost – is located.
Both items are interesting, and they’re also linked by a walking trail – .25 miles -, running along the former border line. Free parking is available on both ends, so it’s just a matter of what you want to visit first.
Sights
This place is extraordinary in the panorama of the relics of the Inner Border, due to the fact that this portion of the border line was guarded directly by US troops instead of FRG border patrols on the western side. This is witnessed by a small outpost of the US Army which has been since then deactivated and opened to the public. The area – the so-called ‘Fulda Gap’ – was considered by western observers as one of the most likely targets for a possible attack/invasion from the East. This was also due to the fact the US quarters in Fulda were relatively close and there is no natural barrier between this section of the border and that city.
The US outpost is a very interesting prototype of similar installations. Much of the original barracks are still standing. The side of the outpost facing the border is also the place for an observation tower with much communication equipment and an observation deck.
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
The former canteen now hosts a bar. To the back of it you can still see a basketball court. Other buildings include former office/barracks, with a nice exhibition about the history and function of the site, and vehicle depots. There are also some vehicles, including a tank and two helicopters, and tents.
Very close to the tower the American Flag is still waving. The pole is not planted in the ground, in observance to the fact that this is not American land.
Curiously, walking towards the fence from within the fort you can see signs for military personnel, warning about the limits of jurisdiction outside a delimited area, in order to avoid raising diplomatic issues by introducing armored vehicles or similar items in an area too close to the border.
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
After visiting the outpost you can walk towards the small museum, telling more about the history of the Inner Border. The short trail runs along reconstructed portions of the original fence and border interdiction system. Most notably, on the GDR side there is a watchtower of the most modern type, tall and with a square section. Facing the US tower, there is a shooting bunker from the early age soon after WWII, put in place probably before the total closure of the border. Some signs provide scant descriptions, but the function of all devices there is pretty obvious.
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Close to the US outpost on the eastern side of the border it is possible to appreciate very clearly the construction of the vehicle stopping groove.
The portion of the border next to the small museum is preserved as it was before the final blockade – in a first stage, only concrete posts were in place, whereas barbed wire and stop signs were included in the picture. This was before the subsequent modernization, taking place in more stages from the definitive closure with fences, barriers and watchtowers in the early Sixties, until the reopening of the border.
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Point Alpha Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost
Similarly to Mödlareuth, this place is easily accessible, fully prepared for the general public and interesting also for people with a specific interest in the matter. The US outpost is a peculiar sight of this border site. In terms of resemblance to the original condition of the border fortification system, in my opinion it is less evocative than other places, but it still provides a good idea of how it may have looked like. The area is really nice to walk, so there is something for everybody here. Visiting may take from half an hour if you skip the museum, to more than an hour, depending on your interest.
Point Alpha is the best preserved among other installations of the kind, which include Point India and Point Romeo further north along the border with Hessen (west) and Thüringen (east).
Point India & Point Romeo
Getting there
The US outposts of Point India and Point Romeo are not located on the same spot, but they are described together here for convenience, especially since there is nothing left of Point Romeo today, except for an info table and a commemorative stone.
Point Romeo can be reached in two minutes out of the Wildeck-Obersuhl exit on the highway N.4. Taking north from the exit along L3248, you will reach the small village of Richelsdorf. Turn left on Shildhofstrasse upon entering the village. Keep on this road for about 1.5 mi, until you see the massive foundation of highway N.4 ahead of you. You should find a small sign showing the direction of the memorial and telling you to go north-west on a narrow road. Turning right according to the sign on this unnamed road, you should find the memorial .3 miles from the crossing. The memorial is open-air and unfenced, with picnic tables on the spot. Reaching is possible at all times.
