Tag: 27

German and Soviet Military Traces in Jüterbog

CarloRLeave a comment

The area around Jüterbog, about 1 hour and 15 minutes south of Berlin by car, has enjoyed a long military tradition, dating from the years of the Kaiser and WWI, through the Third Reich and all the more than four decades of the Cold War, until the departure of the Soviet Army in the early 1990s.

Almost for the entire duration of the 20th century, the area has been scattered with barracks, immense training grounds, shooting ranges, officer’s houses, army administration buildings, technical depots, airports and military academies.

The town of Jüterbog is actually much older than the 20th century, but the Soviets, who grew to a much greater population than the Germans in town after 1945, did not pay much attention to this nice medieval town. Following their withdrawal and the end of all military operations around, the town center received substantial money for restoration from the Government of reunified Germany, and the result is really remarkable – Jüterbog is today possibly one of the most lively and nice-looking centers in the region, with medieval towers, gates and churches, hotels, restaurants and bright-painted houses all around.

However, one hundred years of military activities in this province could not be wiped out at once, and despite nature is now invading the old army premises after operations ceased, to a careful eye the heritage of the German and Soviet Armies stationed there can be spotted quite easily, immediately out the lovely historical town.

Perhaps the most prominent witnesses of the past activities are the old flight academy, installed in the Third Reich years and later employed also by the Soviets, who got control of the area after they arrived in 1945, and kept it even after the foundation of the GDR and the corresponding Armed Forces (i.e. the Nationale Volksarmee, or NVA). The flight academy is today a listed building, despite in a state of partial disrepair. Another example is the big airbase of Jüterbog/Altes Lager, which went on operating as an NVA and Soviet airbase until the very end of the Cold War, and is now being used as a sport airfield, a kart circuit track, an event venue and a solar power plant.

Both these two items are covered in another chapter.

In the following report, more locations in and around Jüterbog are pinpointed, photographed during two visits, partly guided by the knowledgeable Dr. Reiner Helling, in the Summer seasons of 2021 and 2022.

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

Sights

The material in this post covers ‘Shelter Albrecht’, a one-of-a-kind private collection of items from WWII and especially from Soviet times, more views of the former airfield of Altes Lager, with a Granit bunker still in very good conditions, an abandoned military hospital with evident traces of Soviet operations, a Soviet cemetery, and a few more items, silent and overlooked witnesses of a recently bygone era.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Shelter Albrecht

The airbase of Jüterbog/Altes Lager was selected by the Soviets for further development with the arrival of jets in the late 1940s-early 1950s, and grew to be a prominent attack aircraft and helicopter base in the territory of the GDR. Now reduced in size to the point that some taxiways have been turned into public roads, some of the incredibly many aircraft shelters originally in place in the peripheral parts of the base – mostly AU-16 – have been wiped out. However, a set of two to the east of the runway have been spared this fate, and have been redeemed by a private business. One has been turned into a venue for events, whereas the other has been employed to showcase a great collection of WWII and Cold War memorabilia. Actually, the two hangars are located inside a somewhat larger perimeter, with an original technical building and room for even more exhibits.

A first impressive sight is the original Soviet scheme of the base. Similar signs were typically put close to the gate of any Soviet base (as seen for instance here in Ribnitz/Damgarten), and with their Russian writings today they witness the Soviet tenancy of the base.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

On the apron, an original military version of the ubiquitous Trabant, in army green color, is on display together with a field kitchen and a gigantic roadwork machine. The latter is Russian made, with tank tracks, and powered by a 12-cylinder Diesel engine.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

A Mil Mi-2 helicopter, which for some hard-to-imagine reason had ended up on the Adriatic coast of Italy in a private collection, where it sat almost derelict, has been brought back to the other side of the Iron Curtain, and restored in a camo coat and placed in a prominent position. Not far, a wing from an old Lavochin La-5 Soviet aircraft can be found.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Still on the open air exhibition are a decorated panel once gracing a Soviet hospital – possibly the one described later (here) – and another celebrating the Warsaw Pact. But the exhibits are really countless, and include propaganda posters, and canisters for ordnance.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

To the side of the main exhibition hangar, in the area of an interred fuel tank once serving the base, is an incredible set of Soviet panels, originally from this or other Soviet bases around. These panels are partly decoration/celebration signs, with portraits of Soviet soldiers and emblems.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Other are technically-themed, with explanations concerning driving habits and rules, hand-to-hand combat, and more. Similar items, including fake targets for assault training, can be found for instance in Forst Zinna, an abandoned Soviet base not far from Jüterbog (covered here).

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Also part of the collection is a rare mural, apparently retracing the push to the west of a Soviet division (?) during the Great Patriotic War.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Inside, the aircraft shelter is stuffed with interesting memorabilia. From WWII, exhibits include remains of downed aircraft, including damaged engines, propellers and canopies. Among them are remains of an Avro Lancaster, a Focke-Wulf 190, a Junkers Ju-87 and the canopy of a pretty rare training (two-seats) version of the Messerschmitt Bf-109.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Four large scale models cover as many interesting sights around. The first is the former flight academy of the Third Reich (mentioned above and covered here), north of the Altes Lager airbase premises. Also on display are books and furniture originally from the library of the academy.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

A second model portrays the entire area between the academy (north) and the airfield (south), including the latter. This area, now largely shrouded in the trees and partially in private hands, used to host technical installations and even factories connected with warfare business – all linked by an extensive network of roads and railways.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Another model is that of two airship hangars from the years of German tenancy. These had to be really huge, but are today completely gone. Among the factories in place in the area, were those for supplying gas for the airships.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Finally, a fourth scale model represents the older airfield of Jüterbog/Damm. The latter is not far from Altes Lager, and is today in private hands for some cattle breeding business. It features very peculiar concrete hangars, an interesting specimen of Third Reich construction engineering. Some aerial pictures can be found here. That airfield was not selected for further development by the Soviets, due to the limited potential for runway lengthening, in turn due to the proximity with Jüterbog town.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Soviet-related items on display range from painted tables, originally gracing the walls of the base, to technical signs in Russian, to a full array of personal and military items, all belonging to the Soviet staff stationed in Jüterbog. These include an interesting overall map of the Soviet airfields on GDR territory, with basic technical data.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Among the highlights, an official printed portrait of Stalin, and one of Brezhnev in a military uniform, parachutes and parts from attack aircraft, many direction signs and instructional panels for low-ranking military staff. Also very interesting is a radar scope with the three air corridors to West-Berlin and the position of Altes Lager printed on it!

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Of special interest for aircraft enthusiasts are many pictures from the days of operation of the airbase, with many exotic Soviet aircraft seen landing, departing or taxiing around.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Other panels tells about the presence of rocket forces in the area of Jüterbog – in particular the 27th R.Br. of the NVA. They operated the SCUD-B system.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Back outside, the exhibition is completed by an original monument from Altes Lager, often employed as a background for official ceremonies, and more personal memorabilia of the owner of the museum, formerly serving within a tank division of the NVA.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection

Reconstructed shops and schools are on display, with much original furniture and everyday items of Soviet make.

Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Shelter Albrecht – Jüterbog – Altes Lager – Soviet Cold War and WWII memorabilia collection
Getting there and Visiting

The place is really worth a visit for everybody interested in memorabilia items from Soviet times, or for those looking for tangible traces of the military past of Jüterbog. The location is easy to reach by car, with a convenient internal parking. The address is Niedergörsdorfer Allee 4, 14913 Niedergörsdorf, Germany.

An updated official website with opening times is apparently not available. However, Mr. Helmut Stark, the owner of the place, may be contacted beforehand (in German only) to inquire about opening times and plan a visit – try Googling his name and that of the site for updated contacts. The place is regularly open at least in the weekends in the warm season. A visit to this site will be likely with Mr. Stark following you and giving explanations in German. This will take about 45 minutes.

Granit Bunker and Hangars in Jüterbog/Altes Lager

Some views of the Altes Lager airbase are provided in this chapter, and some aerial views can be seen here. The huge, flat-top hangars date from the Third Reich era, and similarly the control tower with its annexes. Some of the hangars were reportedly dismounted by the Soviets and taken to the Soviet Union soon after the end of WWII.

Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads

Besides all the aircraft shelters scattered all around the runway, a relevant and pretty secluded Soviet addition north of the airfield is a Soviet Granit-type bunker. This type of bunker was among the lightest in Soviet inventory, and could serve multiple purposes, e.g. storing movable radar trucks, tanks, other machinery, or weapons. Actually, its presence on an airfield may suggest the purpose of storing special air-dropped weapons, maybe tactical nuclear, high-explosive or chemical ordnance.

Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads
Jüterbog Altes Lager Abandoned Soviet Base Bunker Granit Cold War Nuclear Warheads

Bunkers of Granit-type are possibly the most frequent special constructions in former Soviet bases (see for instance here or here), but the one in Jüterbog is interesting since it is very well conserved, and its massive metal doors are still perfectly in place, providing a nice impression of how this technical item should have looked like in the days of operation.

Getting there and Visiting

The airport of Altes Lager is today pretty busy, with several companies having taken over much of its original premises now open for business. Multiple access points are available, and chances of looking inside the original installations are many. Given the still exceptional state of conservation of the Granit bunker, in order to protect this rare historical artifact from the impressive hordes of catatonic idiot spoilers and writers out there, no indication is provided on its exact location.

Military Hospital

Among the buildings now shrouded by the overgrown vegetation in the area between Jüterbog/Altes Lager airfield and the town of Jüterbog is a sizable military hospital. Totally invisible from the road, the hospital is basically made of a single, building featuring three long interconnected rows.

It is made of the typical German dark-red brick, a design which is way too elegant for Soviet occupants. The arrangement of the facade and the nice railings suggest a construction date from the years of the Kaiser and the German Empire, maybe early 20th century.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

However, the years of Soviet use are witnessed by a big mural, portraying Lenin with some Soviet soldiers in the background, with a black and yellow striped ribbon and a red star, emblems of the Red Army.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

To the more careful eye, a few graffiti in Russian can be found here and there, with a date as usual.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

The aura is very silent and mysterious, and as such, this location is a mecca for urban explorers. Actually, the only noise came from a fast spinning ventilation fan in a window frame! This was pushed by an air stream however, not likely by a motor…

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic

Some more buildings complete this complex, and original GDR-style lamps can still be seen around – the tall trees now surrounding the building were likely not in place when the hospital was closed, presumably in the early 1990s.

Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Jüterbog Niedergorsdorf Altes Lager – Abandoned Military Hospital – Soviet Relic
Getting there and Moving around

Not difficult to find in the trees between Jüterbog and the airfield of Altes Lager, there is no clear interdiction sign to access this complex from behind, yet vibration sensors planted in the ground can be spotted around, and some security cars can be seen sometimes parked on the main road. A walk around the hospital is not especially dangerous nor difficult, and may take about 25 minutes taking all the pictures. The building is architecturally nice and possibly listed. Yet it is in partial disrepair and largely sealed, and getting in is obviously not advisable.

Soviet Cemetery

The only relic of the years of Soviet occupation which is immediately visible to the general public in Jüterbog is the Soviet military cemetery. This is located to the back of the Liebfrauenkirche, in the historical center of Jüterbog.

Actually, a monumental part, with railings embellished with hammer and sickle emblems and a monument with writings in German and Russian to the back, is detached from the church yard.

Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof

However, possibly in later times, the limited space available in the lot originally planned for the monument meant some graves were dug right in the church graveyard, side by side – but not mixed – with German graves.

Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Jüterbog Soviet Cemetery Friedhof
Getting there and Visiting

The exact address is Am Dammtor, 14913 Jüterbog, Germany. The place is well-kept, being part of the historical city center of Jüterbog. Parking opportunities all around on the street. A visit may take 10 minutes.

Railway Yard, School and Command Building

The town of Jüterbog acted as a ‘local capital’ for the many Soviet troops and their families scattered in the corresponding district. The hospital (see above) was not the only large installation in place. A district school was also installed, which served not only the very town of Jüterbog – with a Russian-speaking population of more than 70.000, greater than the German nationals – but also the residing Soviet population of smaller technical installations in the area. A notable example is the impressive nuclear depot in Stolzenhain (see here), where a dedicated staff and their families occupied four residential blocks now gone. Their children reportedly attended school in Jüterbog.

The school is today largely abandoned, and a quick tour around reveals typical Soviet decorations in the large sporting hall.

Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic
Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic
Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic
Jüterbog Soviet School Abandoned Cold War Relic

The school building is geographically close to the railway station. The latter had a passenger terminal dedicated to the Soviet population, which was completely segregated from the German one.

Furthermore, the railway in Jüterbog had also a primary logistic function, connected with the military activities going on in the area. Besides transporting tanks, vehicles and other material, also nuclear warheads arrived by rail from Belarus or Ukraine (both in the USSR at the time), for storage in the Stolzenhain Monolith-type bunkers (see here). A special railway track with a dead end in the trees featured a special interchange platform, allowing to move the sensitive warheads in their controlled canisters to trucks, and by road to Stolzenhain – usually at night. Since warheads were also sent back for maintenance or overhaul, the transport operated also in the opposite direction.

Jüterbog Railway Track Station
Jüterbog Railway Track Station

Very close to the railway station and the school is also a large grassy area, surrounded by a nice, old-style metal fence. This area is that of an older training ground, dating to the years of the Kaiser. A command building, now in disrepair, betrays the same origin, featuring decorations in a typical old-German style.

Jüterbog Command Building Abandoned Relic
Jüterbog Command Building Abandoned Relic
Jüterbog Command Building Abandoned Relic
Getting there and Moving around

The school can be found in Jüterbog here. Cross the street from the school, the old training grounds and command building are immediately spotted. Walking north past the command building, you get access to a pedestrian bridge over the railway tracks, with a nice view of the station. An exploration of the railway tracks has to be considered extremely dangerous, since the railway line there is today a high-speed one, with bullet-fast trains appearing in just seconds. A walk around this spot in Jüterbog may take 15 minutes. Parking opportunities ahead of the command building.

The BEST pictures from Soviet bases in the GDR
ALL in ONE BOOK!

Soviet Ghosts in Germany
GRAB IT in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

Forgotten Cold War Bases Around Prague

CarloRLeave a comment

Todays Czech Republic was born from the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia in 1993. The latter was founded after WWI from the ashes of the Austrian Empire. Its well-developed industrial plants and proximity with Germany made it a primary target in the expansion phase of the Third Reich – in fact, after the Munich Agreement a large part of the territory of Czechoslovakia was annexed to Germany in 1938.

Towards the end of WWII, Czechoslovakia was conquered by both the Soviet Red Army and US troops. As a result of diplomacy moves soon after WWII, a new free republic was founded. Unfortunately, as soon as 1948 the local Communist Party conquered power with a coup d’état, turning this Country into a Soviet satellite.

From a military viewpoint, this period saw the adoption of Soviet supplies and organization standards. Czechoslovakia shared a border with the Ukraine, hence with the USSR. Yet the stability and reliability – from a USSR standpoint – of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, differently from other countries under soviet influence – like Poland – meant a certain level of autonomy in the setup of the armed forces, which were not massively present over the territory of the country during the 1950s and 1960s, until 1968.

The Prague Spring, triggered by the announced reforms of the leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party Alexander Dubcek, brought Brezhnev-led USSR to fear a loss of control of that industrialized region, creating a dangerous diplomatic affair and a bad example for other Soviet-controlled countries.  The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, codenamed ‘Operation Danube’, was launched in August 1968.

The operation led to the successful occupation of the country by more than 250’000 troops from the USSR, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Since that time, and until 1989 with the overthrowing of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, the Red Army was present over the territory of this country, taking control and developing bases formerly managed by the local armed forces. The two largest airbases in the country, Ralsko and Milovice, both less than 40 miles away from Prague, were among the installations taken over by the USSR.

Despite this, the already developed Czechoslovakian Army maintained a high standard of proficiency and supply, thanks also to the local production of top-quality weapons. The local army was responsible of the Czechoslovakian sector of the anti-aircraft barrier of the western border of the Eastern Bloc, which was built in the 1980s based on advanced Soviet material, namely the SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missiles. Furthermore, the city of Prague was protected by a network of anti-aircraft missile batteries based on the SA-3 Goa. Anti-atomic bunkers were built both in Prague for civil defense (see this post), and in more remote areas of the country for the government and for the military chain of command (see this post).

After the end of communism both in Czechoslovakia and the USSR, the departure of the newborn Czech Republic from the influence of Russia, and the reconfiguration of the Czech Army in view of the new geopolitical situation in the 1990s, the majority of the former military installations were shut down and abandoned – a scenario totally similar to all former Soviet-controlled countries, which had known an exponential increase in the military presence over the years of the Cold War, which could not be supported any more by the economies of the new independent Countries (see for instance here or here). Furthermore, like in every other country in the Eastern Bloc, the retreating staff of the Red Army and their families left extensive ghost towns (see for instance this post).

Today, after substantial demolition works and years spent under the action of the elements, a few traces remain of these witnesses of the Cold War. Yet as of 2018 some notable relics of this bygone era could still be found, conveniently reachable from Prague.

This post covers Milovice Red Army airbase, possibly better known through the name of the local Soviet town of Bozi Dar, two abandoned anti-aircraft missile batteries for the protection of Prague – Tocna and Miskovice – and an anti-aircraft battery in the vicinity of Dobris, south of Prague, once a focal point of the anti-aircraft defense of the European border of the Eastern Bloc, against NATO forces. Photographs were taken in summer 2018.

Map

The following map is very basic, and helps just to highlight the location of the four subjects of this chapter in the Prague region. The reason for not being more explicit is that the Dobris and Milovice bases are possibly not publicly accessible. Concerning Tocna and Miskovice, they are rather small installations, thus not difficult to explore.

As usual with this kind of attraction, approaching by car is the only way possible, due to the remoteness of the locations. Once there, much walking on uneven terrain is required. A tripod and torchlight are highly recommended for indoor exploration, and a cell phone with a GPS may be handy for moving around especially in Dobris and Milovice.

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

Sights

Milovice Airbase

Much before being turned into one of the busiest and largest Soviet airports in central Europe, the airbase in Milovice had experienced a long history of upgrades and developments. Activated in the 1920s on military grounds previously established by the Austrian Emperor, the airfield was actively used by the Luftwaffe in the years of the Nazi occupation and WWII. Later on, it was turned into a major base of the Czechoslovakian Air Force, with MiGs reportedly operating from there as soon as a hardened runway was built in the early 1950s.

Before the Soviet invasion of 1968, the staff of the base used to stay in the village of Milovice, on the southwestern corner of the base.

After the Soviets came to occupy the field, they built from scratch a new, self-sufficient village on the northern side of the base, where Soviet troops and their families could live segregated from the local community. This village was named Bozi Dar. The Soviets developed the facilities of the base enormously, lengthening the runway to almost 8’500 ft, building about 40 reinforced hangars sized for MiG-21 and later MiG-23/27, and more than 25 open-air landing bays for Mi-8 and Mi-24 attack helicopters. The base featured also large open-air aprons for transport aircraft, which reportedly operated many military transport flights to and from the USSR with larger cargo aircraft.

A storage for nuclear warheads for tactical weapons was built to the south of the runway, with two Granit-type concrete containers.

Today this once prominent base is largely abandoned. The village of Bozi Dar, while surprisingly still hosting some form of business in a few surviving smaller buildings, has been almost completely demolished, leaving behind the depressing view of piles of rubble. The village had been ceded to private owners after the withdrawal of the Russian troops, but all proposed restoration ideas have come to nothing, and the by-then rotting buildings have met their fate in the early 2010s.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The northwestern corner of the airport is the richest in relics. Approaching the airport from this corner, you first meet significant remains of the double fence once delimiting the perimeter of the airbase.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

In the same area, it is possible to find the helicopter aprons, almost untouched, with scant yet visible remains of tarmac repairs and typical airport area signs and delimiters painted on the ground.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

From the same northwestern corner, you may go ahead along a former main road of the base looking east. South of the road you may soon spot the reinforced aircraft shelters built in this part of the airbase.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

North of the road, you can see two unusual constructions, looking like fortresses of the Atlantic Wall (see here). These are likely part of the reinforced fuel resupply system, a pretty interesting feature of the Misovice airbase. These two reinforced tanks were only a part of a huge network of pipelines and reservoirs, which allowed to store most of the fuel in the vicinity of the base, but not on it, to prevent damages in case of an attack. The two reinforced tanks served only the immediate needs of the aircraft and helicopter fleet, and were designed to withstand a direct hit. This system was put in place by the Czechoslovakians, before the Soviets took over the base. You can spot the reinforced concrete roofs of the two reservoirs emerging from the bushes.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The aircraft shelters of this area are all shut. You can walk around, ahead and over them as well – useful for getting a panorama view of the base.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

From the top of the shelters you can get a view of the open-air apron, and of part of the runway. The airport is today closed, but after the military quit, some ultra-light and RC aircraft activities were carried out from the area.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Having a close look at the gates of the hangars, you may notice they are made of concrete, really sturdy. Small engines to operate the gates can still be found on the sides of most of these hangars.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

In the same area you can find a former cabin, probably hosting a power generation unit or something alike.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Further west, you can find a large unarmored hangar, most likely from older times than 1968. This was probably for maintenance activities. The windows on top of the front façade bear ‘KPSS’ in Cyrillic – this is the Russian acronym for the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This is probably only part of the original writing. Further right, there is a Czechoslovakian flag, possibly from the later years when the base was operated.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The building of the maintenance hangar is composed of a very large main hall, and many smaller rooms all around its perimeter.  Electric plugs and switches bear writings in Cyrillic. Today, there is also monumental pile of used tires!

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

On the walls of the main hall there are traces of Soviet murals and Cyrillic inscriptions – most of them are fading.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Image00577
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The rooms along the long side of the hangar are mainly heavily damaged and spoiled.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

The rooms along the short sides are in a bad shape, but something more remains of the original furniture, including some doors and windows. The traces here suggest a more aesthetically pleasant design, not just purely functional – look at the doors and handles, more like those of a canteen than of a mechanic workshop.

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Especially on the eastern side of the hangar, evident remains of a sauna and steam room tend to confirm the function of this area as a recreational facility. Having such facilities close to the runway would not be strange – something similar can be found for instance in Soviet airbase in Wittstock, in the former GDR (see here).

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

Leaving the hangar to the north you can find several fences, and leaving the airport you may meet the original double fence with barbed wire – almost untouched from Soviet times, so may you need to walk along it to find a way through!

Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost
Milovice Abandoned Soviet Base Czech Bozi Dar Ghost

All around the former airport it is possible to find memorabilia and items of interest – mugs, metal pieces, fuel tanks,…

Getting there and moving around

As said, while largely abandoned and mainly unfenced, this area is likely all private property. Moving around does pose some safety issues, for when walking in the bushes and wild grass you may stumble due to abandoned cables or barbed wire at the level of your ankles. The main hangar is not completely rotting, but it is unlikely that it underwent maintenance in recent years. The adjoining small buildings are probably even more dangerous due to risk of collapse.

