Tag: karlshorst

Soviet War Memorials Southeast of Berlin

CarloRLeave a comment

The final battle for the conquer of Berlin was a massive operation carried out by the Soviet Red Army, who had come on the line of Oder river, marking today’s border between Germany and Poland, at the conclusion of the westward march on the territories of Eastern Europe previously taken over by the Third Reich.

Witnessing the dramatic lack of men and supplies on the German side, the final Soviet attack from that position was launched on April 16th, 1945, to end just less thank two weeks later with the death of Hitler, the conquer of Berlin, and soon after with the German capitulation in early May. In this short time, the Soviets penetrated and gained control of a significant part of what was to become the territory of East Germany, including the capital city of the Reich.

It is estimated that the troops amassed in the spring of 1945 for this operation exceeded 2.2 millions on the Soviet side, whereas the contingent available for the defense of the region on the German side was below 300 thousand men, including almost improvised corps of elders or extremely young people, lacking any military training and experience. As a matter of fact, the original German war machine had been drained of resources also due to the eastward advance of the Western Allies in Western Europe and Germany, where some millions German soldiers were taken prisoners. Actually, by April 1945 the line of the Western front had reached East to the towns of Leipzig, Dessau, Magdeburg and Wismar, very close to Berlin, and all later ceded to the Soviets according to the Jalta and Potsdam agreements.

The defense of Berlin from the Soviet attackers was strenuous though, and heavy losses were recorded on both sides.

One of the most visible remains of these war operations today is a a number of memorials and war cemeteries, of larger and smaller size, scattered over the territory around Berlin. The most conspicuous such memorials are those erected by the winning Soviet forces. Besides their primary role of remembrance, they were in most cases erected soon after the end of the war, then making for an interesting historical trace from that age, when Stalin was the undisputed ruler in the Soviet Union. Their style often reflects the mix of pomp and simplicity typical to the communist art from the time.

Memorials related to these events can be found in Berlin (see here and here) and around. Some to the north of the town have been described in this post. In the present one, three memorials related to the battle around Berlin and located east and south of the German capital are covered – Seelow, Lebus and Baruth.

Photographs were taken in 2021 and 2023.

Sights

Seelow

The memorial in Seelow was designed and installed in 1945, soon after the end of the war in Europe, and was therefore one of the first of the kind. The location is that of the Battle of the Seelower Heights.

The small town of Seelow is located about 8 miles west of the Oder river, marking a natural border with Poland. The hills around the town dominate the flat country reaching to the river. Therefore, for the defending Wehrmacht, this was a natural obstacle between the Soviet invaders and Berlin. The hills were fortified heavily with guns and mortars, and the villages in the area were evacuated in anticipation of a major confrontation.

Fighting was started on the fateful April 16th, 1945, when a Soviet attack was triggered all along the line of the Oder, with a major focal point in the region of Küstrin and Seelow.

The battle went on for four days despite the clear imbalance of resources in favor of the Soviets, due to the advantageous geographical position of the heights around Seelow and the effectiveness of the German defense.

The memorial was erected around a simple statue of a Soviet soldier, put on top of a pinnacle, and portrayed beside the turret of a tank.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

To the base of the pinnacle is a small Soviet cemetery, with some marked graves and some gravestones with multiple names, or dedicated to unknown soldiers perished in the battle.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

From the cemetery, a good view of the plains extending to the east, where this fierce battle was fought in April 1945, can be observed from a vantage point. Purpose-designed maps allow to retrace the positions of the attackers and to pinpoint relevant locations.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

To the base of the monument is a memorial museum. The exhibition is compact but very interesting. Two thematic areas are presented, one related to the historical reconstruction of the battle, the other to the history of the monument and the archaeology of the battlefield around Seelow.

Among the artifacts on display related to the history of the battle are German and Soviet uniforms, machine guns and rifles.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

Interestingly, also mortar shells carrying leaflets are on display: these were employed by the Soviets, who launched propaganda leaflets inviting Germans to surrender, and even passes for the German military who wished to defect to the Soviets side. An armband of the ‘Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht’, the non-professional corps recruited by the Third Reich in a desperate move to gather fresh units for the final defense of the German territory from invasion during the last stages of the war, is also on display.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

The history of the monument is interesting as well, and shows how it evolved from being primarily a Soviet monument – like others in the area – to a public gathering place for official ceremonies in the German Democratic Republic – a place for the celebration of friendship between the USSR and the GDR. Historical pictures, and the addition of a poetic commemoration stone written in German only to the base of the monument, witness this evolution.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

Outside the museum, a courtyard is framed by two original small obelisks with inscriptions in Russian and Soviet iconography. On the courtyard, some heavy armored vehicles – including a Katyusha rocket launcher – are on display.

Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany
Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen – Soviet Monument and Museum by the Seelower Heights – Germany

Getting there and visiting

The monument has a special relevance in the history of the liberation of Germany, and has been modernized and updated over the years. It is still a rather relevant destination for visitors. A ticket is required for the museum only. A visit to the monument may take 20-30 minutes. A complete visit including the museum may require 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Access is very easy, since the location is immediately to the side of the road leaving Seelow for Küstrin (now Kostrzyn, Poland). The name of the site in German is ‘Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen’, and the address is Küstriner Straße 28a, 15306 Seelow. A small parking can be found right ahead of the access, further parking options cross the street and near the railway station, 1 minute away by walk. A new modern building to the side of the monument hosts the ticket office and a small shop. Website with full information here.

Lebus

The cemetery in Lebus, located on the German bank of the Oder river, about 10 miles southeast of Seelow (see above) was activated already in April 1945 for burying Soviet soldiers perished in the final war actions against Germany. Starting 1946, the status of Soviet cemeteries and monuments established on the territory of the Third Reich was officially defined. The Lebus site received Soviet staff perished in Germany after the war, or unrecognized fallen Soviet soldiers whose remains were found in the years soon after WWII on the East German territory.

Following an agreement between Russia and reunified Germany, extending the relationship formerly existing between the USSR and the GDR on the management of war memorials, the Lebus site became a Russian cemetery. It was refurbished in 2014-16, and at the time of writing it is still an active cemetery, often receiving the remains of Soviet soldiers moved from elsewhere, or still found in the area.

It is estimated that more than 5.000 from the USSR/Russia are buried in Lebus.

The memorial is not much visited by the general public, and is an authentic place of remembrance, sober and silent.

Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany

The architecture is rather simple, with a central perspective leading to an obelisk with a red star on top, a hammer and sickle emblem to the front, and inscriptions in Russian.

Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany

To the sides are two lateral wings, where the names of many fallen soldiers are inscribed on memorial stones.

Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany

To the sides of the perspective are an anti-tank cannon, and some more fields, marked with marble red stars as places of interment of unknown soldiers.

Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany

Also two further memorial walls with many names in Cyrillic alphabet are symmetrically placed to the sides of the perspective.

Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany
Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Lebus – Germany

Getting there and visiting

The location of the Soviet cemetery in Lebus, now called officially ‘Russische Kriegsgräberstätte in Lebus’, is on Lindenstrasse, immediately after leaving Strasse d. Freiheit, Lebus. It is clearly marked by an indication sign, and recognizable by the external fence. Parking can be found 200 ft further north on Lindenstrasse, on the side of a local school.

The site is not mainly a touristic destination, but a real, well maintained (war) cemetery. It is apparently open 24/7 and not actively guarded. Visiting may take 20 minutes, or more for specifically interested subjects.

Baruth

The Soviet war cemetery of Baruth was erected between 1946 and 1947 for the fallen soldiers of the Battle of Halbe. The battle was a last confrontation between the Soviet Red Army and the Wehrmacht, taking between April 24th to the first days of May 1945 – the very last battle out of Berlin.

The battle was fought around the village of Halbe, south of Berlin, between what remained of the German defense retreating from the bank of the Oder, and two large columns of the invading Soviet Army. The German forces got mostly surrounded in a salient. Losses were very heavy on both sides, of the order of the tens of thousands.

The war cemetery for Soviet soldiers, the final resting place for some thousands of fallen troops, is clearly visible when passing by, thanks to the two T-34 tanks put as gate guardians.

Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany

The architecture of the place is rather simple, and composed of a rectangular yard crossed by an alley, leading to a very tall obelisk. The obelisk features a big metal star on top, and a hammer and sickle metal emblem in the middle.

Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany

To the base of the obelisk are two bas-reliefs with war scenes.

Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany

A number of marked gravestones can be found on the greens around the obelisk. More recent – yet pretty old – additions, somewhat altering the original neat appearance of the ensemble, include a wall with applied gravestones and names inscribed on it.

Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany
Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark – Soviet Monument and Cemetery Baruth – Battle of Halbe – Germany

Getting there and visiting

The Baruth war cemetery, named ‘Sowjetischer Ehrenfriedhof Baruth/Mark’ in German, can be found along the road 96 (Bundestrasse 96), about 1 mile north of the homonym town of Baruth. The monument can be clearly spotted on the eastern side of the road. A small parking can be found ahead of the entrance.

Due to the secluded and isolated location, the place is not a highly popular tourist destination, yet it is frequented by relatives and descendants of those interred on site. It is well cared for and perfectly maintained. It is apparently open 24/7.

A prototypical Soviet war cemetery from Stalin’s years, likely the largest in the region south Berlin, it is definitely worth a stop when visiting the area. A visit may take 20 minutes.

Notably, the place is located about 7 miles south of Wünsdorf (see this post), the former Soviet headquarters in the German Democratic Republic, which is crossed by the same road 96.

Wünsdorf – Nazi/Soviet Supreme Military Command

CarloR2 Comments
Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp
The BEST pictures from Soviet bases in the GDR
ALL in ONE BOOK!

Soviet Ghosts in Germany
GRAB IT in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

For war historians and urban explorers Wünsdorf does not need any further presentation – a central place in the military history of the 20th century, famous for the many abandoned military buildings, from stately headquarters to interred bunkers. The name of this small town appears even in the very modern and interesting Military Museum of Dresden, where it is easy to find an original sign – in double alphabet – from the time when Wünsdorf hosted the Soviet military headquarters in the communist German Democratic Republic.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Sign
Wünsdorf/Zossen Sign

This report is based on photographs I took in spring 2017 in Zossen and Wünsdorf during a customized visit to the place I arranged with a local guide. For visiting information scroll down to the bottom of the page.

History – in brief

The small town of Wünsdorf, about 15 miles south of Berlin, has a serious military tradition, dating back at least to the beginning of the 20th century. At that time a large military complex with many barracks was set up by the order of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II – a central player in WWI – in the neighbor town of Zossen.

To this ‘Belle Époque’ era belongs part of the housing still in place today, as well as some of the largest and most aesthetically pleasant buildings in town. Among them, a former training camp for athletes of the army, and some big command buildings.

Following the dawn of the Nazi era, the place gained further relevance, with the institution of the German Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, also known as ‘Oberkommando der Wehrmacht’, or ‘OKW’ in brief. This was presided by general Wilhelm Keitel for all the duration of WWII, and represented the ‘top of the pyramid’ in terms of military decisions, as general Keitel reported directly to Hitler.

The staff of the OKW could be accommodated in purpose-built bunkers here, designed to withstand severe air bombing action, as well as to be disguised as normal country houses from above. These were known as the ‘Maybach bunkers’.

Besides bunkers for housing military personnel, a large communication bunker, known as ‘Zeppelin bunker’, was built to the purpose of connecting the brain of all military operations with the various divisions scattered over Europe and fighting on more war fronts.

When WWII finally came to an end, the Soviets captured the region, and that was the onset of a full new chapter in the history of the town. The reference name ‘Zossen’ was dropped in favor of ‘Wünsdorf’. The area of the two villages was totally cut-off by a 17 km wall, guarded with a top security level. Inside, housing for around 40,000 staff was prepared in subsequent stages, adding many purely Soviet-style residential buildings to what was still in place from before and during the Nazi era.

The supreme command of all Soviet forces in the occupied territory of Germany – to become the German Democratic Republic, or ‘GDR’, in 1949 – was installed here. All four branches of the Soviet armed forces had their respective headquarters in a corresponding sector of the ‘prohibited citadel’, with inner walls dividing the four areas. These headquarters controlled more than 200,000 troops stationed in the GDR until the early Nineties.

The Soviets tried to blow up the Maybach bunkers, with some success, and also the Zeppelin bunker, with no success. They developed it into an nuclear-proof installation, and added two further bunkers, for controlling military operations – including all air patrolling ones – in real time over the territory of the GDR, and along the crucial border with the Federal Republic and the Western world. Similarly to WWII, once again Wünsdorf was the main stage of crucial decisions for the full span of the Cold War.