Point India can be found starting from regional road 7. Reaching the village of Lüderbach and driving along Altfelderstrasse pointing west, you should leave the village behind you as the road climbs steep uphill. Upon leaving the village, you will take a sharp bend to the right, followed by a gentler one to the left, all in less than 300 ft. Upon entering the latter bend, you will see a wide road taking sharply to the left. As you take that road, gently ascending and going to the east, you many notice the path is unusually wide for the non-existent traffic, and for the rural location where the road is. It is such due to its original function, as it led directly into the US outpost. Keep on this road going east for about 0.5 miles, gently climbing on top of the hill, and you will find a dead end with a small parking, and a clear sign marking the original place of Point India. The memorial is open 24/7, including the tower.
The location of the Point India post has been included in a nice nature-culture walking trail in the area. The corresponding map can be found at Point India, as well as in other notable places along the trail. One of them is the East German watchtower in Ifta.
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
To get there, you might drive to the village of Ifta, which used to be on the GDR side, and take Willershäuserstrasse to the south. Upon leaving the village behind, as the road enters a small forest, you should spot the watchtower on top of a hill, 0.2 miles to the right of the road up. Take the road climbing to the tower, which is paved in the original concrete slabs typical to all service roads on the eastern side of the former border, and drive to the place, where a small flat area suitable for parking and basic picnic facilities can be found. The tower is generally closed.
Sights
The function of the two outposts of Point India and Point Romeo was similar as that of Point Alpha (see above). The region of the ‘Fulda Gap’, along the border between Hessen in the FRG and Thüringen in the GDR, was considered of high strategic significance, and actively guarded by US forces since immediately after WWII, when the line of the German Inner Border was crystallized. Thanks to the favorable morphology of the terrain in this area, an invasion from the Eastern Bloc was considered especially likely from this sector of the border. As a matter of fact, this idea elaborated on the western side of the Iron Curtain turned out to be a correct prevision of the actual plans for an attack to the West, prepared in the years of the Cold War by the USSR, taking advantage of its own presence in the Countries on the border with Western Europe (see here and here).
Today, the outpost of Point India has been almost completely demolished, and the area returned to nature. From the parking, you can spot the three traces that remain from the observation post (OP), namely the observation tower, the entry sign, and a service building which used to shelter some electrical gear, and currently standing right ahead of the parking area.
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
The sign bears an emblem with a motto from the 11th US Armored Cavalry regiment, which took responsibility for manning the observation point. The sign is a copy, but it resembles the original one, and it is close to its original location. The parking is actually very close to the former gate of the camp.
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
From the parking, a short walk leads to the original watchtower. This concrete watchtower is the third installed in the observation point premises, its predecessors being a wooden one from the late 1960s, flanked by a metal one in the late 1970s. Both were replaced by the concrete tower you see today, a perfect twin to that found in Point Alpha (see above).
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
The tower can be climbed today, and it is possible to enter the former observation room, as well as the open observation deck.
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Inside the observation room, now spoiled of all hardware and turned into a permanently open memorial room, a very informative table with many interesting pictures from the site in the Cold War era can be found.
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
From the open deck on top, pointers allow to find a few notable locations in the panorama, including the original line of the border, today rather hard to spot, due to the now grown vegetation, as well as the tall antennas of the FRG-US Hoher Meissner electronic espionage post (in the distance). The village of Ifta, the first met on the East German side, can be clearly spotted.
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point India Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
With an equipment mainly composed of a ground radar and communication gear, the roughly 200-men staff of the observation point was that of keeping trace of any change along the border in their area of pertinence, including military movements on the communist side of the Iron Curtain.
A GDR watchtower in the vicinity of the US observation post can still be found along the nature trail in the area, of which Point Alpha is a highlight. The tower, similar to that to be found in Hotensleben (see later), and once in many places along the inner border, can be reached also by car, in a few minutes from Point India.
Ifta Grenzturm GDR Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point India
Ifta Grenzturm GDR Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point India
Ifta Grenzturm GDR Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point India
Ifta Grenzturm GDR Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point India
Ifta Grenzturm GDR Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point India
The observation point ‘Point India’ is settled in a very nice region, and is an interesting complement to the major site of Point Alpha. Located far from the crowds and with an interesting selection of pictures proposed in the exhibition, it is surely worth a detour for committed Cold War specialists or tourists in the area. A visit may take about 30 minutes.