The village of Bozi Dar does not deserve any attention, unless possibly if you are looking for memorabilia – all buildings are completely gone. The area to the south of the runway where the nuclear facility used to be has been completely demolished. It was reportedly similar to the one preserved in Grossenhain, next to Dresden in the former GDR (see here).

Approaching the airport from the northwest is convenient, for there is chance of parking on the side of the perimeter road, far from the unwanted attention of the locals. There are some local businesses insisting in the last buildings of Bozi Dar, and possibly on the apron, but probably there are not real security issues in entering the base area by foot – there are no barriers nor prohibition signs whatsoever, except for cars. The area of the base is very large – it is an airport after all… – and visiting the northwestern corner may take about 2 hours for a well-trained subject, including time for all the pictures.

Tocna Missile Battery

This is part of the former network of missile batteries for the anti-aircraft defense of Prague, operated by Czechoslovakian 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. This ring of protection was established in the 1970s. The base in Tocna was equipped with approximately 12 batteries of 5P71 two-rocket trolleys for the Soviet SA-2 Goa, which in the Soviet classification is known as S-125 Neva (or Petchora for the exported version). This is a popular model from the early 1960s, adopted in many countries outside of the USSR and the Eastern Bloc over the years, and still deployed today. These 24 missiles had a range of roughly 20 miles and a ceiling of more than 50’000 ft. The electronic gears for target acquisition and missile guidance comprised the trailer-mounted P-15 acquisition radar and SNR-125 tracking and guidance radar – all Soviet supply.

Similar to other batteries of the kind, Tocna was divided in two smaller sectors, one with the barracks, parking, living facilities for the troops and fuel storage, and one with reinforced shelters where the missiles were stored, and open-air aprons from where they could be launched. Today, the former sector is part of a local institution, and is separated by a fence from the latter sector, which is totally abandoned and can be accessed.

The missile area is located on top of a small hill. You can get access to the area starting from the gate of the former guard sector (still in use, inaccessible). Taking uphill you will soon meet the old inner wall of the base, which originally divided the guard part from the missile sector. Traces of the camo paint still adorn the concrete wall.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

The storage facilities are basically four barrel-vaulted halls inside a shelter. The shelter could be accessed from two opposite sides. Each of the four halls could host three twin-rocket trolleys.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

Dark and narrow passages connect the blind ends of the vaulted halls, and give access to a small protection area, where personnel could stay for protection in case the base was attacked from the air.

As you can see from the pictures, unfortunately the halls are in a very bad shape, covered in stupid graffiti and full of rubbish.

On top of the halls, there is a circular wall probably intended for the guidance radar. The missiles could be extracted from the shelters and prepared for launch from predetermined areas of the base.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

On the western side of the shelter you can find a command building, which today is barely accessible due to piles of rubbish obstructing the door. This is used as sporting ground by paint-ball teams. The emerging foundation wall of the shelter area was covered in camo nets, with some remains still in place today.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

On the northern end of the base you can find two more smaller shelters, with a large round hole in the roof giving access to where two large antennas can be found still today. These do not look like highly directional radar antennas, but more like usual communication antennas – maybe they are not originally from the time, yet they look unmaintained and rotting. The two shelters were possibly for control/communication trailers, or for power generators. These too are in a very bad shape today.

Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned
Tocna Prague Soviet Missile Radar Base Czech Abandoned

Getting there and moving around

The former base has been split into two parts. One is still run by some public service, and cannot be accessed. The other – the rocket storage part – is totally abandoned and can be accessed without clear restrictions. Some paint-ball activities are (or used to be) carried out around here – but apparently only rarely. During my visit I came across two people walking their dogs, and was alone for the rest of the time.

The place can be easily reached by car in the southeastern outskirts of Prague. Parking is possible right ahead of the gate of the public service in the still active area – there is a large apron where your car will not be noticed.

The site is rather compact, but the terrain is uneven and steep. Anyway, considering also the very bad shape of the installation, visiting will not take more than 45 minutes.

Miskovice Missile Battery

This site is similar to the one in Tocna both in history and function. Unfortunately, possibly due to the immediate vicinity to a nearby village, this site was completely demolished. Only few traces remain of the original installation.

Accessing via the only way possible, you will soon meet traces of the outer fence, with vertical concrete posts and barbed wire.

Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech

The framework of inner roads can still be seen, albeit invaded by vegetation. The only visible remains are the round wall for the radar, and part of the access door to one of the shelters.

Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech
Miskovice Missile Base Abandoned Soviet Radar Czech

Getting there and moving around

I went to the Miskovice site as I expected it to be in a much better shape. Clearly, demolition works have hit here months before my visit, so that basically nothing remains here to see – just another lost occasion of sparing a piece of military history from total oblivion. While not far from Prague and easy to reach, I would not suggest to waste time in this location.

Dobris Missile Base

Together with another sister site in the vicinity of Brno (Rapotice), the Dobris base was part of the Czechoslovakian stronghold of the anti-aircraft defense line of the Eastern Bloc, countering intrusion from the nearby NATO forces operating mainly from West Germany.

This defense line was implemented in the final years of the Brezhnev leadership in the early 1980s, and comprised of ten missile bases, located in Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. It was based on the advanced SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missile, known in the Soviet archives as S-200 Vega. Designed in the late 1960s, this massive anti-aircraft missile is still in service in many countries, offering a range of over 180 miles, a top altitude over 120’000 ft and a peak speed over Mach 4. It can carry a 450 lb warhead of conventional explosive, or a 25-kilotons nuclear warhead.

The missile battery of the SA-5 is typically composed of six 5P72 launchers, and a single radar 5N62 illuminating the target up to a distance of 180 miles.

The Dobris site, operated by the Czechoslovakian 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, is an example of a really advanced launch facility for the SA-5 type. It is composed of three launch areas, with six launchers each, and correspondingly three 5N62 Square Pair radar antennas, making the three launch areas capable of working in parallel. Further antenna systems included a O-14 Tall King and a PRV-17 Odd Pair early warning radars, providing a seeking range of more than 350 miles at an altitude of 100’000 ft.

The area of the base in Dobris is correspondingly pretty large. The most notable feature are the incredible 60-ft-high concrete platforms where the square pair radars used to be placed. These structures are really unique, and clearly date from the latter, hi-tech stage of the Cold War era. The base was operative only in 1985, after four years of construction, carried out in secrecy by a force of 1’500 men. The areas was protected from intrusion by land, with a barbed wire fence and a concrete wall with watchtowers. All technical trails for operating the radar antennas and coordinating an attack, plus all power generators were sheltered in concrete bunkers, dug in the ground and covered in camo paint.

The base was deactivated at some point after the end of communism, for sure by the early 2000s. A private business has taken over the property, and a modern research center has been erected on the southern part of the former base. Thanks to its secluded location, sufficiently far from the city and deep in the trees, the area has come to our days in a relatively good shape. Due to the vicinity with a running business, exploring the launch part of the complex may be risky. This post covers only the more remote northern part, with the radar facilities and the control bunker.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Accessing the site from the north through the external fence and concrete wall still in good shape, you soon come to the first bunker, connected with the early warning O-14 Tall King. The bunker features two halls, which could host a control and signal processing trailer, and a power generation unit for the antenna. A corridor leads to a back door emerging to the ground level.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Holes in the ceiling allowed signal and power cables to reach the adjoining apron, where the antenna used to stay anchored. The Tall King was a massive 100-by-40 ft radar antenna, kept in place through six anchor points.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Pits and concrete pipes emerge from the ground all around the base. Moving southwest from the position of the Tall King radar, you will meet the monster structure supporting the Square Pair radar for one of the southernmost missile launch battery in the base (battery number 18 in the original maps). The support structure is accessible by a steep ramp, which allowed trailers for further electronic systems to climb on top of the platform.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

The round wall on top of the platform provided the foundations of the radar antenna. Caution is needed here, for the center of the pavement is covered with some rubbish, deceiving a hole which allowed the power and signal cables of the antenna to run below the platform, and down into the nearby shelter.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

The Square Pair operation trailers were hosted in that shelter, dug in the ground and featuring a single vault. Behind the main vault you can find smaller rooms with traces of technical gears – possibly for ventilation – and a service area for controllers and operators. A back door made access easier for the technical staff.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

The service roads leading to the three high platforms for the Square Pair radar antennas meet in the same point, where the control bunker of the base can be found. This bunker is interred and very large. It features three entrances on the front façade, leading to as many vaults.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Each vault contained a power generator close to the entrance. The right vault contained the K-9 combat control trailer, with sensors and computers, from where the whole Dobris site was controlled. The central vault hosted a K-21M electrical distribution group, and the left vault the K-7 control group, which was used to monitor the status of the base and the accuracy of the targeting system. The graffiti on the sidewall of one of the vault clearly date to later than 1993, the year of Stephen Spielberg’s Jurassic Park feature!

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

To the blind end of the vaults a network of corridors and rooms can be accessed. This is interesting, for it features a protection system likely to be used in case of a serious threat to the base. This includes a system of tight doors, a ventilation system, showers and services typical to a decontamination facility.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Image00299
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

This area is great fun to explore, but it is completely dark – a great environment for bats, like the one captured in this pic, purely by chance!

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

A powerful torchlight is mandatory for safely finding your way out. Traces of a control room – besides the trailer, which is clearly gone – can be found among other features of this interesting part of the bunker.

Just out of the control bunker you can find a building which served as a relax area for the troops. Traces of a gym can be found in one of the rooms.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

To the back of the same bunker you get access to another platform for the Square Pair radar of the westernmost (number 17) missile launch area. The bunker for the control trailer can be found on the side of the platform, together with a soft cover for trucks or light vehicles.

Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B
Dobris Soviet SAM Missile Base Czech Abandoned VEGA SA-5B

Due to time constraints, the last platform was not explored. Leaving is convenient from the same point used for entering the area.

Getting there and moving around

As pointed out, the Dobris site has been partially converted into a modern research center, funded by the European Union and involving national universities. This occupies the southernmost part of the former base, close to the launch complexes.

Accessing the northern part of the site during the week-end is probably not very risky, yet you can immediately notice that the original external fence and wall have been repaired in recent times more than once, and inside there is an unpaved road kept free of any vegetation running along the wall. Coming close to the research center is not recommended, but the parts of the base portrayed in this post are clearly unused, with overgrown vegetation, dusty surfaces and rust everywhere.

Due to the intriguing history of the base and the good state of conservation, visiting is very rewarding. The area is a national park, and in case you miss the entrance you can relax with a walk in the trees. The area is pretty large, and visiting the only part portrayed in this post may take more than 2 hours, excluding time to and from the base. Much more would be needed if you decided to explore the rest of the base. A torchlight and a tripod are mandatory to explore the inside of the bunkers.

Soviet Aircraft in Minsk and Kiev

CarloRLeave a comment

Since during WWII, and even more during the early Cold War period, the Soviet Union invested much in the creation of a world-class aviation industry, capable of competing against those in the US and Britain. The confrontation between the two sides of the Iron Curtain, lasting until the early Nineties, resulted in an unprecedented boost in aviation technology, which grew very quickly to a level of sophistication which could be hardly imagined just a few years earlier.

