Exploring UK-27/4: The Lost Soviet Bunker Adventure
Deep beneath a hill overlooking Lake Geiseltal, a forgotten Soviet bunker from the final days of the GDR lies frozen in time. Once a secret command post for a war that never came, UK-27/4 now lures adventurers and partygoers into its dark, dusty corridors.
Above the never used Bunker
Guided only by a thin string and flickering flashlights, explore a Cold War relic where reinforced concrete stands untouched, graffiti whispers secrets, and the ghosts of a lost era linger. Dare to uncover the hidden history of this abandoned fortress, a haunting testament to a world on the brink.
The view from the other side
Build by the Soviet Army
On a hill above what is now Lake Geiseltal, the Soviet Army built a bunker during the final years of the GDR. The site has since become a destination for the curious and a party spot for young people.
Inside the main hall
Fortunately, a previous visitor strung a thin string that is impossible to miss, even in the flickering flashlight. Without light and without the rope winding its way through the winding corridors and rooms of the command bunker UK-27/4, it's easy to lose your bearings.
The tower seen from away
Two levels underground, near Klobikau on the slag heap above Lake Geiseltal, the air smells of dry dust and the past. Only occasionally does an "exit" marker appear; at one point, a rope even hangs from a roof hatch into a narrow passageway, and here and there, a forgotten beer bottle lies in the way.
Battery room, without batteries
An Aviation Division
Apart from that, it looks as if the 45th Radio Engineering Brigade of the 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division of the Soviet Army was supposed to fight in World War III: everything is cleared out, dark, and barely etched by the ravages of time.
The complete building was made from concrete
The masonry inside, with almost 3,000 square meters of usable space, is dry, the reinforced concrete smooth. There's hardly any rust on the iron parts, even the large garage doors still close tightly.
A riddle tower: What was that intended for?
This building was planned as the new command post for the Southern Air Defense Force of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSSD). But it wasn't a high-tech bunker for nuclear war. The three adjacent concrete tubes on the now reclaimed dump of the Mücheln and Neumark-Nord opencast mines are barely buried underground and additionally covered with layers of metal mesh, roofing felt, silver foil, and concrete.
Try to get in
50 meters above the Lake
From above, the half-shells with their ventilation towers and emergency exits are clearly visible – they protrude from the slope like submarines on dry land, 50 meters above Lake Geiseltal.
The huge doors are closed since 35 years
According to contemporary witnesses, the command bunker was intended to take over combat command of the air defense forces in the south of the GDR in an emergency, with automated command and control systems planned at the time. A similar facility was located further north near Gatow in Brandenburg.
A ladder to go in
Construction work halted
The facility was never put into operation, however. Remains of the ventilation system lie on the ground, and the generator room is empty. Even before completion, the GDR ended and the decision was made to withdraw all Soviet troops. Construction work was halted.
More closed doors
The nearby transmitter station near Klein-Gräfendorf, where the Soviet soldiers were stationed, was cleared out and gutted within a few weeks. Today, a solar power plant stands there.
It seems like a wall
The bunker complex lies hidden in the young forest like a beached whale. The above-ground turrets have been badly nibbled by the wind and weather of the past thirty years, the concrete is crumbling, and bushes are growing out of the cracks. The rusty steel air intakes have disintegrated, and graffiti artists from the surrounding villages have left enigmatic messages on the crudely cemented structures.
No explanatory sign
There is no explanatory sign, so visitors are mostly left puzzling over the actual function of the facility. The ruins are nevertheless a special tourist attraction in the region: The remains of the UK-27/4 command bunker are a rarely undisturbed, accessible testimony to the final phase of the Cold War in Germany – today a popular tourist destination and simultaneously a silent reminder of bygone times.
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Such places are almost an obsession for me at this point. There's something so deeply fascinating about the history of these environments. Underground facilities that were kept incredibly secret, often enough put into use, full of iodine capsules, gas masks, clothing, and various facilities for living and surviving nuclear war. It's crazy that the Soviets themselves feared this outcome. They felt it coming. They prepared in so many ways. A mutual fear. To see these creations shows that they too felt the tensions of the Cold War. They were not the supposed instigators the West had implied. The fear and tension was completely mutual.
In this part of the world these bunkers remain unknown, forgotten in time. The more central ones in Tbilisi are still unknown to the majority of people. In a place like Armenia, these locations are entirely forgotten in time. And these ones were active. They'll have everything still inside, from the computers and communications gear, to the posters on what to do during an atomic strike. Some were made as shelters for civilians, others were made to maintain the communication and order between Moscow and its various republics and capitals. Maintaining that logistical and strategical importance.
Even for the workers, such things remained a secret. Something that they feared people would once discover from a dark outcome, but fortunately it never came. In these areas these bunkers are either found by people like us which are curious and stumble across something that just sticks out, or they're more recently found by developers as construction projects increase throughout the nations. When the USSR collapsed, many of their greatest secrets such as bunkers were kept hidden, papers burned and the few that did know forced into silence. Their stories and secrets taken to the grave.
There's a bunker near my house that I know nobody has entered in a long, long time. I know that the locals have no idea it's there despite being in plain sight. And it's clear that the government likely doesn't know it's there. Some of these bunkers are being revived with more recent events causing increased tension again. Particularly in places like Armenia and Georgia. In Georgia, I found a bunker etched into the Mtatsminda mountain that remains active, one entrance in the Botanical Garden, the other tucked away by large lights, security guards, and a large fenced net which blocks the direct view. Again, in such a public spot but oddly so hidden. The only thing you can see in that area on foot is the large siren above the entrance, Soviet made and would've called out to people in such dire moments. As well as a massive concrete structure that's clearly ventilation and power generators.
Fun post for Hive, true urbex gold. Would love to see more of this!
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How interesting it is to visit places like this, with so many stories, and to be able to imagine everything that happened in all those years. But well, the vestiges of that past remain.
https://www.reddit.com/r/urbanexploration/comments/1n422ft/the_lost_soviet_bunker/
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This looks like a fascinating place with a lot of history. Interesting to see how these forgotten sites continue to attract attention and exploration.
Thank you. It is!