Geographically placed between Point India (to the north) and Point Alpha (to the south), the Observation Point Romeo shared with them the history, purpose and arrangement, including a concrete observation tower built in the 1980s. However, the site has been completely demolished in 1994, a few years after German reunification.
Today, on the site of Point Romeo is a commemorative stone, and a table (in German) retracing the history of the site with interesting photographs, copies of newspaper headlines from the time, and text.
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
Point Romeo Grenze Inner Border US Outpost Observation Point
The Point Romeo site is a quick detour from the highway, keeping memory of the service of US military staff in the area for the long decades of the Cold War. Checking out the site may take 10 minutes.
Schifflersgrund
Getting there
The border museum in Schifflersgrund (‘Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund’ in German) is a major installation along the former Inner Border, and is clearly marked with signs when approaching the town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf (FRG), in Hessen, or Sickenberg, in Thüringen (GDR). It is located on a local road connecting the two towns. The memorial site is modern and hosts a rich collection. It is also an active cultural center on the topic, with a central building for temporary exhibitions, and a separated building with a big conference room.
A large parking is available on site. For visiting the museum collection a ticket is required. Furthermore, a nature trail along the former border has been prepared and is clearly marked with tables on way-points. No ticket is required for it. Website with full information in multiple languages here.
Sights
The site of Schifflersgrund is centered around a preserved portion of the Inner Border. Due to the local morphology, as the border ran along the rim of a small canyon, the inaccessible area between the two fences marking the border on the GDR side was unusually large. A section of the ‘external’ fence, immediately past the border line when coming from the FRG, is still preserved, together with an original watchtower. The latter used to sit in the restricted area between the inner and external fences, which was accessible only to the border guards of the GDR. Close to the watchtower, a small section of the ‘inner’ fence, the first met coming from the GDR towards the border line, is also preserved.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Between the two fences, the respect area encompasses the local shallow canyon with the original East German service road, now employed as a cultural and nature trail, running along the ‘external’ fence for some thousands feet.
Access to the area around the tower is possible with a ticket. The main building with the ticket office hosts interesting temporary exhibitions and a book, souvenir & memorabilia shop.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Walking towards the watchtower is across a yard, where an interesting series of vehicles and helicopters once employed along the border by the opponents on the two sides is on display. Vehicles include a Soviet truck with a radar antenna typically deployed for airspace monitoring.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Helicopters of Soviet construction on the GDR side include a Mil-24 attack helicopter, and Mil-2 and Mil-8 utility/transport models. On the FRG side are two US-designed Bell helicopters managed by the Border Guards of the FRG.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
A small but interesting exhibition is related to the last weeks of WWII and the immediate post-WWII period in Germany. The connection with the site is in the fact that a large region, extending as far as Leipzig to the east, was conquered by American forces in the last stages of WWII. Of course, Berlin and the easternmost part of today’s Germany were militarily taken by the Red Army (see this post). However, it was due to international agreements (Yalta and later Potsdam) that the westernmost regions of what later the GDR were handed over to Stalin and communism.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
The same short exhibition mentions the US observation points, soon to appear along the border in the ‘Fulda Gap’ (see above) after WWII.
Approaching the tower, you get through a partly reconstructed double fence, with all the typical gear for stopping potential escapees. This include the infamous automatic shotguns, activated by contact with the fence, and shooting metal balls in proximity to the net.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
From close to the tower, you can get the view of the external fence mostly like it used to be in the Cold War era.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
A small museum building by the tower is adorned with original signs from the border area. These range from ‘danger zone’ signs in German, to border warning signs for the American military staff.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Inside the building is a compact but rich collection of interesting photographs, including always-striking now-and-then comparisons, showing how different the panorama used to look like in the area during the Cold War era.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Uniforms from both sides of the border, as well as memorabilia items are on display, close by to some dioramas and a scale model of the border site.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
An impressive listing of those fallen in the pursuit of freedom from the East-German communist dictatorship completes this well-stocked exhibition.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
A complement to the exhibition in the area around the watchtower can be found in a hangar cross the parking. To the sides of a large conference area are upscaled pictures from the time, as well as a modernly designed exhibition on the Cold War in Germany and the Inner German Border.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
The exhibition is in both German and English, and retraces the post-WWII history of Germany, citing many characters, both well-known (former Presidents of the United States, Soviet Secretaries, etc.) and less-known (local leaders, especially cultural leaders and dissidents from Germany).