Both military and civil transportation benefited from this development, with a tangible result – a wide multiplicity of aircraft models, with different shapes, missions and performance. A such diversity is not any more typical to these days, when new aircraft designs are very rare and, at least at a glance, extremely similar in shape.

The Soviet Union based much of its propaganda actions on the show of technological achievements and military might. As aviation has been for long – and maybe still is – an immediate expression of a Nation’s technology and power, large aviation-themed exhibits flourished over the territory of the USSR (see also this and this post).

This post provides an insight into two such collections, found in the capital cities of two former Socialist Republics within the borders of the Soviet Union – Minsk, Belarus and Kiev, Ukraine. Photographs were taken in April 2018.

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

Museum of Aviation Technology – Main Branch – Minsk, Belarus

This classic Soviet collection showcases all the major models in service with the Air Force of the Soviet Red Army. Today Belarus, albeit enjoying a strong economical relationship with Russia, is an independent country, with a size and a geographical location making an immense air power not necessary, nor economically viable. Hence the non negligible size of this museum can be explained with the past (Soviet) history of Belarus, which used to be a key territory between Communist Russia and the European satellites of the USSR.

The first aircraft you are likely to meet are the earliest of the collection – a propeller-driven Yakovlev Yak-18 and Yak-52. Close by a small building is devoted to space explorations, and hosts memorabilia and a Soyuz reentry capsule.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Let L-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Let L-29

The MiG design bureau, traditionally associated to high-performance fighter and attack aircraft, is well represented in this collection. Close to one another are a MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27 and MiG-29, basically covering the major production items of this firm over the full span of the Cold War.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-15
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-19
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-19
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21

The MiG family is completed by a MiG-25 twin jet interceptor, capable of a Mach 2.8 speed. This is present in the collection in two exemplars, including a pretty rare training version – MiG-25PU -, with a distinctive ‘double cockpit’ similar to those of the training version of the Lockheed U-2.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-25 Trainer
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-25 Trainer
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25

Another well-represented manufacturer in the collection is the Sukhoi bureau, with a Su-7, Su-17, Su-24 and Su-25. The Su-24 is sitting besides the MiG-25, making for a fair size comparison – search for the cover of my wide lens in the pic of the main wheel of the MiG-25! These two aircraft are really massive compared to the earlier Su-7 and Su-17, and of course to the nearby Su-25 – an insidious and heavily armed aircraft, despite the clumsy appearance, as the many underwing pylons suggest!

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7

A more recent Sukhoi design on site is the Su-27, put close to the MiG-29 and clearly outsizing it.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27

Yakovlev products, besides the already cited oldtimers, include a Yak-28 and a rare Yak-25, a pretty old-looking twin jet.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28

Among the few Soviet design in use today, the helicopters of the Mil and Kamov design bureaus are represented in the collection by a Mi-1, Mi-2, Mi-8, Mi-24 and Ka-26 placed side by side. Furthermore, there was some Mil helicopter activity over the airfield nearby when I visited.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-1
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-1
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-4
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-4
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-6
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-6
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil

The impressive Mi-24, a very aggressive-looking and highly successful attack helicopter with a peculiar rear compartments, was totally accessible when I visited. The mainly analog cockpit with a number of levers, gauges, switches and controls, suggests a conspicuous workload by the pilot! An interesting item on the cockpit is what appears to be an analog navigation system or tactical display, composed of a a paper map and a cruciform sight surfing over it, showing the current position of the helicopter.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit

The fat-looking rubber ventilation fan and the bulbous windscreen remember you this is a Soviet product – in case the labels in Cyrillic were not enough!

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit

The back compartment may accommodate several troops, albeit not in a stand up position, or cargo/additional fuel. It is not totally separated from the cockpit.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin

Besides military aircraft, there is also a group of military/civil transports. These include an older yet still widespread Antonov An-2 single prop. A similarly old Ilyushin Il-14 twin props is on display nearby.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14

More recent aircraft include and Antonov An-26, not a rare sight in the former Communist countries of the world, and Il-18 and a larger An-12 four-props, and some jets – two Yak-40 including one formerly operated for state flights, and an ubiquitous Tupolev Tu-134 formerly of Aeroflot. A true icon of the Cold War, the equivalent of the MD-80 for the USSR, this fuel thirsty aircraft is likely to be retired by its last operator in Russia later this year.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ilyushin Il-18
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ilyushin Il-18
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ejection seat
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ejection seat
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24

Properly put among other transport aircraft, a huge Mi-26 transport helicopter is sitting between the An-12 and Tu-134. This is the heaviest single helicopter of traditional configuration ever built. By a rough comparison, the length of the fuselage is greater than that of the two transport aircraft! It is really hard to think this machine can be pushed into the sky… yet the immense, eight-bladed main rotor apparently can carry out the task! The Mi-26 is still today in service with several Countries, mostly in private hands.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26

Finally, an unusual circular box-wing experimental aircraft completes the collection. Not easy to design well, nor very nice to see in this case, the box-wing concept has surfaced more than once in history as an advantageous alternative to increase lift while reducing drag.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum

All in all, a very nice collection worth a quick detour from downtown Minsk.

Getting there

The place is open as a regular museum. The official website, all in the local idiom, is here. There is a nice resource site covering the history of all aircraft in the museum in detail – and much more about aircraft displays in Belarus – here. Some Google-translating will be necessary, but basic info like opening times and how to reach can be easily found this way.

The location is by the small local Borovaya Airfield, which is still active today with light GA traffic. Less than one mile from the junction between Minsk Beltway and the M3 going north. I would recommend a car for getting there, parking is available right in front of the ticket booth.

Visiting may take from 1.5 to 3 hours depending on your level of interest in Soviet aviation, and the number of pictures you want to take!

Museum of Aviation Technology – Airport Branch – Minsk Airport, Belarus

This open-air and unfenced collection is located right besides the passenger terminal of Minsk Airport. Here you can find a series of transport aircraft of Soviet make, conveniently parked side by side and easy to capture with a camera.

Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154

The two largest are a Tupolev Tu-154 three-engined commercial airliner, still in service in some countries of the world, and an Ilyushin Il-76 four-engined cargo. This is likely one of the most successful designs from the Soviet era, and is still a rather widespread aircraft today.

Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76

Smaller aircraft on display are a Tupolev Tu-134, an Antonov An-26, a Yakovlev Yak-40 and a colorful Antonov An-2.

Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134

Getting there

The display is located to the north of the passenger terminal of the airport of Minsk. Missing it is basically impossible when leaving or accessing the terminal from the front. There is a small parking area to the back of the aircraft, accessible from a road taking north from the main access road going to the terminal, immediately out of the airport toll booths.

Visiting is free and always possible, for the area is unfenced. You can’t board the aircraft, which are in a relatively good shape and lighted at night. A nice stop before leaving the country by air, the sight may be visited in 45 minutes, including time for all pictures.

Ukraine State Aviation Museum – Kiev, Ukraine

Among the air museum of former Soviet countries this is probably one of the richest and most interesting. The collection boasts some pretty rare aircraft from the military and commercial fields as well, all purely and distinctively Soviet. Plus there is a local depot carrying out some preservation projects, acquiring aircraft and restoring them to a good, non-flying condition.

With an immense territory, a numerous population and a strategically relevant position – including an access to the Black Sea – Ukraine enjoyed a primary role in the realm of the USSR. It was also the home base of many aircraft – especially heavy bombers – in the strategic Air Force of the Red Army. Many of them were actually ‘trapped’ in Ukraine when this nation left the Union, in the years of turmoil leading to its final collapse. Many Tupolev Tu-160s, still today forming the backbone of the Russian strategic air force, were purchased back from Russia in a later time. Since then, the national interest to maintain an air force comparable in size to that of the Soviet era has dropped, and most Cold War era assets have been retired from active duty, eventually feeding air collections like the one in Kiev.

Furthermore, besides more recent military designs the collection features some transport aircraft otherwise hard to see these days.

[Note: on the day of my visit the museum grounds hosted a fancy classic-car-themed festival. I discovered this when on site. As you will easily notice, the pictures below are often very far from optimal, due to the need to exclude some unwanted item, like hot-dog booths, dinner tables and historical buses from the composition. However, I hope the pics give an idea of the size and quality of the exhibition.]

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-14
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-14
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18

Transport aircraft from early Soviet times include an Ilyushin Il-14 twin prop, an Il-18 four-props, and a very rare and nicely restored Tupolev Tu-104 twin jet. This particular design was later used as a starting point for the highly successful Tu-134, which features a very similar fuselage and cabin layout. The engines partially engulfed in the wing are really elegant – a typical feature of the 1950s, they witness the age of the design.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104

The Tupolev bureau is represented also by the Tu-154 three-engined jet, and multiple exemplars of the ubiquitous Tu-134.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-154
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-154

Even bigger aircraft from the commercial field include an Ilyushin Il-62, with a distinctive four-tail-engines configuration, similar to the Vickers VC-10 – this time, a typical 1960s feature! You can walk under the bigger aircraft of the collection, and to the back of the Il-62 you can notice the unusual support wheel added for increased stability during loading/unloading operations to avoid tipping. This was retracted before taxiing. Ukraine makes use of Il-62s to this day for state flights.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62

A rare Soviet four-engined long-hauler from the Eighties is the Ilyushin Il-86. This is still flying in scant numbers in the Russian Air Force and with a few commercial operators. Looking mostly like an early Airbus from the 1970s, the cockpit arrangement, the multi-purpose big access door and some details in the aerodynamic design add a Soviet twist.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86

Transport aircraft include a heavy Ilyushin Il-76 and plenty of lighter Antonovs, including An-24s, An-26s and an An-30 twin props, plus two single-engined An-2s.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-2

A pretty unique sight you get in this museum is the An-71. This AWACS from the 1980s never entered production, and the one on display is the third and last prototype. The interesting solution with a radome on top of the tail promised to reduce overall drag, saving on a dedicated radome pylon. On the other hand the radome placed so far from the centerline clearly created some controllability issues and raised stress on the vertical tail. Antonov was an Ukrainian firm active till recently, so the only other An-71 still in existence is also in Ukraine.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71

Smaller transports include two executive Yakovlev Yak-40.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40

Going to the military part of the exhibition, lighter aircraft include a number from the MiG family, including MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27 and MiG-29.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21

Two Let trainers are on display, close by a rich array of Sukhois, which include Su-7, Su-15, Su-17, Su-20, Su-24 and Su-25.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-7
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-7
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Let L-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Let L-29

Two very rare examples of Beriev seaplanes are on display, namely the Be-6 and Be-12.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-12
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-12
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6

Close by, there is a rich collection of Mil and Kamov helicopters. These include an older version of Mi-24, featured in the third chapter of the John Rambo series, and lacking the bulbous canopy typical to more recent upgrades. The monster size Mi-6 and Mi-26 are also on display.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Kamov Ka-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Kamov Ka-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26

Finally, there is a row of really rare and unmissable Tupolev bombers. These include a Tu-142, possibly one of the most iconic aircraft of the Cold War, and a real workhorse flying from the early 1970s well into this millennium – still firmly in service in Russia and until 2017 also in India. A very big bird, with a menacing and evoking appearance – really a Soviet ghost!

