Wünsdorf
The Forbidden City and Its Lost Places South of Berlin
What Was Wünsdorf’s Forbidden City?
During the Cold War, Wünsdorf was home to the headquarters of the Soviet armed forces in Germany. At its peak, up to 75,000 Soviet soldiers, officers and family members lived in the closed-off military town. After the troops withdrew in 1994, numerous barracks, residential buildings, cultural centres and military facilities were left behind.
The Berlin locals recommend.
Why Is Wünsdorf a Well-Known Lost Place Today?
Wünsdorf is best known for its abandoned Soviet military buildings, the Haus der Offiziere and its historic bunkers. The former military town brings together German and Soviet history, with numerous abandoned buildings, some of which can be explored on official guided tours.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Location: Wünsdorf-Waldstadt, part of Zossen in Brandenburg
- Distance: Around 40 kilometres south of Berlin
- Military use: Since the German Empire
- First World War: Site of the Halbmondlager and Germany’s first mosque
- Nazi era: Headquarters of the German Army High Command
- Soviet use: 1945–1994
- Population of the Soviet military town: Up to 75,000 people at its peak
- Notable bunkers: Maybach I, Maybach II and Zeppelin
- Well-known Lost Places: Haus der Offiziere, swimming pool, barracks and former residential buildings
- Current use: Bücherstadt, museums, bunker tours and historical walking tours
Alright, friends,
while people pose for photos in front of the World Clock at Alexanderplatz and pay for views from the Berlin TV Tower, a former Soviet military town stands south of Berlin.
Abandoned swimming pools, theatres, underground bunkers and entire streets where Soviet families once lived.
And here’s the crazy part: Until 1994, this was a closed-off town with its own infrastructure and a direct train connection to Moscow.
For ordinary East German citizens, the area was off-limits for decades.
Today, Wünsdorf attracts photographers, history enthusiasts and people interested in abandoned places.
We ended up there almost by accident. We’d actually planned to visit a completely different abandoned site. Instead, we found ourselves surrounded by old Soviet barracks, broken windows and an abandoned swimming pool.
But before I tell you how we ended up there in the first place, we need to go back a little further.
Because Wünsdorf’s history didn’t begin with the Soviet Union.
How Did Wünsdorf’s Military History Begin?
Wünsdorf’s military history began during the German Empire. As early as 1872, a large Prussian firing and testing range was established in the surrounding area. Over the following decades, the site developed into an important military base.
As the military training grounds expanded from 1910 onwards, more barracks, training facilities and military buildings were constructed.
The Imperial Military Gymnastics School was also built here. This complex later became the well-known Haus der Offiziere.
Wünsdorf was therefore a military centre long before the Second World War.
Throughout its history, the site was used under several different political systems: from the German Empire and the Weimar Republic to Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Each era left behind its own buildings and traces.
That’s exactly what makes Wünsdorf historically far more interesting than an ordinary abandoned barracks complex.
Germany’s First Mosque Stood in Wünsdorf
In 1915, Germany’s first purpose-built mosque was inaugurated at the so-called Halbmondlager in Wünsdorf. It was built for Muslim prisoners of war during the First World War.
And there’s much more to this story than an unusual building in the middle of Brandenburg.
The Halbmondlager held Muslim soldiers, including men who had served in the British and French colonial armies.
The German Empire attempted to influence these prisoners politically and persuade them to fight against their former colonial powers.
The mosque was therefore not just a place of worship, but also part of German wartime propaganda.
The wooden building featured a dome and a minaret around 25 metres high. It was inaugurated on 13 July 1915.
After the First World War, the mosque lost its original purpose. It was later demolished because of its deteriorating condition.
In 2015, archaeologists from Freie Universität Berlin and the Brandenburg State Office for Monument Preservation identified remains of the historic building.
Germany’s first mosque stood not in Berlin, but on the grounds of a prisoner-of-war camp in Brandenburg.
What Role Did Wünsdorf Play in the Second World War?
During the Nazi era, Wünsdorf became a major military command centre for the Wehrmacht. Important facilities of the German Army High Command were based here, alongside extensive communications and bunker complexes.
The best-known installations are Maybach I, Maybach II and Zeppelin.
Military operations were planned, information was transmitted and large parts of Germany’s war effort were coordinated from Wünsdorf.
The site’s military importance was largely due to its location.
Wünsdorf lay south of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. It was easily accessible by rail and offered enough space for extensive military facilities.
Some of the command bunkers were also camouflaged above ground.
The buildings were designed to look like ordinary houses or country homes from the air.
What appeared fairly unremarkable from the outside was actually part of a major military command centre.
What Happened to Wünsdorf in 1945?
In 1945, the Red Army took control of the Wünsdorf military site. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union continued using large parts of the existing German military facilities and gradually expanded the site.
The former Wehrmacht command centre became the headquarters of the Soviet armed forces in Germany.
A remarkable historical continuity.
Just a few years after the German Wehrmacht had organised its war effort from this site, it became the military command centre of the Soviet occupying power.
The existing barracks, bunkers and training facilities provided a suitable foundation.