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Preserved alongside the explanatory panels are some artifacts and memorabilia items.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Also vehicles one employed along the border are on display.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Of particular relevance is a scraper employed as a mean for an escape attempt by a man named Heinz-Josef Grosse. While working with the scraper in proximity to the ‘external’ fence, the man raised the bucket above the fence, climbed over it and jumped across the fence. Tragically, he was shot dead by the GDR border guards while trying to ascend from the canyon.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Out of the same hangar are an attack helicopter from the FRG and more vehicles from both sides of the border.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
The cultural and nature trail prepared by the organization running the museum in Schifflersgrund is about 7 miles long, and takes you around an extensive area along the former border. However, the preserved part of the ‘external’ fence can be found immediately beside the museum facility, and can be accessed quickly and permanently without a ticket.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Walking along the service road can be a good occasion for taking evocative pictures.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
The place where Heinz-Josef Grosse got killed is marked with a sign.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Further on to the west a wooden observation deck can be employed for getting a bird’s eye view of the area around the former border area. Also here, a table with historical pictures allows to get a clear view of how the place looked like in the Cold War era.
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund Innerdeutsche Grenze German Inner Border GDR FRG
All in all, the Schifflersgrund site makes for a nice documentation center, and offers a rich and unique open-air exhibition, including a rare preserved portion of the original border fence. The place is a primary memorial about the history of the Inner German Border. A visit may take from 45 minutes, concentrating on the museum only, to 1.5 hours with a short walk along the original fence, to an entire half day, when venturing along the open-air round trail.
Eichsfeld
Getting there
This was a major checkpoint for crossing the border, as the road passing here was often very busy. You can reach this installation on the road 247 between Gerblingerode in Lower Saxony and Teistungen in Thuringia.
The place hosts a modern museum in the former quarters of the GDR border patrol and in its annexes (website here). Furthermore, there is a loop trail along part of the former border, partially preserved in its final conditions to this day. This can be walked for free but it is pretty long, more than 1 hour for a well-trained young man, going up and down the hills to the West of the museum. I found it really much interesting especially for photographs, plus there are many information panels all along the trail, but you’d better go prepared especially on a torrid summer day.
Large parking available in front of the museum.
Sights
This place is the prototype of a checkpoint on a busy road crossing the border line. The main building of the museum has been built in a former customs house. The modern and well designed exhibition tells about the history of the Inner Border.
In a first part the focus is on the border control policy of the GDR – this was incredibly restrictive, as they tried to prevent Westerners from introducing illegal goods as well as western newspapers, books and similar ‘propaganda items’, plus they actively worked to stop people trying to flee th GDR using FRG vehicles.
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
This all was obtained with careful control of all vehicles, reportedly generating long queues. Every suspect good triggered a litigation, possibly resulting in access denial, fines, interrogations, … Among the hardware related to the topic, original passport control booths, movable mirrors for looking under stopped vehicles, optical instruments for checking parcels, uniforms, firearms, passports, papers.
In a second part, the museum tells about the Inner Border as a whole, including detailed information on the modernization stages from inception to demolition, and of many technical devices deployed to prevent escape. At some point, the innermost fence was supplied with contact sensors, linked to the watchtowers, telling the patrolling troops where the escapee was exactly. The strip between the inner and outer fences was filled with flattened sand, to make footprints immediately visible. This strip was filled with mines at a certain point. These had to be updated to more recent models later on, and the old ones were reportedly blown. Other deadly mechanisms included small cone-shaped explosive charges hanging from the fence, which exploded shooting plummets over a predefined area in case the fence was touched.