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142

Then follow three different versions of the Tupolev Tu-22M, a supersonic strategic bomber still active today in Russia, India and even purchased in post-Soviet times by China. The three exemplars are different, the oldest belongs to the pre-series evaluation batch, whereas the other two are from two production batches resulting from substantial improvements. In particular, the final version from the 1980s features different – F-15-like – engine inlets, more powerful engines, and correspondingly a much better performance.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3

Also of great interest is the rare Tu-134UBL, a modified version of the airliner with a cone similar to that of the Tu-22M, manufactured for training the crews of the Tu-22M.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL

The museum is complemented by an aircraft shelter, some experimental aircraft and older propeller-driven trainers.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yak
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yak
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Yakovlev Yak-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Yakovlev Yak-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype

Getting there

The museum is located in Kiev, on the premises of the city airport ‘Igor Sikorsky’ – one of the founders of US helicopter industry was from Ukraine! Kiev is a very large town for European standards, with a population of 5.5 millions and a totally crazy and chaotic traffic. I would not advise driving on your own in this town even if you – like me – enjoy driving, so reaching the museum is definitely easier (and wiser) with a taxi. Taxi cabs are very cheap and easy to find anywhere in town.

Reaching from downtown Kiev by taxi may easily take 30 minutes, mainly due to the nightmarish traffic jams affecting the town.

Please note that the museum is not by the airport terminal, but from there it is about 0.8 miles along an unpleasant road. So you’d better instruct your driver to go to the museum and not to the terminal when going there. If you can’t see a taxi when leaving, you may walk to the terminal where you have chance to find one. That was my plan, but a taxi finally showed up in front of the museum after a five minutes hopeful wait also when I was leaving.

The museum has a very complete and modern website with a full English translation, making organization much easier.

Due to the size and features of the collection, visiting may easily take 2 to 3 hours or more for an interested person, especially when taking pictures.

Special feature – Kiev Boryspil Airport

The main commercial airport in Kiev – Boryspil – is likely where you will enter or leave the Country. The traffic there is almost monopolized by the local Ukrainian Airlines, with international flights also by other majors from western Europe and neighbor Countries. At the moment there is just one busy terminal between two parallel runways. From inside the terminal looking east over the eastern runway it is possible to spot a military area, with a fleet of former Soviet transports and helicopters in various colors, including ‘UN’ markings, Ukrainian Air Force and Aeroflot – which acted also a military transport service in the Soviet era.

Among these aircraft are An-24s, An-26s and An-30s, plus Il-76s, Tu-134s and An-12s. Most aircraft look derelict and some partly cannibalized.

Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-12
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-12
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Boeing 737
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Boeing 737
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-30
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-30
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Tupolev Tu-134
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Tupolev Tu-134
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76

To the northern end of that area, it is possible to spot two Ilyushin Il-62s in very good condition. The Ukrainian government was using this aircraft at least until 2014 for state flights.

Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-62
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-62
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron US Air Force C-17
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron US Air Force C-17

When I left I noticed a pretty unusual cargo for this region – a USAF C-17 from the 452nd AMW, March AFB, Riverside, CA.  An impossible sight during the Cold War, still pretty unexpected these days!

Soviet Airbases in the GDR – Second Chapter

CarloRLeave a comment

The BEST pictures from Soviet bases in the GDR
ALL in ONE BOOK!

Soviet Ghosts in Germany
GRAB IT in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

As pointed out in other posts on the topic – here and here -, the territory belonging to the German Democratic Republic (‘GDR’, or ‘DDR’ in German) was densely populated with military bases of all kinds, including tank bases, logistic bases and airbases. This was the result of two powerful Armies coexisting within the borders of the communist DDR – the local East-German Army and the Soviet ‘Red Army’.

Looking at a map of the Country, the density of airbases is particularly striking. Due to the strategic significance suggested by its very position in central Europe, right on the border with ‘the West’, the DDR was attributed a privileged status by the Soviet government in terms of military equipment. The number of Soviet troops stationed here was in the order of the hundreds of thousands, meaning that on most bases also housing and services for Soviet soldiers and their families had to be built in large numbers.

After the German reunification, the end of the Soviet Union and the retirement of Russian – ex-Soviet – troops by the mid-Nineties, all the bases – mostly stripped of any transportable stuff, which was withdrawn to Russia – were returned to Federal Germany. This resulted in a surplus of military hardware for the German government, which soon started a lengthy plan to convert, refurbish or demolish most of the newly acquired facilities.

Consequently, some of the former bases are now commercial airports, whereas most of them had the airside areas converted into solar powerplants. In most cases, only part of the former installations have been converted to non-military use, and huge ghost hangars, depots and housing can still be found in the premises of these airbases. What remains is sometimes of great interest for war historians and urban explorers as well – especially those bases where communist memorials with writing in cyrillic alphabet can be found, and stand out as vivid memories of a recent past, when everything was very different from now in central Europe.

Similarly to other ones on this website, this post covers with photographs and some info two Soviet airbases – Rangsdorf and Brand – visited in April 2017, and what remains of three more – Brandis, Nohra and Köthen – visited in 2023. Where in the premises of the first two much hardware could be checked out (at least as of 2017), the latter (as of 2023) have been almost completely wiped out, or left to the elements and to the spoilers to the point that only few or very damaged relics remain.

To provide some sort of ‘then and now’ comparison, I included a few pics from the wonderful book Rote Plätze – Russische Militärflugplatze Deutschland 1945-1994 by Lutz Freundt and Stefan Buttner, for which I don’t own the copyright. I recently grabbed a copy of this wonderful, out-of-print book, published in 2007 by a now defunct publisher in Berlin (AeroLit), and distributed only locally. This book is now very difficult to find, and basically a collectible item. Consequently, the price was indecent, but the maps, photos and info therein are really worth the financial effort!

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Rangsdorf

Getting there and moving around

The former airbase in Rangsdorf can be found on the outskirts of Berlin, actually less than 8 miles south of Schönefeld Airport. It can be reached very quickly from the highway N.10, taking through the village of Rangsdorf and reaching its the south-western corner, where a small lake with sport activities and a group of new ‘American style’ houses is being built and partially completed – the land were the new houses are standing was once part of the base.

To be honest, I had some difficulties finding a parking place, because the area is densely populated and much looked after, and most parking lots are privately owned. I finally elected to park ahead of a small kindergarten, which at the time of my visit was already closed.

What remains of the base is totally abandoned, and you will likely find sheep in the former areas of operations. When preparing your exploration, just have a look a the Google map of the site to plan your moves ahead. There are a few remaining huge hangars and service buildings to explore, and they are all in the northern part of the former airfield. The original fence with lines of barbed wire and concrete posts is still standing, but there are many spots where it is cut and broken, so getting in is not difficult at all.

Notwithstanding that you can easily access the base, the populated area around is a potential threat, for entering the buildings is formally forbidden – there is also a firefighters station close to the northern section of the fence, and you could be easily spotted from outside when you are in. So I suggest being careful in your movements.

Sights

The military airbase in Rangsdorf dates back from the years of WWII and the Nazi regime, when it was a major base for transportation of high-ranking military staff traveling by plane. It was from here that Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the key-character in the failed attempt to murder Adolf Hitler in July 1944, took off to reach the Wolf’s Lair in what is now eastern Poland.

When the airport fell into Soviet hands, it was soon converted into a helicopter base, due to the inappropriate size of the airfield for the standards of the jet age, and the constraints put on its development by the surrounding villages. It used to be a very active helicopter transport base until the collapse of the Wall. In the years preceding the withdrawal of the Soviet/Russian troops the place became famous as ‘The Dump’ – the Soviet helicopter fleet was rationalised, and many rotorcrafts met the scrapman here.

Approaching from the west of the complex the fenced perimeter is very irregular, and when coming in I passed at least four lines of barbed wire while walking along a straight line! Many original lamps along the fences are still in place.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

What seems to be a large air raid shelter, or possibly a reinforced communication bunker can be found before reaching the hangars. It is really big and isolated, with traces of wiring on one side.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

Among the traces from the Soviet ‘Dump’ there are some aircraft-style seats, possibly from a big helicopter, several winches and some electric motors.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

The two-winged building facing the grass-invaded former apron includes the control tower in the middle, and two lateral hangars. The assembly is a nice example of Nazi military design. The wooden doors and roof confirm the old age of the construction. Nonetheless, these hangars have been used also by the Soviets, as witnessed by the more modern ventilation system and traces of technical schemes and gear inside.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

From the top floor of the old control tower it is possible to appreciate the original size of the airfield. As you can see from older pictures, only the northernmost part of the field was converted for helicopter operations. The helicopter platforms can be easily spotted, albeit half-covered by grass in the area ahead of the tower.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the west of this main hangar there is a mysterious buildings with almost no windows and two pinnacles, which seem to be large twin funnels. I did not explore this thoroughly inside, as the building appeared to be in an especially bad and dangerous condition.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

The next large hangar to the east is much bigger than the one with the tower. The construction is again pretty old, I guess again from the Thirties. Inside it is possible to find traces of mottos in big characters in cyrillic alphabet all along the wall. In older times, a famous panel with an ‘artistic’ hammer and sickle was hanging from one of the walls. This is unfortunately gone, only a barely visible trace remaining in place.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

On one side of this big hangar a smaller service building can be found. Again, the intended function of this part of the complex is not immediately clear. I found traces of a huge table of chemical elements in Russian, like can be found in schools… but I don’t think they had a school right besides a hangar!

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

Even more to the east, close to the outer wall of the base and to a still active railway, there are two more hangars. The smaller one with wooden doors is very damaged inside, whereas the one to the north is apparently more recent in construction, but it is closed. My exploration accelerated a bit from here, as I noticed activity in the houses nearby outside the fence of the base, a watchdog started barking, and I feared to be spotted! Luckily this happened almost at the end of the exploration program…

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

Close to some communist-style housing, refurbished and still in use to the north of the airfield, I found a piece of wall, probably belonging to the original outer wall of the base, with celebrative writings in cyrillic – possibly names of sport teams from Soviet times.

Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Rangsdorf – Abandoned Soviet Base

All in all, I would say this base has the relevant advantage it was not converted to a power plant or something else, so it is poorly guarded and not totally off-limits – at least the open air grounds. It is also close to Berlin, easy to reach in a short time, and compact in size, so you won’t need to walk much, and visiting may take less time than with other former bases – about 2 hours for me, taking all the pictures. On the other hand, the populated neighborhood of Rangsdorf makes interception by the locals more likely. While not particularly rich of communist remains, the buildings in the base are still mostly in place, so visiting can be satisfactory also for photographers interested in architecture.

Brand

Getting there and moving around

The area of the former big airbase of Brand is associated to a fairly well-known attraction of our days – Tropical Island. This amusement park, which is officially indicated as an attraction even on highway N.13, connecting Berlin to Cottbus and the border with Poland, was built inside a colossal, modern hangar, designed for airships around the year 2000. This can be spotted from quite afar.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

A large area of the former airbase is – from a viewpoint of urban exploration – compromised. The former runway has been turned into a huge parking area, whereas a luxury tropical-themed resort with bungalows and camping lots for mobile homes has been built in the western part of the airport. Most taxiways have been either recycled as alleys in the park, or literally removed. Some of the many aircraft shelters of this once prominent attack base have been converted to host other forms of business, ranging from restaurants to hay storages.

All the part connected with leisure business, which corresponds to everything north of Tropical-Islands-Allee – also named road L711 and going east from highway N.13 to the near village of Krausnick, where a small memorial to the Soviet actions in WWII can be found – is actively guarded by private guards, with their own small modern barracks close to the gate of the complex, and moving around by car.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

In striking contrast with this, shrouded in the vegetation to the south of the same road, roughly cross the street with respect to the entrance to the Tropical Island complex, it is possible to find a conspicuous amount of Soviet relics, basically unguarded. All accesses to the roads going south is physically interdicted to cars, so parking may be not obvious in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the park. I suggest going past the gate along L711 and driving towards Krausnick to find an unofficial but safe parking spot between the roadside and the limit of the forest, away from suspicious eyes.