But the Soviets needed more than military facilities.
Alongside the soldiers came officers, families and children.
An entire town gradually developed around the existing military buildings, complete with schools, shops, cultural centres and housing.
Why Was Wünsdorf Called the Forbidden City?
Wünsdorf earned the nickname “Forbidden City” because large parts of the Soviet military town were off-limits to the German population. Walls, fences and guarded entrances separated the military grounds from the rest of Brandenburg.
Ordinary East German citizens were not allowed to enter without special permission.
Inside the closed-off town, however, residents led a largely self-contained everyday life.
There were:
- Schools and kindergartens
- Shops and supply facilities
- Hospitals
- Cinemas and cultural centres
- Sports grounds and swimming pools
- Residential buildings for officers and their families
- Military training and command centres
At its peak, up to 75,000 Soviet soldiers, officers and family members lived here.
Right in the middle of East Germany, there was a Soviet town where residents went about their daily lives while its military core remained closed off to the German population.
One particularly unusual feature was the direct railway connection to Moscow.
Soviet military personnel and their families could travel back towards their homeland from the so-called Russenbahnhof.
How Important Was Wünsdorf During the Cold War?
During the Cold War, Wünsdorf was the headquarters of the Soviet armed forces in Germany, making it one of the most important Eastern Bloc military bases in Central Europe.
Much of the Soviet military presence in East Germany was organised from here.
The site was important not only for managing the troops. Communications, military planning and the coordination of different units also ran through Wünsdorf.
Some of the bunkers built during the Nazi era continued to be used and were upgraded with new technology.
New Soviet facilities were added as well.
While everyday life continued outside in East Germany, an entire military world existed behind the walls.
It was only with the end of the Cold War and German reunification that this structure, built up over decades, began to disappear.
In 1994, the last Russian troops left Wünsdorf.
What remained was a vast former military town whose buildings were suddenly no longer needed.
And that’s where the story of Wünsdorf as the Lost Place we know today begins.
How Did We End Up in Wünsdorf in the First Place?
We’d actually planned to visit Beelitz-Heilstätten that day. Until we saw the ticket prices.
So we started looking for alternatives. Then I remembered an old video I’d saved months earlier: an abandoned Soviet town somewhere south of Berlin.
After a bit of Googling, we’d made up our minds.
We were going to Wünsdorf.
A completely spontaneous decision. We took a regional train from Ostkreuz towards Brandenburg.
The train was full of families carrying swimming bags, Tropical Islands visitors and people who were probably just looking forward to a relaxing day in the Spreewald.
We got off at Brand, took the free Tropical Islands shuttle bus to the Tropical Islands car park and then walked for about ten minutes. We took the same route back.
Even today, I find the idea of taking a shuttle bus to a water park on our way to an abandoned military site pretty absurd.
What Does Wünsdorf Look Like as a Lost Place Today?
Wünsdorf is home to numerous former military buildings, barracks, residential buildings and cultural venues. The best-known sites include the Haus der Offiziere, the abandoned swimming pool and the historic bunkers.
As soon as we entered the old buildings, we realised just how enormous the site really was.
Long corridors, broken windows, old classrooms and entire building complexes that haven’t been in regular use for decades.
In some places, we still found old blackboards, letterboxes, Russian documents, stoves, bathroom fittings and desks.
Other buildings had been completely cleared out.
Family photos, personal letters or fully furnished apartments, like those you sometimes find in lesser-known Lost Places, are now hard to come by here.
What makes Wünsdorf special isn’t the number of objects left behind, but the sheer scale of the former military town.
You walk through enormous attics, hear birds nesting somewhere overhead and suddenly find yourself in a former theatre or an old sports hall.
Only then do you begin to understand just how many people must once have lived here.
The Haus der Offiziere in Wünsdorf
The Haus der Offiziere is one of the best-known building complexes in the former military town of Wünsdorf. Its history dates back to the German Empire, when a military gymnastics school was established here.
The Wehrmacht later used the complex as an army sports school. German athletes also trained here in the run-up to the 1936 Olympic Games.
After 1945, Soviet forces took over the buildings and turned them into a cultural centre for their military town.
The complex included sports halls, a theatre, event spaces and a swimming pool.
The large Lenin statue in front of the building is particularly striking.
Behind the Haus der Offiziere stands a decaying circular building.
Inside, the Soviets once displayed a monumental diorama depicting the Red Army’s storming of the Reichstag.
The panoramic painting was taken to Russia after the Russian troops withdrew. The circular building was left behind.
The Haus der Offiziere therefore brings together three distinct eras: imperial military history, Nazi-era sports policy and Soviet military culture.
The Abandoned Swimming Pool in Wünsdorf
The former swimming pool is one of Wünsdorf’s best-known Lost Place photo spots. It was part of the Soviet military town’s sports and leisure facilities.
And honestly:
You immediately understand why photographers find this place so interesting.
Old tiles, damaged windows, an empty swimming pool and even some swimming lane ropes still in place.
And then there’s that unusual silence.
You can hear birds somewhere beneath the roof. Apart from that, there’s little left to suggest that people once came here to swim regularly.
