Bernau Panzer Kaserne
Tanks for the memories
Not much can be learned from the old abandoned Panzer Kaserne in Bernau but for the fact that Russians love covering their walls in newspaper and playing basketball in attics. It’s true.
At one time the Red Army’s 90th Guards Tank Division was headquartered here, according to what I’ve gleaned from conducting my fill of painstaking and contradictory research. It’s all very confusing so you’ll have to Bär with me…
Before the Soviets and long after the last bears were roaming Brandenburg, the Nazis were in charge.
These were the main offices and administration buildings for Bernau’s Heeresbekleidungsamt (Army Clothing Agency), which I detailed in another post concerning another complex nearby.
I didn’t encounter any Nazis on my first visit, and so presumed I’d stumbled upon the wrong site. I didn’t realize the Heeresbekleidungsamt was spread over two.
This was where some 1,300 workers made, repaired and cleaned uniforms for the Wehrmacht during World War II, lovingly cleaning them, pressing them and ironing them so German soldiers could keep up appearances when off invading foreign parts.
They were a bedraggled-looking lot by the time the Red Army took over and promptly made itself at home in April 1945. The 90th Guards Tank Division consisted of various tank regiments, motor rifle regiments, an artillery regiment and air defense missile regiment, as well as other supporting units.
It only came into being in 1982, when it came under the jurisdiction of the 20th Guards Army, which was headquartered in Eberswalde and had taken part in the Soviets’ 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia.
There were other divisions in Bernau before 1982, but effectively it’s all the same. There were Soviet tanks, missiles, weapons and soldiers with arms and legs a-plenty, ready to be put into action quicker than you could say Sputnik.
Thankfully they were gone by the time I hopped over the wall and in. The deserted barracks is spread out stoically, with its imposing buildings, huge and overbearing, all ringed off by a high wall which sealed the camp from the outside world. Not that it cares as it sits out its solitude in the forest.
The Soviet star still shines above the front door, but inside there wasn’t much to learn about our departed friends. More than 20 years have passed since they left, and each winter has done its worst, wiping walls clean without emotion, smashing windows, dragging down roofs, stripping the ubiquitous newspaper off the walls.
Worse, they’ve flaked away the previously inspirational murals to leave patches of paint in their wake, old makeup worn away like the Soviet Union itself.
Decay and rot are doing their best to erase her memory, though most of the buildings are sound. They’re certainly still good enough to play basketball in their attics, as the Russians must have done with their aforementioned arms and legs to alleviate the boredom of waiting for a war that never came.
Now the attics are occupied by pigeons – I guess they like basketball too – cooing and whooshing at visitors to shoo them away. They’ve waited long enough for peace and quiet – they don’t want to give it up now. Maybe they just love scaring the shit out of intrepid explorers…
The only other heart-in-mouth moment came as I walked by yet another doorway to spot the legs of a man inside. A dead soldier, forgotten perhaps. I’d already walked past the doorway before I realized what I’d seen. Shit, a fucking corpse! Maybe he’s still alive, maybe he’s only sleeping. Dead or alive, I don’t know which was worse. I inched back, stretched my neck around the corner. A tarp and a pair of shoes. Thank Christ, there was no body, ‘twas only a trick of the eyes.
They love playing tricks in places like these, when nerves are jangling and every sound is a ghost. The spirits of the past just wait for the right time to say hello. Don’t be shy.
LOCATION AND ACCESS (HOW TO FIND GUIDE)
What: Abandoned Soviet military camp, home at one time to tanks and, of course, Russians. Formerly served as the main administration buildings for the Nazis’ Heeresbekleidungsamt, or uniform making/repairing/cleaning facility. None of them are there anymore. Well, just a couple of their ghosts…
Where: Schwanebecker Chaussee, 16321 Bernau, Germany.
How to get there: Get the S2 S-Bahn in the direction of Bernau, get off at Bernau-Friedenstal, walk in the direction the train was going, under the underpass, follow the path around to the right until you come to another underpass, this time under the motorway, keep going, take the path up to the right, past a small lake with a private fishing club hut. This is where you cut into the forest. Either follow what you can of the path in a westerly direction and then cut in to the left, or walk to the back of the fishing club and strike a right there. Either way, once you’ve made your choice, stick to it and keep walking until you reach the high wall. Follow it until you find a spot where it’s easier to climb in. Here’s a map in a well-meant but ultimately futile attempt to make it easier to find. There’s also an simpler but less exciting way from Bernau S-Bahnhof. Turn left when you come out of the station, go down Breitscheidstraße till you hit Weißenseer Straße. This becomes Schwanebecker Chaussee. There’s a Lidl on the corner on your right. You can easily hop the fence from the carpark, or – if you’re worried about nosy parkers (ha!) – you can continue along Schwanebecker Chaussee and get in on the right further on.
Getting in: Not too hard. There are parts where the wall has collapsed or where a convenient mound of muck has gathered to give you an easy jumping off point.
When to go: Daylight. You really don’t want to get lost in the woods when it’s dark. For all I know the place is crawling with boars and wolves.
Difficulty rating: 4/10. I’ve downgraded the difficulty considering the easier access from Schwanebecker Chaussee. Still, it’s not as exciting as hacking your way through the woods.
Who to bring: Probably a good idea to bring someone, in case one of you breaks a leg, gets eaten by a wolf etc.
What to bring: Camera, beers, a sandwich or a bag of crisps to keep you sustained. Waterproof boots are a must if you’re going to go traipsing through the forest.
Dangers: Don’t go into the old theater because it really does look like it will collapse if someone even sneezes. The roof’s gone already. It’s just a matter of time before the rest goes. As usual, watch out for the Polizei, especially if any of you are brazen enough to approach from the road. You also need to look out for security. Somebody is keeping a loose eye on the place. On the latest visit there was a jeep parked in the main gateway. He was facing out and the gate was still open so it didn’t look like he was staying long. I gave him a wide berth and got in further up the road. By the time I’d worked my way through the buildings to where he’d been parked he was gone. Just like the Russians.
Dedicated to Old Fool. I used to enjoy your brilliant blog posts but your blog is gone and there ain’t no trace of you no more. “Great fun!” you wrote here in April 2012, wishing you’d been be here. I wish it too. You said you were a time traveler, traveling at 1 second per second (sps). We’re all time travelers now. Hope you’re doing well, where/whenever it is you’re traveling.
Filed 30/1/2012 | Updated 28/10/2014