Another part of great interest for war historians include the storage for nuclear warheads, typical to Brand and other few bases in the GDR. This is rather distant – about 1.8 miles southeast – from the airport area and Soviet housing. The original connection road – not accessible by car – is straight and very long, with little to offer in terms of relics. For exploring that part of the site I suggest driving to Krausnick from Tropical Island, and taking the L71 pointing southwest towards the village of Schönwalde. The road runs deep in the trees, and at some point it comes about .6 mile to the site of interest. You may park on the roadside, on one of the many service roads used by woodcutters and reach the place with a quick walk following one of those trails.

Take your time studying the area in advance on Google Maps, and choose what option best suits your needs.

You may also have a look at aerial pictures of the base, taken during a special flight over the area, described in this report.

Sights

Before being turned into a civil airport and then into an amusement park, Brand was one of the largest Soviet bases in the GDR, with flocks of MiG-21, 23, 27 stationing here, as well as Sukhoi Su-15 and even Su-27 in the final years of operation. Most notably, the base was selected already in the 1960s for storing air-launched nuclear warheads – together with Finsterwalde and Rechlin/Lärz (see this post). This led to the construction of a purpose-built reinforced storage bunker, which can still be seen. As pointed out before, there are two main focus areas in a visit to this installation.

The first is the ghost town for the troops once stationed here, and for their families. This is incredibly close to Tropical Island, but the contrast between the aura of these two places couldn’t be more striking!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

There are residential buildings from various Soviet models, mostly three-four storeys buildings possibly from the Fifties-Sixties, but also some more imposing pre-fabricated buildings possibly dating from as recently as the Eighties.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Walking alone in this once lively village, with traces of playgrounds, mailboxes, lamps along walkways now invaded by vegetation, and even a swimming pool with some dead water in it, was for me one of the weirdest and creepiest experiences ever!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Unfortunately, from the pics you can’t feel the unreal silence where the place was immersed – the only sounds were those of the wind blowing in the trees and of some door slamming somewhere within the buildings… you would expect a zombie, some ghost troopers or a mutant monster coming out to meet you at every time!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Most of the buildings are in relatively good overall condition, but almost nothing survives of the interior of the apartments – which may collapse at every time and should not be accessed. By looking closely at some tires in a playground you can spot cyrillic characters on them – maybe they come from a consumed nose wheel of a MiG? The lamps are of the usual model commonly found in Soviet bases.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the west of the residential area there is a similarly extensive zone with a great number of possibly former barracks or technical buildings. Almost all of them have been half-demolished by destroying the roof – I think this was made in purpose, for literally all buildings in this part have encountered the same fate. The style of these buildings suggests they are older than most of the housing. This is confirmed by comparing historical photographs of the base from above.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Among the most prominent buildings in the area, it is possible to find a former school, with an imposing façade of classical inspiration.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

To the back of the school building a small gym can be found. The roof has collapsed – or it was demolished – long ago, so that some trees are growing inside – no more basketball here!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

A highlight of the exploration in this area is a huge mosaic wall with the head of Lenin. This item is a bit of a mystery, cause it’s hard to imagine it was originally placed where it is standing today – there is no architectural ‘frame’ supporting the monument nor a backstage completing it – it looks like a decorated floor, but placed in a vertical position!

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base

Anyway, the sight is of course very uncommon, and I would say unique in the panorama of communist-themed art in the former GDR.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Close by the ghost town, three aircraft shelters remain to the south of the road marking the ideal border with the ‘Tropical Island domain’. These can be accessed and explored. Among other particular features, it is possible to spot the rusty engine for opening the gates of one of them. These shelters could host aircraft up to the size of a MiG-23/27.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

The second part of interest in Brand is the bunker for nuclear warheads. As stated above, this was built really far to the southeast from the housing and from the airport, differently from the other two bases in the GDR where similar bunkers were built (see this post). A straight connection road links the two portions of the base.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

Traces of the further line of inner fence built around this area can be found today. The good quality tarmac of the roads have survived to this day.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

The bunker is not accessible, the main gate blocked with a pile of land. Nonetheless, it is still visible and fairly well-preserved – even the camouflage above the front door – as you can see from a comparison with a photo from when the bunker was being used.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

On the crane-supporting structures ahead of the entrance you can find traces of cyrillic writings.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

There is a truck-loading dock nearby and several larger and smaller service buildings and garages. On some of the walls you can find ‘unofficial’ writing in cyrillic alphabet.

Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand - Abandoned Soviet Base
Flugplatz Brand – Abandoned Soviet Base

In both parts of the base I didn’t meet a single person during my exploration, which lasted about 3.5-4 hours in total, including the time for transfer from a trailhead to the other. When I visited, Tropical Island was closed for the season, with many people going in and out for maintenance. There were also tourists with mobile-homes and caravans, and guards with their cars. Anyway, during the exploration of the Soviet housing, which is really close to Tropical Island, I didn’t see a person, and as pointed out the place was unnaturally silent! The part of the nuclear warhead bunker is also very remote, and more obviously I didn’t come across anybody.

All in all, even though a substantial part of Brand has been converted into something else, what remains here is a great fun to visit, with tons of photo opportunities, a very intense ‘Soviet-ghost aura’ and much to see also for curious war historians. The countryside is pleasant and even though some walking is required, the place is nice to walk and very enjoyable. And if you feel tired, you can always decide to switch off your camera and enter Tropical Island for a relaxing rest-of-the-day!

Köthen

Getting there and moving around

The base was located immediately south of the homonym village, itself 10 miles southwest of the larger and famous town of Dessau. The entire premises of the former large Soviet base of Köthen have been converted for housing or into industrial facilities, currently run by several companies. The former airside of the base with the runway has been covered by a huge field of solar cells. As a result, visiting as tourists is strictly speaking not possible.

Possibly the only exception – in theory – is the southernmost hangar, which bears traces of the original camouflage, and the prominent portraits of Lenin, Marx and Engels on its side. The hangar is in the hands of a private energy-related company. The area around is fenced. I simply drove in as a visitor, from the road through the open gate, on the company premises all the way to the building. Access is from road K2074, roughly .4 miles south of the crossing with road 185, to the right when going south.

I asked for permission to a worker, and he cordially allowed me to move around a bit and take pictures outside of the building. Then I met another individual, possibly the village idiot having some time in the open air – surely not a worker, he was in shorts and accompanied by a little girl, very weird in a place like that! – who intimated me to leave, with some impolite and intimidating gesture also on the menu. Preferring not to start a litigation and attract attention from the workers, I left, with the pictures I had taken up to that moment. With a better luck, exploring this part of the former base should be easy and more rewarding. However, since moving around at will is clearly not possible on private grounds, the visit may be of just a few minutes in any case, making for an ideal quick detour for those passing by.

Sights

The Soviet base of Köthen was once a prominent part of the arsenal, hosting for long decades during the Cold War Soviet flying groups almost every type of MiG fighter, from MiG-15 down to MiG-29. The base was complemented with modern reinforced aircraft shelters since the 1960s, and a multi-purpose Granit-type bunker was erected later, for employment as a storage for munitions.

The only part of the former premises of this once large base which is today partly preserved and (theoretically, see directions above) visible is one of the main hangars. The construction, flanked by two low-rise towers, shows the actual origin of the facility, which dates to the years of the Third Reich. Actually, the area was busy with flying activities since even earlier (1920s).

The hangar is relatively low in height, with sliding doors closing it to the front, and painted in a brown-greenish camo coat. Inside, today a huge pile of manure can be found, arguably employed for some chemical process (the company holding the building runs an energy-related business).

The most interesting sight is represented by two medallions, with pretty unusual portraits of Lenin, Marx and Engels, in black over a white background. Besides the portrait of Lenin, to the left of the front door of the hangar, an inscription in Russian quoting a thought of Lenin on the army can be found as well.

Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR

The medallions, inscriptions and camouflage appear rather well kept. Even a small plaque with a German translation of the inscription can be found.

Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Köthen – Converted Soviet base in the GDR

This witnesses an interesting example of a welcome and uncommon preservation effort, making a short visit to this facility interesting at least for the more committed Cold War historian.

Nohra

Getting there and moving around

The former Soviet helicopter base of Nohra used to take a sizable area both to the north and south of road 7, connecting Weimar to Erfurt. However, the base was accurately eradicated, and virtually no trace of it (except what remains of a half demolished helicopter hangar) can be seen to the north of the road. The territory has been returned to agriculture or taken over by industrial facilities, therefore even the original general appearance of the base is impossible to retrace.

Similarly, the area to the south of road 7 has been cleared of almost every trace from its aeronautical past. The only relics, described in the paragraph below, can be found along Pappelallee, which runs parallel to road 7, and can be accessed from its western end from road 85.

Along Pappelallee the old entrance to the pre-existent Third Reich base, in the typical style of the 1930s, can be clearly spotted. Today, a bed & breakfast operates this gate building, which was employed also by the Soviets. Going through would give direct access to the perspective leading to the second highlight of the place, a preserved statue of Lenin. However, going through is not possible. The statue can be reached walking along the road parting to the south of Pappelallee, from a little west from the bed & breakfast. You can leave your car close to the gate buildings, away from the road, and walk along this trail. The statue is in the focus of a perspective, and hard to miss.

Going there is not unlawful, there are no prohibition sign and no fence, plus the statue is clearly preserved.

The area around the statue has been completely reforested, so no dangerous building are to be found in the area. Since some walk is involved, a visit to this site may take about 30 minutes.

Sights

The base of Nohra was established back in WWI, and was potentiated by the Third Reich Luftwaffe from 1936 onwards. By the end of WWII, it was captured by US forces, who had to hand it over to the Soviets in July, following post-war agreements.

It was then potentiated into one of the largest helicopter bases of the Soviets in the GDR, with virtually every type of Mil helicopter being flown from here over the years, including the mighty Mil-24 over the last two decades of the Cold War.

Today, as noted in the previous paragraph, the former airbase has been completely and accurately wiped out, so that its very existence could not be suspected by unaware subjects driving along the busy roads between Erfurt and Weimar.

Curiously, two small preserved portions indeed exist, making for an interesting detour when visiting the area.

The original gate buildings of the old Luftwaffe military installation can be clearly spotted along the road. The style shows the typical features and elegance of German architecture from pre-WWII period – totally incompatible with the generally shabby appearance of Soviet architectures from the post-war period.

The original gate facility is today privately owned. However, when open, the gate between the two wings of the facility allow to spot a statue of Lenin, placed to the far end of an alley departing from the gate.

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

Luckily, access to the statue is possible with a short walk (see paragraph with directions above). The statue today is basically in a small forest of trees, and its location appears quite inexplicable. However, getting closer to it and moving around, traces of painted signs on a small network of asphalt roads witness the existence of a populated area once around its location. Clearly, with all buildings demolished and tall trees in their place, the scenery is not any more typical for a statue of Lenin…

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

Interestingly, the statue has been actively preserved – an unusual sight in the GDR panorama. The communist leader is portrayed in its typical appearance, moving forward in a proactive attitude. To the back of the statue, a curtain wall painted in crimson is likely part of the original installation.

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

The quality of the statue appears pretty good, when zooming on it.

Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Nohra – Former Soviet base in the GDR

All in all, despite the complete disappearance of Nohra, this preserved fragment represents an important trace of a significant chapter in the history of this area, otherwise irreversibly released into oblivion.