The year 1989 marked the beginning of the end for this military town, with the reunification of the GDR with the Federal Republic and the end of the Cold War. All Soviet forces stationed in Germany – about 500,000 people, including troops and their families -, soon to become Russian forces in 1993 with the collapse of the communist regime in the USSR, began a well-coordinated retreat back to their mother Country, leaving Wünsdorf in September 1994.

Since then, the huge housing is largely uninhabited – the current population having dropped to about 4,000 – and the stately buildings built by the order of the Kaiser are deserted. Nonetheless, differently from other former military bases left to nature or converted into something else, the regional government of Brandenburg has formally taken over the property, which is not totally abandoned, nor in an irreversible state of disrepair, with the aim of selling it or transforming it into a museum.

Up to now, the place is still in the hands of the regional government, and specialized tours can be arranged with a local society of enthusiasts.

Sights

This site is really huge, with countless remains and interesting places to see. My visit took just about 5.5 hours, I think you would really need 1 day – and possibly more – to cover all features with enough time to both learn about the history and take good pictures of everything interesting! Here I will present a mainly pictorial description of the part of the complex I had the chance to visit this time. I think another day I will need to go back and complete the visit!

You may get an impression of the town from above, from this report based on aerial pictures taken during a dedicated flight over the region.

Officers’ House

This is probably the most famous non-bunker building in the complex. It dates back to the early 20th century – the place was the headquarter of a sports training ground established by the Kaiser’s army before WWI. In the Thirties, German athletes were trained here for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. During WWII this became a command building for the OKW, while in Soviet times it was actually transformed into a house for higher ranking staff of the supreme Soviet command, with living rooms and entertainment facilities.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

The main building faces an almost square park, where a huge statue of Lenin was installed and is still standing.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

Inside the main building it is possible to find clear traces of the original ‘Belle Époque’ architecture.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

The inside of the building was spoiled of all furniture – the Russians reportedly tried to sell everything to the German government when they left, but the offer gained little interest. Only little part of the furniture, clearly from the age of the Kaiser, can be still spotted. Among the highlights of the bottom floor, there are two murals, in a typically Soviet naïve style, and a sculptured wall. Somebody is trying to put together Soviet memorabilia in a small museum, but all presented stuff is not original from here.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

On the first floor, a very interesting industry-themed mural and a 20-ft long curved view of Moscow can be found in a corridor. In a completely dark room on the same floor, where once a small memorial museum about the Great Patriotic War – WWII for the Russians – was standing, the retreating Russian forces left one of the few remaining written messages, concerned with the atrocities of the Nazi regime – for the guide this was possibly a subliminal memento for the German People… In the same totally dark room it is possible to find a big, finely sculptured wall.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

To the back of the main building it is possible to find a modern addition by the Soviets, a cylindrical building once hosting a diorama of the battle of Berlin. The diorama was transferred in the village of Zhukovo, halfway between Kaluga and Moscow, in the westernmost part of Russia, when the Russians left.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters

The two wings to the back of the Officers’ House host two highlights of the show. In the southern wing it is possible to find an empty swimming pool, dating from the days when the place was a sports training ground, with little changes, which include the showers and the diving board, built by the Soviets. The construction technique was very good, and the pool was operated until 1993-94 reportedly with little updates.

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

In the northern wing it is possible to find a theatre. This is a bit creepy, for it is totally dark – electric power was cut off years ago – but everything, including the curtain over the stage, is in place like a performance was about to begin! The Soviet past of the place is clear here thanks to the decoration of the medallion over the stage, resembling the monument of the Soviet Soldier in Treptower Park, Berlin. In the roomy foyer it is possible to see the numbered hangers still in place!

Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers
Wünsdorf/Zossen House of Officers

The White House

Across the road from the Officers’ House it is possible to see another early 20th century building, used as a command building by the Soviets during the Cold War, and affectionately called ‘The White House’, both for its primary role in imparting orders and for the colonnade gracing the front façade. The building is inaccessible, and still property of the regional government.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters

Nearby, a former house for officers dating from before WWII is now operated as a local city hall.

Today, some of the many immigrants coming from Africa to Europe are being hosted in a building close to the White House by the German Government.