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
More information about the border include anecdotes, and numbers about people who died or where wounded trying to flee, and of those arrested for border-related issues. Also documented is the incredible cost of the whole border system, which like the Stasi – the detested internal police of the GDR – employed thousands of people, and necessitated of continuous maintenance and updates.
More about the history of the checkpoint in Eichsfeld and on the days of the re-opening can be found in the museum. A building close to the main hall, once for passport booths, hosts a photographic exhibition, very lively and interesting, about this particular checkpoint and the border re-opening. Also visible are a communication hub and a mechanic’s shop for disassembling suspect cars. In the outside courtyard of the museum some vehicles for patrolling are preserved, together with the original seal of the GDR once proudly standing in the middle of the border checkpoint.
Approaching the trailhead of the loop trail, very close to the museum, it is possible to spot vehicle stopping devices able to cut the road immediately in case of suspect escape situations.
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
A short map for the loop trail can be obtained for free in the museum. The checkpoint was like a punch in the otherwise continuous line of border fortification. Part of it can be seen going uphill along the trail. Original lamps shedding light along the border are still standing. Before reaching the watchtower on top of the hill it’s possible to see a well-preserved part of the original border system. Also visible are some shooting posts probably from an earlier time.
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Crossing the border and going West – freely possible only today – you can still see a cippus with the ‘DDR’ sign. The sight from the west makes for good photo opportunities of how the border would have been like back in the Eighties, looking from the FRG towards the ‘dark side’. Curiously enough, an observation tower was built on the West looking to the East, reportedly not for military purposes but for tourism. As you can see from the photos in the museum, this was where people from all over Europe came to see in person an open-air prison in the middle of Europe, in the form of a country administrated by a Communist dictatorship.
Typical striped concrete posts with the symbol of the GDR can be seen ahead of the border fence to the West, marking the real geographical border.
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Eichsfeld Teistungen Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
If you ar looking for detailed and well-organized information about the Inner Border, as well as for a nice preserved checkpoint and a portion of the border fortifications, I suggest coming to Eichsfeld. The museum can be visited in half an hour and up to 1 hour. Add about 1 hour for the loop trail. Furthermore, the place is close to the beautiful Harz region, surrounded by a beautiful countryside. It makes for an ideal, unusual detour from that region or from the busy areas of Kassel, Gottingen and Hannover.
Sorge
Getting there
Differently from other sites, there is not an official museum preserving the border here, nor is this place well advertised with road signs. Furthermore, the focus of the place, a former watchtower and a part of preserved fence, can be reached with a walk – on a very well prepared horizontal road, once a military communication road running along the border – about 1.2 miles long each way, i.e. about 2.5 miles both ways, so be prepared.
The trail head is in the small village of Sorge, in Saxony-Anhalt close to the border with Lower Saxony along road 242. After taking to the village from the 242, you need to turn right to reach the trailhead, which coincides with the end of the paved road and a no passing sign. Free parking available there, plus a sign with a detailed map of the site.
Sights
This place has not much to offer in terms of hardware. The inner fence is encountered soon after the trailhead. The road then points into the land strip once going to the outer fence, running on it for about 1 mile, and finally reaching a modern, tall watchtower with a square section. What makes this site interesting is the fact that it is almost desert. During my walk and stay there I encountered two people – from the Netherlands – in total. The area of the former border is deserted and unreally silent – very impressive.
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Further on, former mine fields are presented, plus a strange monument to peace or equilibrium, unclear, but it’s made of stones and does not disturb the panorama.
It is noteworthy that they are keeping the strip around the preserved portion of the fence spoiled of vegetation. This was a distinctive feature of all the Inner Border line which is vanishing with time, as trees and vegetation are often reclaiming those areas.
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Sorge Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
There is actually a small independent museum about the Inner Border in Sorge (website here), where also a border railway station was operated. Due to time constraints I could not visit it.
The most distinctive feature of the place is the characteristic Soviet ‘ghost aura’, making it really grim even in plain sunlight. The chance to walk the trail with nobody around adds to the atmosphere. Of course it requires some extra-walk with respect to other sites, and all in all the hardware it has to offer is not so abundant, so I would recommend visiting only for more committed specialists. The roundtrip time depends on your level of training, but may be easily about an hour.
