Berlin and its surrounding areas are great for historical urban exploration. Berlin was not only the capital of the German Empire and Nazi Germany but also the front line of the Cold War—and was thus of the highest political and military importance throughout the 20th century. Because of that, a heavy military presence was maintained in the areas around the city at all times, first by the Germans and later by the Soviets. What’s left from this era are the abandoned military bases that now litter the countryside around the German capital—such as the one in Krampnitz, located by a lake between Potsdam and Berlin.
Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, both the Allies in the West and the Soviet Union in the East took over the bases left behind by the Nazis and continued to use them. The Soviet Union set up shop in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) until both ceased to exist in 1991 and 1990, respectively. The Russian Federation, the legal successor to the Soviet Union, evacuated the remnants of the former Red Army (which was trapped somewhere between anachronism and irrelevance) between 1991 and 1994, leaving behind a host of bases devoid of all purpose other than decaying into oblivion.
The military base in Krampnitz was first established as an elite equestrian school for the Wehrmacht in 1937 and was in use until 1945. That same year, Krampnitz was taken over by the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, which called the base home until 1992. The site has been abandoned since then.
I explored Krampnitz with my good friend Ruben a few months ago. This is what the place looks like today.
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