Brandis/Waldpolenz

Getting there and moving around

Brandis is located about 10 miles west of Leipzig city center, immediately west of the homonym village.

Differently from most former Soviet bases in the GDR, what remains of Brandis – i.e. what was not taken over by solar cells and private companies – has been left free to explore for the general public. Therefore, access to the few buildings still standing on site – which include some big old hangars, as well as technical buildings, housing and more – is possible in many ways and from many directions.

This was not my own choice, but in hindsight, the most convenient way to access the premises is getting as close as possible to the buildings in the northern part of the base and park your car, then moving around by foot. A choice for parking is where Am Alten Flugplatz changes name into Falkenallee. Car access to the latter is impeded, but you can park by the obstacles put in place, and move by foot from there.

All accessible buildings are located to the north and northwest of the base. Its original premises, including the runway area and taxiways, are now mostly taken over by solar cells. For the rest they are crossed by public roads, making the perception of the original limits of the base and its original design not so evident.

The very poor condition of most buildings will not appeal much to war historians, possibly more to urban explorers. However, since the base is sizable, the time for a thorough exploration is at least 2 hours after having parked.

Sights

The base of Brandis has a complex history, as usual dating back to the Third Reich era. It was selected for the deployment of the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet, and from 1944, thanks to the direct railway connection, an ambitious program for the final assembly and operation of this interceptor was started. The war ended with the defeat of Germany before the conversion was completed. Buildings from the Luftwaffe era include at least three big hangars with a wooden door, a control tower, some official buildings, and apparently a number of smaller technical buildings.

The Soviets employed the place mostly for early jets and later (from the 1960s) for transport and attack helicopters. However, from the 1970s the base was potentiated significantly (including the addition of housing and service buildings for the families of the Soviet troops), and became active with Su-25, which were stationed here until the then-Russian military left the facility in 1992. Apparently – and unusually – no reinforced aircraft shelters were ever built by the Soviets in Brandis, preferring laterally-reinforced open-air parking bays and a large open apron (the latter similar to Sperenberg, see here).

As noted above (paragraph on directions), most of the base is gone today, with a huge solar plant having covered most of the former airside, including the runway and the huge area south of it, formerly employed for helicopter operations. Furthermore, some private companies now occupy part of the area between the hangars and the tower.

Therefore, the focus of a visit is in the hangars and tower (immediately north of the former runway), the technical buildings to the west, and the housing and service buildings along the northern perimeter.

The old hangars are three. The one to the northwest of the former airside is home to a big inscription in Russian, mentioning the 28th congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Also some other inscriptions can be seen on the southern wall, barely emerging from the graffiti layer.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Apparently, in this hangar early jet drones were stationed by the Soviets in the late 1980s.

The central hangar is bigger. Its original wooden front door is pretty well preserved. Inside, the main hall is sided by technical rooms along the solid walls. Some of them are easier to access from outside through the broken windows!

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Close to this hangar, a few yards to the west, is the old control tower. Despite heavily stricken by writers and spoilers, this building is an interesting example of architecture from the Third Reich era.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Behind this main hangar and close to the tower, it is possible to retrace original internal roads of the base, thanks to the lights and the now overgrown hedges once framing them. Not far north from this area, major housing from the 1970s can be found.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

In the same area, a mystery building with a curved ceiling – a technical building of some sort – offers some relics like Soviet boots and damaged clothes.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Again close to the hangar, some pipelines and some exhausted tires can be found. The labels of the latter clearly bear Russian markings.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

A last big hangar can be found somewhat further east. The wooden door, left partly open, has been penetrated by the vegetation, creating an unusual scenery.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

An interesting sight in this hangar is an original ‘No smoking’ writing in German. This is apparently in a Third Reich era font, and may be a fascinating witness of the original tenancy of the airbase. Needless to say, the inscription now barely emerges from a thick coat of meaningless ‘works of art’…

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

The housing and service buildings along the northern perimeter of the base clearly date from different ages. The gigantic facade of some of the houses clearly betray a post-1970 building approach.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Unfortunately, all these buildings are in very poor conditions, just the walls and stairs remain, and they are literally covered in graffiti. Thanks to the severe spoiling action carried out by the writers, the ghost aura of former Soviet bases is hard to feel here – everything looks more like a rotting poor neighborhood of a big town.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

To the west of the base, possibly an old railway or truck-loading facility can be found, maybe from the Third Reich era.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Close by, an array of smaller technical buildings, apparently garages, reveal some interesting writing in old-German characters. Also these buildings are possibly from the Luftwaffe tenancy of the airbase.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Finally, a highlight of the visit is what appears to be an old school building. Here an incredible mural of a Soviet soldier honoring the Red Banner, the flag of the USSR, can be found in the hall on top of the stairs.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

A little bit of respect has been shown by the usual writers, who massively attacked all the rest of this building similar to all others. Thus this fragment of the original Soviet decoration of the airbase is still surviving. Besides the soldier are other troops, with interesting facial appearances, resembling some different ethnicity from within the USSR. Also some writing in Russian is visible in the background.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Other naive paintings can be found around this building, including 18th century characters, a few trees, and other cartoon characters, today not recognizable. Most of these innocent paintings however have been targeted by spoilers.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR
Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Along the external perimeter of the base, now not obvious to retrace, some rusty parts of the original high-security fence can still be found.

Flugplatz Brandis/Waldpolenz – Abandoned Soviet base in the GDR

Air Museums in the Former GDR

CarloR2 Comments

Due to its strategic relevance to the Soviet empire in the years of the Cold War, the territory of the former German Democratic Republic, or ‘GDR’, experienced an uncommonly intense military presence, growing over the years from soon after WWII to the end of the Soviet Union and the retreat of Russian troops to their home Country.

The coexisting armies of Eastern Germany and of the Soviet Union each managed land, sea and air groups operating from the GDR. As a result, still today the countryside of the former communist-ruled part of Germany is full of airports – many of them abandoned or converted to solar powerplants – and former tank training camps.

Besides this hardware, leaving clear traces reaching to this day, the quick collapse of the Soviet system and the end of the Cold War generated an enormous quantity of military surplus at all levels in the mid-Nineties.

In particular, soon after reunification the People’s Air Force of Eastern Germany was merged with the West-German ‘Luftwaffe’, whose name was retained and which became the German Air Force still operating today. The result of the merger was not ideal from a logistic and supply chain point of view, with too many aircraft and helicopters with radically different designs – implying different spare parts, maintenance procedures, specialized training, … Consequently, all Soviet models, which had been the backbone of the East German forces, were soon stricken-off the military register, many of them going to private collections.

For this reason, you can often find former GDR aircraft in museums all over Europe. Clearly, many of them remained in the territory of their bygone mother Country, enriching local air collections and museums. This post is about four less-known gems of the kind close to Berlin and Leipzig. These photographs were taken during visits in 2017 and 2021.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

This collection is located on the outskirts of the town of Cottbus, easily reachable about 70 miles southeast of Berlin. The premises occupied by this mainly open-air museum are to the south of the former local airport/base which was more recently converted into another solar plant. Actually, a hangar from here dating from WWII was dismounted and relocated to the state of Virginia.

The collection here is very rich, the majority of aircraft are kept in a well-maintained, non-flying condition, with a pretty large area devoted to aircraft restoration, and a well prepared and perfectly presented inside part with memorabilia, artifacts, aircraft parts, models, … – all in all, a primary attraction of the kind, well worth visiting for any aviation enthusiasts.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

By passing the gates you will walk between a part of an Airbus A380 used for testing – a bit of an outlier for a military museum… – and an array of MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 formerly in service with the air force of the GDR.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

The display of these aircraft side by side, the MiG-21s also in multiple different variants, is very interesting for making comparisons and spot both obvious and less evident differences between these iconic Soviet models.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

A more rare, recently restored MiG-17 is proudly standing in front of the entrance to the main building of the museum.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Other highlights of the collection include two Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft. One of them bears markings of the Luftwaffe, suggesting it was used for some time in the air force of reunified Germany. The difference in size between the two massive Sukhois and the sleek MiGs is apparent having them sitting close to each other!

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

On the grass closer to the former runway are some Soviet helicopters, including a very well-preserved Mil-24 attack helicopter, also in Luftwaffe colors.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Close by, a couple of other MiGs in a bare metal colorway – one of them from Tschekoslowakia – can be spotted, together with some old western models, in the original colors of the Luftwaffe – these include an F-84, F-86, T-33 and a rare Italian G-91.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Other less aggressive aircraft in the area include a Let L-200 twin-propeller aircraft possibly for training, a Yakovlev Yak-11 acrobatic aircraft and some other aircraft for training, observation or crop dusting.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

A full array of service trucks from various Soviet manufacturers are aligned in an open hangar, where a Soviet anti-aircraft SA-2 missile with its light launch gantry is also present.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

The inside collection – not the usual dirty-and-dusty collection typical of wannabe air-museums, but instead a clean and well-presented, good-level small museum in itself – shows something on the local history of the former airport, various jettisonable seats from Soviet aircraft from different times, technical schemes for maintenance and training, as well as local findings of aeronautical interest. Among the latter, some pretty rare parts of downed aircraft from WWII, both from Nazi Germany and from the Allies – including the Soviet Union.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Also interesting was a temporary exhibition about the MiG-21 and its world-class success. The only thing I regret about the inside part is that all explanations were given in German only.

Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus - Airport Museum
Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus – Airport Museum

Some very interesting findings on the outside include a largely complete wreck of a Focke-Wulf FW190, what appears to be a bulky Napier Sabre II 24-cylinders engine, possibly from a Hawker Tempest or typhoon, a MiG-15 awaiting restoration, plus other engines and aircraft parts.

I would recommend this place for a dedicated visit about 1,5-2 hours long, especially if you are touring the area south of Berlin, very rich in terms of recent and past military history.

Getting there

Cottbus can be reached quickly by train from Berlin, but the museum is far from the town center. Going by car is definitely more convenient, a very fast highway going to the border with Poland – a few miles away – connecting Berlin and Cottbus in about 1 hour. Contact and information from their official website (in German, but basic info on opening times and location can be obtained very easily with some Google translation). Small parking nearby.

Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

The Luftfahrtmuseum – i.e. aviation museum – in Finowfurt has taken over a part of the former Soviet airbase of Finow, about 35 miles northeast of Berlin. Over the last two decades of the Cold War, this airbase was pretty busy with high-performance Soviet MiGs, ranging from the older MiG-21 fighter-interceptor, the ubiquitous MiG-23 fighter, the rare super-fast MiG-25 interceptor, and up to the modern MiG-29.

Finow received a plethora of aircraft shelters, including the older AU-13 for MiG-21 and -23, but also AU-16(2) and AU-16(3), the former intended for the Yak-28 and MiG-25, the latter for the MiG-29. The picture below portray the relatively rare AU-16(2), with its non-circular vault, in the still-active part of the airport in Finowfurt, today a general aviation field.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

The museum, encompassing the northwestern corner of the former military premises, offers the chance to walk close and inside AU-13 shelters, with their heavy reinforced doors, self-actuated by means of motors mounted close to their own bodies, and moving on a rail.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Parked ahead of a group of such shelters, a MiG-21 and a MiG-23 make for a scenario closely resembling the days of operation of this former Soviet installation. The shelters are interspersed with former technical gear from the base, including searchlights of evident Soviet make – see the writings in Cyrillic.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

A spherical dome on top of one of the shelters may have been the case for a rotating aerial.