Hotensleben
Getting there
The village of Hotensleben is on the border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, hence it once stood right on the Inner Border line. This town can be conveniently reached about 6 miles to the South of Helmstedt on highway N.2 going from Hannover to Berlin.
The border site is located on the western end of the village, on the L104 heading to Schoeningen. In case you are coming from Schoeningen you will clearly see the installation before reaching Hotensleben. Large free parking by the site.
Sights
As it was often the case for towns close to the Inner Border or crossed by it – see Mödlareuth upper on this page -, besides the usual border devices including fences, minefields, watchtowers, vehicle stopping grooves and bars, also a wall was put in place. To be exact, two walls were erected in Hotensleben, totally enclosing the strip where a service road, a minefield, fences and watchtowers were standing.
Parts of these walls have been preserved for posterity. The outer wall, mostly similar to that you can find in Mödlareuth, is tall and white, whereas the innermost one is made of grey concrete slabs. Watchdogs once stood between the innermost wall and the next fence.
Today the place is totally open access all day around, and it is made of two parts. The southernmost area showcases a modern watchtower with a round section, which has been cut for improving stability as it is not maintained any more. Look for the concrete slabs making the pavement of the service road nearby, and to the manholes with GDR factory labels.
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
The main part is to the north of the road. Here you can appreciate most clearly the geography of the border strip, as it is placed on the side of a hill, over a gentle slope, offering a bird-eye view of the installation. Curiously, the topography of the border devices here is reportedly mostly similar to the one implemented in Berlin in the most recent times – so from here you can have a more precise idea of what was the Berlin wall than from everywhere in Berlin.
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
On top of the hill – a very short walk from the parking – a watchtower of the earliest type, a rather bulky, square-shaped tower, is still standing.
To the outside of the outer wall some border signs remain – as usual, the line ran in the middle of a creek.
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
Hotensleben Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint
There is no museum here, just an open air exhibition with some information provided through leaflets you can pick-up close to the parking.
I found this place very suggestive – also due to visiting near sunset, when I spent all my time there totally alone -, and the fact this represents a specimen of the Berlin Wall better than you can find in Berlin itself adds extreme value. It’s unlikely you will find much crowd here, so the place is ideal for photographs as well as for memory and thoughts. As there is no museum and the site is limited in size, visiting may take from 15 to 45 minutes. Would surely recommend for every kind of public, thanks also to the short distance from highway N.2 and from the Marienborn site.
Marienborn
Getting there
This is a gigantic installation also known as ‘Checkpoint Alpha’, which used to work as a major checkpoint for the highway traffic entering the GDR and/or heading to/coming from Berlin along highway N.2, from Hannover and central FRG. It can be spotted to the South of the highway, adjacent to it, immediately after the town of Helmstedt going to Berlin.
The place is accessible in at least two ways. If you are driving to Berlin, you can stop by the service/fuel station about .5 miles after the Marienborn/Helmstedt exit. The service station occupies part of the former site, which can be reached by foot. If you are driving from the opposite direction on N.2 or you are not coming from the highway at all, you may start from the village of Marienborn, take the K1373 in the direction of Morsleben (i.e. to the north), and turn to the left immediately before passing below the highway, keeping on K1373. This road goes west parallel to the highway for about 1 mile, then you clearly see the site to the right. Coming from the town of Marienborn it will be possible to spot also a watchtower of the oldest type along the former border. Scant information from the website here.
Sights
This place is a real ‘Jurassic Park’ of Communism, a true, evoking, grim relic of the Cold War. The installation is big, and today totally disused, but not abandoned. Actually, when I visited in summer 2015 some of the former passport booths were undergoing (slow) restoration, and were not accessible. The former main customs building, once hosting the offices of the guards, today hosts a nice and detailed free permanent exhibition, with some artifacts, explanatory panels and site control devices, plus many self explaining photographs – the only major flaw being everything is in German only. Here you can find a leaflet also in English, guiding you in the exploration of the site. Some report guided tours are offered, by I didn’t try myself, as I expected them to be given in German only.
