Exploring the Rotten Side of Germany

Within the confines of the so-called "City in the Woods", a large Soviet garrison in Eastern Germany that was home for more than 15.000 Soviet soldiers and their families, there was also a large communications bunker of the Soviet ground communications network. Although within the confines of the garrison, this comms center had nothing to do with the procedures of the other units there. The bunker was constructed during the years 1971-1975 and had a dimension of about 25x40 meters which meant an effective surface area of roughly 800 square meters...(more)

After the end of World War II, a site near a small village in the forests of Brandenburg became important within the Western forces of the Soviet Union.

From 1952, a barracks town was constructed within the woods, that eventually was capable of housing 15.000 people, including military personnel and their families. The garrison was a newly built - planned, constructed and paid for by the East German government. It was self-contained and off-limits to non-essential personnel, and it contained shops, offices, a theater, a gym, schools and medical facilities. During the Cold War, it was the third largest Soviet base inside East Germany...(more)

An abandoned farmhouse near the North Sea was the spot we had planned to explore on the way back home from my wife's family reunion in Denmark in late July of 2017. A friend of mine had discovered the location and found out that it had belonged to a priest who died about ten years or so ago.
It actually was a detour of about 100 kilometers on our way home, but it turned out to be worth it in the end. First we drove West from the island of Fyn until we started heading South on the coastal highway. The road that after a lengthy drive led us to the farmhouse was only little more than an......(more)