German Decay: Ghosts of the nuclear era


In the southern Harz, near the border of the German Free State of Thuringia, the final remnants of socialist military architecture have survived in the midst of nature. Not far from the country road, two abandoned, silent prefab apartment blocks in typical socialist style stand lost in the landscape, puzzling hikers and accidental tourists. Inside a building that once was a dining room, maybe?Inside a building that once was a dining room, maybe?

The nuclear wilderness

Seen from the road while a long hike around the empty area, the building looks like an ordinary East German GDR apartment block: four entrances, five floors, covered doorways at the front, wide windows at the back overlooking a dense jungle of birch, ash, and lime trees.

The total viewThe total view

The road in front is narrow; a couple of old armchairs and tables are rotting where Trabant-sized parking spaces have long since been conquered by undergrowth.

Some just left this.Some just left this.

But unlike its counterparts elsewhere in the country, this prefab block stands lost in the middle of a green nowhere. Here, on the desolate country road 234 between Kelbra at the Kyffhäuser and Hayn, surrounded by forests, karst terrain, and farmland. The nearest villages - Breitungen, Agnesdorf, Wolfsbach - are kilometers away; only Dietersdorf, a small place with 265 inhabitants, is a little closer.

The floor inside the barrackThe floor inside the barrack

No-mans Land

No-man’s-land - with a housing estate right in the middle? Everything you’d expect can be found here, even what was called the “supply complex” in GDR officialese: a single-story building that served as a pub and kindergarten, garages at the front, sized for the Trabi. Yet this was never a “normal” GDR prefab housing estate, being ten kilometers from the Wippra reservoir.

This building stood miles away from any settlingThis building stood miles away from any settling

Aerial photos reveal the truth: behind the concrete blocks by the road now stretches the fenced-off grounds of a munitions disposal company. In the landscape, a crop-circle pattern remains: paths leading from the garages to two rings - there are four more like them in the region.

The German Bundeswehr left this. In socialist times something like tis doesn’t exist.The German Bundeswehr left this. In socialist times something like tis doesn't exist.

At all five remote locations in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, these are former launch sites of the 51st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the 5th NVA Air Force Division. A relic of GDR air defense against the western Nato.

The stairways to the soldiers cabinsThe stairways to the soldiers cabins

Codename “Bergahorn-71

Near Dietersdorf, the site had the codename “Bergahorn-71.” In peacetime, 180 soldiers and officers lived here, the latter in a separate apartment block outside the barracks fence.

Garbage fills this roomGarbage fills this room

The ring-shaped installations behind - the operational zone. Most of these missile complexes, not only in the south but also the north of East Germany, were equipped with Soviet S-75 “Wolchow” rockets - capable in theory of shooting down enemy planes up to 30 km high.

A cleaner oneA cleaner one

The site housed 60 rockets: six ready to launch on circular ramps, six on transport vehicles, and 48 more stored in a bunker.

Maybe the chair of the commanding officerMaybe the chair of the commanding officer

In the early 1960s, the S-75’s fame was notorious: Francis Gary Powers owed his downing in a U-2 over the Soviet Union in 1960 to one, and two years later, American scouts discovered the telltale “Wolchow” rings in Cuba - a trigger for the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Rusty gallonRusty gallon

An abandoned site

The S-75s did not arrive in Dietersdorf until ten years later. In the 1980s, sixty rockets were stationed at “Bergahorn-71.” The Bundeswehr took over after reunification but soon abandoned the site.

Another building, another riddleAnother building, another riddle

Now, photo tourists and hikers seek out the beauty of decay. Nothing is cordoned off; only time has gnawed at the walls. Wallpaper is peeling, anything metal has been stolen. In the basements, dolls, prams, newspapers from the time of reunification, and piles of old shoes accumulate.

No plans for the future

It’s no so common the made a metal fassadeIt's no so common the made a metal fassade

Officially, the property belongs to a private owner. Who is the current proprietor? Unknown. Any plans for the future? No. It's to expensive to try something in this region full of nothing.

The dining room from outsideThe dining room from outside
View this post on TravelFeed for the best experience.


0
0
0.000
6 comments
avatar

Congratulations, your post has been added to the TravelFeed Map! 🎉🥳🌴

Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to TravelFeed Map
  • Click the create pin button
  • Drag the marker to where your post should be. Zoom in if needed or use the search bar (top right).
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (any Hive frontend)
  • Or login with Hive Keychain or Hivesigner and click "create post" to post to Hive directly from TravelFeed
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!
PS: You can import your previous Pinmapple posts to the TravelFeed map.
map
Opt Out

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @koenau! You received a personal badge!

You powered-up at least 50 HP on Hive Power Up Day! This entitles you to a level 2 badge
Participate in the next Power Up Day and try to power-up more HIVE to get a bigger Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking

Check out our last posts:

Hive Power Up Month Challenge - July 2025 Winners List
Be ready for the August edition of the Hive Power Up Month!
Hive Power Up Day - August 1st 2025
0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @koenau! You received the biggest smile and some love from TravelFeed! Keep up the amazing blog. 😍 Your post was also chosen as top pick of the day and is now featured on the TravelFeed front page.

Thanks for using TravelFeed!
@for91days (TravelFeed team)

PS: Why not share your blog posts to your family and friends with the convenient sharing buttons on TravelFeed?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Great post. I wonder why we are all so obsessed with the beauty of decay currently? It certainly appeals to me. Perhaps it's because society seems so obsessed with beauty and highly polished, curated images - with filters, clean design, and order. Things falling apart offers a counterpoint I guess. With socialist military buildings I guess there's appeal in how institutions don't last - perhaps we long for a time when current institutions will also crumble.

0
0
0.000