Exploring the Rotten Side of Germany
You might say I'm a collector. I collect rare objects. Facts, stories...I travel the roads of Germany seeking its heart.
Featured Photo
“The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one.”
(Seneca)
The Saturday before Easter, one of my best friends was taken from us without warning.
I first met Jens back in 2013 on a spontaneous visit to "his" abandoned sanatorium - a lonely place on top of a mountain where he had chosen to live with his pack of sleigh dogs. He offered us coffee, showed us the place and told stories. The little time we had just flew by. This first meeting was special. We had immediately connected on a really cool level, and my wife and I only reluctantly left that evening. We returned a few months later, and then again...and again. Over the years, a real friendship developed. Jens and "his" mountain became the place for us to be grounded, to meet new people, learn new things - and have barbecue ;)
We felt at home there, and Jens was the reason for that.
I still can't believe that he is gone and that I won't see him anymore walking quickly over his premises, feeding his dogs, riding the sleigh or building something new.
What remains are the great memories of adventure, of long talks by the campfire at night, the hunts for trespassers trying to jump the fence and of surprising visits to cool places that nobody else knew of.
And what will remain are the friendships that developed with the people we met on the mountain. That is Jens' legacy - he brought people together. People of different ages, religions, political views. People that came because of the dogs, people that came because of the sanatorium - in the end everyone came for Jens and for all the things that made this place so unique.
Thank you, Jens, for your friendship.
Thank you for everything you gave us!
We'll meet again by the great campfire in the sky!!!
Galleries
Command Post W43 [Revisit]
This abandoned underground command post was part of the East German anti-aicraft defense strategy during the Cold War. In the early 1960s, an anti-aircraft regiment was founded that was tasked with the protection of the East German airspace in the Northern region, including the naval bases and the larger cities of the area from airstrikes and border violation. Towards the middle of the 1960s, this bunker was put into operation as the command post for the newly founded anti-aircraft regiment.
The bunker has an effective area of more than 200 square meters and was....(more)
VLF Communications Bunker G.
Towards the end of the 1930s, the German "Reichspost" (German Mail) commissioned the construction of a VLF communications facility that was supposed to ensure the military communication within the Wehrmacht.
Construction began around 1939, but at some point the completion of the complex was no longer deemed necessary, the project was cancelled in September of 1941. At that point, only one of the bunkers had been completed, but the technical facilities have never been installed. Of the other two planned radio towers, only the base plate was ever built. Since the facility was never completed, the Allies also....(more)
Video
Lost Places | Goin' Bunkers - "The Defensive Command"
Blog
Tour Report: The inn by the Cemetery [Revisit]
Published 2019-07-15
As the second spot on our short tour through Denmark together with North Urbex, we had decided to go for a revisit of a spot that my wife and I had first visited about six months earlier - a really nice abandoned old inn.
We assumed that it would still be accessible relatively easy, and we also hadn't been able to explore the smaller house across the street during our first visit, so there still might be more to see for us.
Everything went smoothly, just like the first time.
We parked in the public parking lot right near the inn, and we walked around the building. There we found the open window that we'd used....(more)
Urbex News
Urbex-Related News [English/German]
Atlas Obscura - Latest Places
Under in Lindesnes, Norway (Tue, 16 Jul 2019)
Under, submerged off the coast of Lindesnes, on the southern tip of Norway, is the first underwater restaurant in Europe and the biggest in the world. Sixteen feet below sea level,
diners can enjoy local delicacies while watching fish swim on the other side of a panoramic window.
It's not the first time Snøhetta, the architecture firm behind Under, has created something spectacular. They also designed the iconic Oslo Opera House. But constructing a restaurant that could be submerged in the sea posed new challenges. One of the most
time-consuming parts of the process was ensuring the building could withstand its harsh ocean environment. The restaurant would need to brave waves, storms, and, of course,
constant water pressure.
From the outside, Under looks like a container that fell off a truck and slid into the water. But after visitors walk inside and descend the stairs, they'll enter a whole new world. In addition
to the underwater view, there is a fixed seasonal tasting menu that features foods from the surrounding area, including fish, seabirds, wild sheep, and plants such as sea kale and arrowgrass.
>> Read More