One thing I also remember from our visit: we hadn’t brought a proper flashlight.
Urbex beginners, basically.
And no, your phone’s flashlight really isn’t enough in buildings like these.
By now, many areas are badly damaged. Open shafts, damaged staircases and unstable floors make entering some of the buildings dangerous.
Anyone wanting to visit the swimming pool or other historic buildings should check the official guided tours available.
What Bunkers Are There in Wünsdorf?
The best-known bunker complexes in Wünsdorf include Maybach I, Maybach II and Zeppelin. They were built during the Nazi era and used for military command and communications.
The camouflage of the Maybach complexes is particularly unusual.
The above-ground bunker buildings were designed to look like ordinary residential houses from the air.
In reality, they were massive military fortifications.
Underground, there were connecting passages, technical facilities and protected workspaces.
The Zeppelin bunker, meanwhile, was an important Wehrmacht communications facility.
After the Second World War, Soviet forces continued using parts of the existing bunker infrastructure and adapted them to their military needs.
Today, visitors can explore parts of the Maybach complex and the Zeppelin bunker on official guided tours.
The standard tour lasts around 90 minutes. Longer specialist tours covering additional facilities are also available.
What Happened After the Soviet Withdrawal in 1994?
The withdrawal of Russian forces in 1994 brought Wünsdorf’s decades of military use to an end. Numerous buildings, technical facilities and large areas of land were left behind, with no immediate new purpose.
The withdrawal was part of the agreed departure of Soviet, and later Russian, troops from Germany following reunification.
For Wünsdorf, this marked a major turning point.
A town that had once been home to tens of thousands of people lost a large part of its population within just a few years.
Barracks were closed, apartments were emptied and military facilities were abandoned.
There was also a considerable amount of contamination and military waste to deal with.
Ammunition, military equipment, chemicals and other remnants had to be cleared away.
Some buildings later found new uses. Others were demolished or simply left to decay.
Wünsdorf’s Lost Places weren’t the result of a single catastrophe, but the departure of an entire military community.
Wünsdorf Today: A Book Town Instead of a Military Town
Wünsdorf is no longer just a Lost Place. After 1994, parts of the former military town became the Bücher- und Bunkerstadt Wünsdorf.
Antiquarian bookshops, museums, exhibitions and cultural venues opened among the historic buildings.
Today, visitors can browse old books, explore the site’s military history or join guided walking tours.
It’s precisely this contrast that makes the place interesting.
On one side, there are abandoned military buildings and former bunker complexes. On the other, you’ll find bookshops, cultural events and buildings that have found new uses.
So Wünsdorf isn’t a completely abandoned ghost town.
Today, the former Soviet military town is a place where historic preservation, decay, new uses and the examination of its past all exist side by side.
Even if you’re not particularly interested in Lost Places, there are still plenty of reasons to visit.
Can You Visit Wünsdorf’s Forbidden City?
Yes, you can visit Wünsdorf today. However, not all buildings and areas are open to the public. Official guided tours are available for certain historic sites.
These include:
- Bunker tours through Maybach I and Zeppelin
- Historical walking tours of the former military town
- Guided tours around the Haus der Offiziere
- Visits to selected Soviet buildings
Sturdy footwear, warm clothing and, for some bunker tours, a flashlight are required.
Temperatures underground remain low even in summer.
You’ll find current tour dates, prices and booking information at Bücher- und Bunkerstadt Wünsdorf.
Some areas are on private property or closed due to the condition of the buildings.
We’re sharing our impressions from our visit, not suggesting that all the buildings are generally accessible.
Is Wünsdorf Worth a Day Trip from Berlin?
Wünsdorf is particularly interesting for anyone fascinated by military history, the Cold War and abandoned buildings. I’d allow at least half a day for a proper visit.
What stayed with me most wasn’t the objects left behind, but the sheer size of the former military town.
You find yourself standing in an old school building, walking through abandoned sports halls and suddenly spotting a huge Lenin statue in front of a former cultural centre. Then you imagine the thousands of families who once went about their daily lives here. Children went to school, soldiers went to work and people met up at the sports facilities.
Today, many of these buildings stand empty.
If you’re interested in places like this, you’ll find more abandoned buildings and former military sites in our blog about Lost Places in Berlin.
Whether it’s Bebelplatz, the East Side Gallery, Oberbaum Bridge or the Soviet military sites in Brandenburg: Berlin’s history doesn’t end at the city limits.
Berlin isn’t a sightseeing attraction. Berlin is a city.
See you in the real Berlin – or right here in the next blog.
Take care 🖤
SOURCES: BOOK "Wünsdorf: Eine russische Stadt in der DDR" by Helmut Domke (afterword), Detlev Steinberg (photographer), Andreas Franke (photographer) | BOOK "RWünsdorf – Hauptstadt der sowjetischen Truppen in Deutschland" by Hans-Albert Hoffmann, Jürgen Dronsz | WEBSITE "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wünsdorf" | MOST IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE ILLUSTRATIVE AND WERE NOT TAKEN AT THE LOCATION FEATURED.
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