Soviet Railway Station, Bread Factory and Soviet Housing

Due to its great strategic relevance in the Cold War era, the prohibited town of Wünsdorf was daily connected two-ways with Moscow. The last train to Moscow left in September 1994. The railway station of Wünsdorf-Waldstadt today operates on a local railway, with trains mainly to and from downtown Berlin. The old Soviet terminal and some warehouses nearby have been abandoned and are in a state of total disrepair.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station
Wünsdorf/Zossen Railway Station

Close by the station, it is possible to find an abandoned and unattractive small factory with a tall chimney. This is where literally tons of bread were produced every single day since the Nazi era and up to 1994 – reaching 25 tons per day when the place was most crowded in Soviet times. The building was considered a strategic asset by the Nazi, who built it with a 60 cm reinforced concrete roof able to withstand air bombing.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Army Quarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bread Factory
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bread Factory

Whilst not very crowded, today some houses from the early days in the village of Zossen have been nicely restored to their original conditions. Unfortunately, they still share the roadside with some abandoned or not refurbished Soviet buildings, keeping the typical ‘Soviet ghost’ aura alive in the town.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing
Wünsdorf/Zossen Housing

Maybach Bunkers

Two complexes of peculiar bunkers were built in the Thirties – Maybach I and II – for housing staff of the OKW. From the distance and from above, these half-interred bunkers had the appearance of large farm houses. In reality, they were designed to be bomb-proof, and when they were blown-up by the Soviets after WWII they did not collapse completely.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Maybach German Bunker

One of the two Maybach complexes is very close to the fenced area where the Soviets had their three interred bunkers.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Bunker

Zeppelin Bunker

This communication bunker was built under the Nazi more than 60 feet deep into the terrain. It was made of layers of land and concrete, making it extremely durable and difficult to destroy. As a matter of fact, the Soviets tried to blow it up after the Potsdam conference in summer 1945, but they didn’t succeed at all. They decided to re-use it, sealing part of it to withstand a nuclear attack – including airlocks, reinforced doors, showers for decontamination, and sleeping quarters for troops trapped in by radioactive fallout. When leaving in the Nineties, Russian troops took home all technical rigs, stripping the bunker almost completely of any technical hardware.

Among the highlights in the Zeppelin bunker there are the sealed main entrance built by the Soviets and the decontamination facilities.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

Going down it is possible to appreciate the size of the German design, with tens of rooms, long and roomy corridors and staircases. A small exhibition is dedicated to communication hardware from the Nazi and Soviet times. Copies of the Nazi schemes of the communication network from here to the Eastern front allow to understand the proportions of the system.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

One of two long tunnels – the longest is about 600 ft! – was turned into a sleeping quarter for troops isolated in case of nuclear attack, and original berths are still visible today. Another corridor was so long it was used as a rifle range!

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

The bunker was powered by diesel engines – originally submarine engines under German ownership. These are gone today, but the smell of diesel fuel is still very marked in their room. It’s hard to imagine how noisy this place had to be! Some of the Soviet fuel tanks and air conditioning piping are still there, with original technical schemes.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

A lift was added by the Soviets – it’s not working any more. On the bottom level there are water pumps and other supply systems. Normally this area cannot be toured, also due to water flooding problems.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Zeppelin German Bunker

In a small wing of the bunker it is possible to see the effect of the Soviet attempt to blow-up the bunker. The dynamics of the attempt are not clear – what explosive was used and where it was positioned. A pierce in the steel/concrete armored ceiling and a cracked reinforced concrete pillar are the only visible results. The size of the crater in the ceiling suggests much explosive was used, but the damage around is fairly limited and very localized. A feature of many military buildings occupied by the Soviets, signatures and graffitis in cyrillic alphabet can be found on some concrete walls of the bunker.

Soviet Half-Interred Bunkers

Really close to the entrance of the Zeppelin bunker, it is possible to find the way into two other less visible facilities.

One of them is a small communication bunker of simple construction. This is basically straight, with a round shaped cross-section. The corridor leading to the main part of the building is rather narrow and pointing down to the underground. The main part is much roomier, with curved steel frames making the walls and ceiling. This was used also as a training facility. This bunker was totally stripped by the retreating Russian troops.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

The second bunker is much more articulated. It was codenamed ‘Nickel’, and the Soviet construction type is UK-20. This was a communication and control bunker for military operations, in particular for air operations. Even though this bunker was stripped similarly to the other two, some technical rigs and tons of paperwork can be spotted in the semi-dark environment of this installation.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

Technical plants include the original water pumping system and several high voltage cabinets.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

The room where the air control center was is lighted. It is very big, and copies of the original schemes help to understand how the setup was. Everything there was taken back to Russia by retreating Russian army.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

Other interesting items include propaganda posters from Soviet times – they always look very exotic!

Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker
Wünsdorf/Zossen Soviet Bunker

Garrison Museum & Red Army Museum

In the old pre-WWI stables two really unmissable small museums have been prepared. I would recommend visiting them after the site itself, to better understand the relevance and usefulness of the exhibition.

The first is centered on the history of the garrison in Zossen from the years when the barracks were built, and it documents the history of the Officers’ House and all other pre-Soviet buildings around. A focus is given also to the Nazi period, with many photographs and memorabilia. All panels are unfortunately in German only, but the pictures speak for themselves.

Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum

The second collection is dedicated to the Soviet period. Here you can find memorabilia from all stages of the Cold War era, including both museum items already preserved by the Soviets in a museum previously existing in Berlin-Karlshorst, but also everyday items and stuff from Wünsdorf.

Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum

Among the many panels, a small insight dedicated to the huge nuclear base in Vogelsang, covered in this other post of mine.

Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum
Wünsdorf/Zossen German and Soviet Museum

Headquarters of the Soviet Air Force

Besides the building of the society running the guided tours of the place, it is possible to find the abandoned headquarters of the Soviet Air Force. A modern statue of a pilot is standing ahead of an Asian restaurant, whereas the main building is inaccessible. A statue of Lenin – not easily visible from the street – can be found in the vegetation, ahead of the main façade. To the side of the building it is possible to find a typical Soviet memorial.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters
Wünsdorf/Zossen Air Force Headquarters

Much More…!

Among the other uncommon things you can find around in Wünsdorf, there are some Winkel-type air raid shelters, 19 of which were built in the Nazi period for military staff. Most of them were blown by the Soviets, and some of the 7 (?) remaining ones are preserved today.

Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter
Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter
Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter
Wünsdorf/Zossen Winkel Shelter

Visiting

As reported, this ensemble is huge and well looked after. Technically speaking, it is not abandoned – at least the most interesting parts of it. Parts – like the Officers’ House – are awaiting for somebody to own them, parts are destined to remain tourist attractions – like the bunkers and museums. For these reasons, to make your visit practical and enjoyable, and for making the best of your time, I strongly suggest contacting a guide.

Actually the local society also in charge of the nice and interesting book selling activity, for which ‘Bücherstadt Wünsdorf’ – ‘Wünsdorf the Town of Books’ – is famous, runs guided tours on a regular schedule. Full information also in English from their website here. Besides the pre-scheduled tours, some longer special-themed tours can be booked in advance. If you are visiting – like me – from abroad, then I suggest taking contact with the guide before going there.

When I visited, I arranged with the guide a ‘double-tour’ in English just for me, asking to merge two of the tours offered with pre-booking. This was not a cheap alternative – I had to pay alone the price intended for two group tours, but all in all that was worth the financial effort! – but above all I must say I regret not having had more time!

The guide is nice and extremely knowledgeable, he speaks a perfect English and Russian as well. He knows anything from the history of the place, including interesting anecdotes and technical notions. He will take you to all places of interest with a minivan, and of course he will give you all the time for taking pictures, including some with a tripod in especially dark conditions – he has two portable lights for helping in the task! So the guided tour will not be boring at all.

After that, you may like to go back to have a look to the exterior of some buildings you had not the time to check out during the guided visit.

The towns of Wünsdorf and Zossen are basically a single entity, but possibly not on your nav. In case you get confused when driving to the building where you should meet the guide, just follow the signs for the book selling activities – the building is the same.

I mentioned there is a railway station, and of course you may choose to come in by train and move by bicycle – walking would be too time consuming in my view, due to the distance between points of interests. Coming by car is also very practical if you are not moving by train on your trip, and there is room for parking almost everywhere.

 

 

Surrender Sites of Nazi Germany – Reims & Berlin-Karlshorst

CarloR1 Comment

Differently from what one is usually taught in schools, World War II in Europe did not stop in one moment with the death by suicide of the Führer, on April 30th, 1945.