First of all, the geometry: the place worked as a GDR checkpoint for both directions of traffic. All vehicle traffic was detoured here, both coming in or going out the Communist territory. This was one of the main gates to the Soviet bloc, so this place was reportedly very busy year round, with legendary waiting times to be expected in all directions.
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
For those entering the GDR, the main worry for border patrols was the introduction of contraband goods and ‘western propaganda’ in the form of books, newspapers, prohibited goods, religious items and so on. All cars, buses and trucks were accurately scanned.
In order to cope with the huge traffic flow, passports of incoming passengers had to be placed over a treadmill leading to the passport control booths, in order to start passport processing before the vehicle actually reached the booths. This device is still standing.
In the part deputed to controlling buses and trucks it is possible to notice higher banks and ladders for getting a vantage view. Movable mirrors are placed at the level of the canopy.
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
I was impressed by the shabby appearance of this control station, especially doors, booths and the material of the canopies… really an anticipation of Communist quality for those coming in. Red emergency buttons all around could trigger a blockade of the control post in case of suspect activities.
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Dedicated buildings included a livestock inspection quarter and a depot for inspecting dangerous material, a morgue and a bank – which can be recognized by the window railings. All Westerners coming in the GDR were forced by the law to buy a certain amount of GDR marks, at the exchange rate of 1:1 to FRG marks – due to the almost null value of the former, this was basically an entrance fee to the ‘Paradise of Socialism’.
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
The outgoing traffic was scanned as well, in search of potential enemies of the state trying to flee the country. A suspended deck for inspecting trucks is still standing close to the highway. The lanes leading to the control booths are still painted on the concrete of the pavement passing north of the main office building.
Suspect parcels in all directions were X-rayed or optically scanned. At a certain point in history, a well deceived scanning device – the grey ‘booth’ with no windows you can see in the photos – was put in place besides the outgoing traffic lanes, reportedly covertly X-raying all cars leaving the GDR even before reaching the control booths – definitely another era…
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Military troops going to West Berlin were treated more smoothly, but the platform of their dedicated office, immediately nearby the highway, has been demolished.
Original lights all around and deserted garages, barracks and service buildings for the border personnel complete the picture. Also noticeable are the concrete post where the round seal of the GDR was once proudly standing – today there is a unexplicable hole instead of the ‘DDR’ emblem -, placed between the two roadways in the middle of the highway close to the checkpoint area.
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Marienborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Alpha
Albeit different from all other border checkpoints – no fences, mines or concrete walls – this place is similarly evocative of the oppressive border policy of the GDR, which was evident also to ordinary Westerners trying to reach Berlin by road. This was a place where many people routinely experienced what a restrictive Communist dictatorship really meant. Would surely recommend for people interested in recent history, history of the Inner Border and the GDR, as the place is mostly preserved as it was in 1989, and easy to reach even if you’re just passing by. Exploration may take from fifteen minutes to more than an hour if you include the museum and a careful look to everything.
Schlagsdorf
Getting there
The small sleepy town of Schlagsdorf is less than 10 miles South of Lubeck. It is located in Mecklemburg-Vorpommern, on the border with Schleswig-Holstein. It can be conveniently reached by car from highway N.20 going from Lubeck to Rostock, or from the South via road 208.
The town hosts a small indoor museum in a former customs house, with a permanent exhibition and a cafe opening in the warm season (website here). The museum operates also a reconstructed specimen of the former border fortifications which is accessible by preliminarily purchasing the ticket by the museum office. The open air exhibition can be reached with a .2 miles walk through the village, or by car. Free parking all around.
Sights
The museum is focused on the restrictive customs policy of the GDR, and most notably on the effects of the border on the geography of Schlagsdorf and small towns nearby.
