Stories
Karlshorst
The Soviet military had its administration HQ in Karlshorst, near where Generelfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel signed the unconditional surrender of German troops.
Lostsee hotel
Only ghosts stay at the Ostsee hotel since it was abandoned by humans after Mauerfall. Nobody’s there to check guests in and nobodies take full advantage – they’re ghosts after all.
Kinderheim Makarenko
Kinderheim Makarenko was the biggest children's home in the DDR, where some 6,000 East Germans grew up without ever knowing where they came from.
Fighting City
The British built "Fighting City" so their soldiers could learn the subtle art of urban combat. It wasn’t abandoned for long before the police took over.
Richter’s forgotten farmhouse
This Gutshaus was born of property speculation and onto property speculation it shall pass. Perhaps it’s apt, the old farmhouse is no longer gut.
Heilstätten Hohenlychen
Horrific experiments on concentration camp prisoners were carried out at Heilstätten Hohenlychen, formerly a complex of sanatoriums, then military hospital.
Flugplatz Sperenberg and Kummersdorf
Sperenberg was considered the ideal site for Berlin's long overdue shiny new airport until the powers-that-be opted to build it beside Schönefeld instead.
Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf
Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf is a rich hunting ground for filmmakers, with "Enemy At The Gates," "The Monuments Men" and a Rammstein video apparently filmed here.
War-torn ruin
Professor August Hinderer's beautiful house has been in ruins since it was hit by bombs one night in March 1944. Trees are growing where the roof should be.
Bernau Panzer Kaserne
Before the Soviets took over, Bernau's Panzer Kaserne was dedicated to the Nazis’ Heeresbekleidungsamt, which made or repaired Wehrmacht soldiers' uniforms.
Heeresbekleidungsamt
Bernau’s Heeresbekleidungsamt or “Army Clothing Agency” was where the Nazis had uniforms made for the war effort. No running around in rags for these guys.
Tacheles, the eviction
Tacheles died on Sept. 4th, 2012. The famous former squat and cultural space will become fancy apartments, shops and a hotel. It's a typical Berlin story.
Beelitz-Heilstätten
Hitler and Honecker were among Beelitz-Heilstätten's famous patients. The former TB sanatorium became the largest Soviet military hospital outside the USSR.
Bärenquell Brauerei
Bärenquell was one of Berlin's popular beers renowned for taste. So it's hard to understand why the brewery went bust. Perhaps the bears drank all the beer.
Elisabeth-Sanatorium
The Elisabeth-Sanatorium was built over 100 years ago, when many such facilities near Berlin treated TB patients. In DDR times, it became a top skin clinic.
Süd-Bowling
Süd-Bowling in Steglitz used to be one of Berlin’s favorite bowling alleys, with 16 lanes. The old Kegelbahn was bowled over, abandoned, and replaced by apartments.
Waldhaus Buch
Waldhaus Buch continued as a TB sanatorium until its patients fell victim to the Nazis’ euthanasia program to make room for wounded soldiers during the war.