As soon as the advancing Western Allies established strongpoints within the original borders of Germany – as these had been before the war – in 1945 the chain of command in Germany began to vacillate. Rumors about contacts between top-ranking Nazi officials and the SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) have lived to this day, and they are reasonable even though not well documented – as a matter of fact, Hitler dismissed both Göring and Himmler just before his death, on account of unauthorized contacts with ‘the enemy’, promoting Admiral Dönitz to the rank of president of Germany.

The understandable confusion of those days at the ‘top of the pyramid’ is reflected by the local autonomous surrender of substantial parts of the German armed forces around Europe, against the will of the Führer, and even before his death. Literally millions of soldiers were disarmed on both fronts in April 1945, and the process culminated in the surrender of all German forces in Italy on April 29th, the day before Hitler’s death.

The new German president Dönitz acted with the same authority of the Führer in the last stormy days of the collapsing Nazi rule, early May 1945. Under Dönitz’s mandate, between the 1st and 7th of May 1945 some separate surrenders took place, including all German forces in Austria, North-West Germany, Holland, Denmark, Berlin – who surrendered to the Soviets -, Mecklenburg and Pommern north of Berlin, and Bavaria. The German navy ceased war operations on May 5th, by direct order of admiral Dönitz.

All this preceded the ‘official’, authorized, unconditional surrender which was signed on behalf of acting president Dönitz separately by General Jödl in the headquarters of the Expeditionary Force in Reims in the early hours of May 7th, and by Feldmarschall Keitel in Berlin-Karlshorst on May 8th, in presence of General Zhukov of the Red Army. The capitulation called for quitting all military operations at 23:01 CET, May 8th. Both of the signers were arrested soon after, as were Dönitz, Göring and other top German players of the war in Europe.

Today, the two locations where the unconditional surrender(s) were signed are open for visitors. The following photographs were taken during visits in 2015 and 2016.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Reims – Musée de la Reddition

The headquarters of the SHAEF where the ‘instrument of surrender’ was signed on the western front occupied the building of a high school.

Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims

Today, the building has returned to its original function, but a small part of it with the original room and table have been preserved inside of a museum on-site. The walls of the room are covered with original maps from the time, resembling how it looked like in 1945.

Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi Germany Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims

Other rooms are packed with showcases, where you can see many items, including an official copy of the document signed by Jödl, authenticated by Dönitz, uniforms, original flags and other memorabilia.

Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Reims

The museum is rather small, and can be toured in about 30 minutes at most. This excludes the video presentation, which I had not the chance to watch.

Getting there and moving around

The historical place is located to the north of the city center in Reims, very close to the railway station. The exact address is 12 Rue du Président Franklin Roosevelt, 51100 Reims. There is chance of public parking nearby. If you parked somewhere else for visiting historical Reims, I suggest not moving your car, as the museum can be easily reached with a short 5 minutes walk from Porte de Mars, right on the northern edge of the center. Website here.

Berlin-Karlshorst – Deutsch-Russisches 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

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

Soon after the end of the war and the division of Berlin, with the district of Berlin-Karlshorst falling under Soviet rule, the Soviets converted the building where the capitulation was signed for hosting their headquarters. After the birth of the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) at the end of the Forties, the place was turned into a museum.

Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst

Besides the very room where the document was signed, you can find some dioramas dating back to the first years of the museum, as well as a specifically designed foyer and a stained glass window portraying the statue of the Soviet Soldier in Treptower Park – dating from the same late Stalin’s era.

Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst

More recently, the museum has been refurbished and enlarged with very interesting and well prepared exhibits, including many memorabilia items, findings and relics not only from the events of May 1945, but more in general from WWII and the less known eastern front.

Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst
Nazi German Surrender Museum Capitulation Berlin Karlshorst

Compared to the museum in Reims, this is much broader and richer, going well beyond the preservation of the room and the evocation of the last stage of the war.

Getting there and moving around

The museum is in a nice residential area in southern Berlin. This is not a touristic area, so you’d better go there only if you are interested in this specific museum, cause there is not much else to see. Yet if you are interested in WWII and especially to the eastern front, I would say this absolutely a must – all in all, there is not so much information in the touristic areas of Berlin about WWII, so this might fill the gap.

Anyway, the exact location is Zwieseler Strasse 4. This can be reached with bus 296 from the S-3 station Karlshorst or from U5 stop Tierpark. Alternatively, from S-3 Karlshorst it is a walk of about ten minutes. Finally, if you are going by car – the most convenient way – there is a parking right in front of the building. Website here.