The area is pointed with lakes and creeks, so the geographical placement of the border line was particularly difficult around here. There existed places where the border crossed some rivers or creeks, and special nets were erected there, reaching to the bottom, cutting any communication also by water. These barriers have been demolished now, but this is well documented in the museum.
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Another practice of the Communist regime even from the times of Soviet occupation was deportation of the population of some of the villages. Especially in this area, in order to avoid the creation of enclaves where the border line was too tortuous, it was decreed that some rural villages should be simply abandoned. This further dark side of the history of the Inner Border is documented here.
Like in other similar museums, some original signs, uniforms and models give an idea of how the border looked like in the decades when it was blocked.
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Photographs of the border re-opening in 1989 and of the natural preserve now having taken the place of those grim installations complete this much interesting exhibition.
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
The open air exhibition puts together a small section of the usual external fence, ‘DDR’ posts, mine camps, lights, dog’s beds for watchdogs, local passport control booths and a modern watchtower.
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Some beheaded GDR sculptures are there too, together with other stopping devices, like barbed wires forming a horizontal net at the level of the ground, which couldn’t be spotted in tall grass and made walking the area difficult and dangerous.
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
This border section was reportedly not here in origin, but closer to the small lake to the south of the village, where the border line actually ran. A trail with explanatory panels goes along the former border line bank of the lake. I didn’t go myself as when I visited in winter the temperature was several degrees below freezing…
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
Schlagsdorf Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border Checkpoint Grenzhus
In the village you can spot manholes with ‘Made in GDR’ labels, and also some garden fences made with the same net originally used for the outer fence of the border fortification – this is recycling!
I would recommend visiting to everybody even only slightly interested. The place is surrounded by a very nice and relaxing countryside, with various opportunities for enjoyable walks and other sports. Plus, the place makes for a short detour from historical Lubeck and its many attractions. Visiting both indoor and outdoor may take from 45 minutes to less than 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Kühlungsborn
Getting there
The coast town of Kühlungsborn in Mecklemburg-Vorpommern is a nice location, very busy with sea tourism. Being on the so-called ‘sea border’ of the GDR, i.e. on the Baltic sea, it was guarded similarly to the Inner Border. Approaching is necessarily via the L12 or L11.
The place can be rather crowded even far from the peak season, plus the watchtower and the small museum nearby are right behind the beaches, totally inaccessible by car (website here). Just park where you can, reach the beaches, enjoy the panorama, and go to the small central square where ‘Strandstrasse’ meets ‘Ostseeallee’. The latter points directly into the sea, and actually ends in a nice pier. To the west of the small square the watchtower can be easily spotted.
Sights
This place witnesses a less known aspect of the GDR border, which actually was constituted also by the Baltic Sea, from the outskirts of Lubeck – still in the West – to the border with Poland.
Similarly to every other part of the border with the West, several people tried to flee the country also by sea when the border was blocked. The border patrolling policy of the GDR was really restrictive, and the sea border was no exception. Several watchtowers were erected all along the coast, and motorboats patrolled the coasts continuously to stop any illegal traffic.
Kuhlungsborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border See Sea
Kuhlungsborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border See Sea
The modern, round-section watchtower makes for a strident sight in the otherwise pleasant, typically North-German background of the village of Kuhlungsborn.
When I visited in spring 2016 the small museum was closed for the season. I had much information through a recently visited remand prison of the Stasi (the internal police of the GDR, a kind of Communist Gestapo) in Rostock, which was hosting a rich exhibition about the ‘sea border’ (see the governmental website, this is slightly off topic but extremely interesting, website here). In any case, there are explanatory panels with photos also outside of the watchtower, allowing to get some information.
Kuhlungsborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border See Sea
Kuhlungsborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border See Sea
Kuhlungsborn Innerdeutsche Grenze Inner Border See Sea
I would recommend visiting if you are going also for enjoying the town and beaches, or if you are a very committed specialist of such places. The museum is rather small in size and the hardware is basically the tower itself. Nonetheless, the striking contrast with respect to the background makes this place also rather evocative. I guess visiting may take up to 30 minutes including the museum.
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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