An Ilyushin Il-14 old two-engined transport and a Yakovlev Yak-28 bomber sit on the opposite sides of a former taxiway, typically built with large concrete slabs.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

To the far end of the museum area, a low building, possibly a former canteen or technical facility, hosts a nice collection of artifacts, which tell much about the history of Finow over the years. For instance, during the Third Reich, this airbase was involved in testing the Allied aircraft landed in emergency on German territory – models of B-17 and B-24 in the unusual colors of the Luftwaffe witness this episode.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Of course, most of the material on display is from Soviet times. An original schematic of the base, and old signs in Russian – both propaganda posters and more technical explanations – are included in this collection.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Also a few naive paintings from Soviet times have been preserved.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

An interesting collection of Soviet technical gear includes aircraft cameras for optical imagery, helmets, flying suits, as well as weapons partly dismantled possibly for instructional purposes.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Ahead of the small museum building, a statue of Lenin can be found, possibly relocated from another spot of the former Soviet base.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

On a spot nearby, anti-aircraft and theater missiles can be found together with ranging aerials – as well as an ubiquitous Antonov An-2 transport biplane.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

An imposing sight in the museum is a freshly refurbished Tupolev Tu-134, in the colors of the East German flag-carrier Interflug. It was not the case on the day of my visit, but it is likely the aircraft can be boarded on some occasions. Nearby, also a large Mil helicopter – a former transport – can be found ahead of yet another aircraft shelter.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

On display in the latter are some aircraft jet engines, as well as some communications rigs, and some explanatory panels, likely from a former technical school for air personnel.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

A particularly interesting collection is hosted in an adjoining shelter, wisely converted for the scope. It is based on relics from crashed aircraft, from the years of WWII. A very active group of aviation archaeologists operates in Finow, and this fantastic display is the result of their preservation effort.

Artifacts range from engine parts to aircraft components from all the air forces involved in WWII, and include substantial remains from the wrecks of a Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, and a German Föcke-Wulf FW-190, a high-performing fighter manufactured in great numbers, but today sadly very hard to find even in museums.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Finally, closer to the former runway, two shelters cover a few helicopters, including some formerly in service with the Volkspolizei – the police of the GDR – as well as a MiG-15 with two seats for training, and a MiG-21.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Outside on the grass, a MiG-27 fighter bomber and a MiG-17, both in the colors of the GDR Air Force (aka NVA).

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Approaching the exit, a deployable aircraft-stopping harness for emergencies can be seen, close to a movable SAM launcher from the NVA, and a massive Sukhoi Su-22 similarly in the colors of the NVA, like those to be found in Cottbus (see above).

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt
Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

The ticket office of the museum is hosted in a former technical facility with reinforced doors, possibly a storage for special ordnance.

Former Soviet Base & Air Museum Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt

Thanks to the proximity with Berlin and the wealth of interesting artifacts, this museum is a highly valuable Soviet counterpart to the Westwardly-oriented museum in Gatow (on a former British airfield near Potsdam, website here). Besides a rich collection of aircraft and technical gear, complemented by a display of interesting findings from the aviation archaeology group, Finow allows to get a flavor of how a Soviet base looked like in the days of operation. For aircraft enthusiasts, a visit may easily take 2 hours or more.

Getting there

The museum is conveniently located in Finowfurt, immediately out of the highway A11 (exit Eberswalde), going from Berlin to Szczecin in northern Poland. It is less than 1 hour driving from downtown Berlin. The museum is mostly open-air, with some collections hosted in former aircraft shelters. A large free parking is available on site. Website here. Please note that credit card may not be accepted. Going with cash is recommended.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

The museum of Rechlin can be found in the former premises of an Army research center dating from the years of the Third Reich. It is located in the open countryside, about 80 km north of Berlin, in the vicinity of lake Müritz. Following the Soviet occupation of the area in 1945, the center went on as a technical site of the Red Army.

The museum has restored the original buildings, and set up an exhibition mainly focused on the history of German military aeronautics. The exhibition is both indoor and outdoor.

The indoor part has on display a number of German aircraft, aircraft engines and several related parts, mainly from pre-WWII or WWII. A highlight of the show is a number of reconstructed exemplars, created putting together original parts and some reproduced components. Of course, the result is now airworthy, but considering how hard to find these aircraft are today in collections, this is a rare opportunity to have a first-hand look at how these models looked like.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

A very interesting collection of original engines and components from the Third Reich period is on display. The level of engineering sophistication reached in the years of WWII is really astonishing. It was at that time that piston power reached its top development in aeronautics. Furthermore, the first jet engines entering production date from the final stages of WWII too, and are here represented.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Another hangar is mostly dedicated to large 1:1 mock-ups of extremely rare German designs from WWI and WWII, including a Dornier Do-335 in a push-pull configuration, which have been accurately assembled, providing a vivid portrait of how these now very rare-to-find aircraft.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Other exhibits include Soviet-made aircraft, partly dismounted for didactic purposes.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

In another wing, the museum displays a rich exhibition of original artifacts from the era of Soviet occupation. These include many aircraft components, jettisonable seats, helmets, several radio components, papers and pictures.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Simulators for aircraft and helicopter cockpits are also part of the display.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

Memorabilia include everyday items, Soviet newspapers, badges and celebration plates. The page of a German newspaper, from the date of the final withdrawal of then-Russian troops back home from Germany, titles ‘Farewell, Muzhiks!’ – really a momentous event.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

In an adjoining room, uniforms and emblems from both the USSR forces and the East-German NVA can be found in display cases.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

The outdoor exhibition is centered on a few original aircraft and helicopters, as well as fast motorboats and other vehicles. Aircraft include a MiG-21, MiG-23, and a massive Sukhoi Su-22.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

As for helicopters, there are a Mil-2, Mil-24 and a Mil-8 – all Soviet-made. The latter two have the main rotor blades still dismounted.

Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin
Luftfahrttechnisches Museum Rechlin

The research center, and today the museum, is located just about 5 km north of Rechlin/Lärz airfield, active in the Third Reich in aeronautical research – Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet rocket-powered interceptors were studied here. The airfield became a large Soviet base from 1945 to the time when the then-Russian troops left. Today the airport has been converted for general aviation use. A report from an exploration of its premises can be found here.

Getting there

This is a proportionate collection, friendly to visit for everybody, in a nice rural setting. Memories from the history of aviation in Germany before and during WWII, as well as from Soviet operations taking place in the area – an often overlooked but crucial chapter in the military history of the GDR. The exact address is Am Claassee 1, 17248 Rechlin, Germany. Official website here. Visiting may require 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Flugwelt Altenburg/Nobitz

Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?

A Travel Guide to COLD WAR SITES in EAST GERMANY

Second Edition - 2024
DON'T LEAVE IT AT HOME! AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

Similarly to the museum in Cottbus and Finowfurt, this collection – whose name ‘Flugwelt’ translates into ‘World of Flight’ – is built on the premises of a former airbase – Altenburg/Nobitz, 20 miles south of Leipzig. Actually this was a very active center, managed by the Soviets who operated from here in the years of the Cold War with MiG-21, 23 and 27, and was also one of those sites in the GDR selected for nuclear weapons storage. Tactical missiles batteries were located also here in response to the deployment of Pershing missiles by the US on the territory of Western Germany. in the Eighties.

The airbase has been converted to non-military use, and today it is active mainly with general aviation flights. Some former hangars are used by private companies.

The air museum is made of two physically separated parts. The main building with the ticket office is the former entrance to the Soviet airbase. Here an incredible, original mural from Soviet times is still gracing the wall, together with a map of the airfield, again from Soviet times. From there you access the inside exhibition, cluttered with aircraft parts, engines, flight suits,… Not everything from the Soviet part of the Iron Curtain though, as uniforms and parts from Western Germany and other non-communist Countries can be spotted.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

Among the most interesting artifacts in the exhibition, a large explanatory scheme of a servo-actuation plant of an aircraft, with explanations in cyrillic alphabet, and a simulator for a radar mounted inside the MiG-21. Both really used training items, very uncommon to find.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

A part of an A380, two gliders, some Interflug memorabilia – the flagship airline of the GDR – and tons of models and radio-transmission hardware complete the picture. Unfortunately, also here everything is in German only. The volunteers are welcoming and helpful, but unfortunately communication is not easy due to language issues.

In a first part of the open-air exhibition it is possible to find a couple of MiG-21, one East-German and the other Soviet, a helicopter of the Police of the GDR, plus other aircraft from the West-German Luftwaffe, namely a Dassault Atlantique patrol, a G-91 and an F-86.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

The two MiGs have been carefully restored, and the Red Army one appears to have been a former gate guardian at Altenburg/Nobitz.

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

Another part of the open-air collection can be found across the street, where a big Transall C-160 a Lockheed F-104 and a Sukhoi Su-22 can be spotted. The area is big and there is room for more aircraft – hopefully, this good-caring staff will have the chance to add even more items to their well-preserved collection in the future!

Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz - World of Flight
Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz – World of Flight

Curiously enough, the area was liberated from the Nazis by US troops in 1945, and handed over to the Soviets only after the end of WWII. A memorial stone remembers the actions of the US divisions fighting in the area in wartime.

Not time-expensive to visit (about 45 minutes to 1 hour for aircraft-minded people), besides a valuable aircraft collection and some rare artifacts of interest for aviation enthusiasts, this places offers the unique chance to enter a preserved gate building of a former Soviet airbase.

Getting there

The airport is located about two miles east of the nice historical town of Altenburg, itself about 30 minutes southeast of Leipzig. I would recommend going with a car and a good nav, for reaching the exact location of the museum may be a bit tricky with visual navigation. Website here, with some basic info also in English. The place is run by volunteers and it’s closed except during weekends in the good season, so carefully check opening times.

Soviet Airbases in the GDR – First Chapter

CarloR2 Comments

The BEST pictures from Soviet bases in the GDR
ALL in ONE BOOK!

Soviet Ghosts in Germany
GRAB IT in PAPERBACK or KINDLE from your national Amazon store!
amazon.com | amazon.de | amazon.co.uk
amazon.it | amazon.fr | amazon.co.jp

Like other satellite countries in the Soviet empire, the German Democratic Republic – also known as ‘Eastern Germany’ before the Nineties, ‘GDR’, or ‘DDR’ in German – hosted two armies, which not necessarily occupied the same installations, nor had access to the same resources.

Speaking of air forces, up to the dissolution of the GDR after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, there were two distinct bodies operating from airbases all over the country, namely the Air Forces of the National People’s Army (‘Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee’ in German), which was the national air force, and the Soviet Air Force (‘Voyenno-vozdushnye sily SSSR’ as they would pronounce it in Russia).

While East German military forces were composed of local personnel, Soviet forces were mainly composed of troops coming from the various republics of the Soviet Union. Operations of the two military powers were of course coordinated, but the two organizations were split, and both had their airbases.

Most airbases in the GDR actually developed on the area of former airfields from before WWII, but some peculiarities in the way they were refurbished and equipped after the conflict reflected the needs of the new respective owners.

Signs of this difference can be spotted exploring some of the surviving relics of these now inactive sites – for Soviet bases, writings in Cyrillic alphabet, Lenin’s sculptures like you can find in Moscow, and typically more barracks with more amenities for Soviet soldiers, made to let them have what they needed without passing the gate of the base.

The following photos were taken during visits to four former Soviet airbases, Merseburg, close to Halle, visited August 2015, and other three between Berlin and the Baltic, Wittstock/Dosse, Rechlin/Laerz and Ribnitz/Damgarten, visited April 2016. More airbases are covered in other pages on this website (see this post, and also this). Ribnitz/Damgarten in particular is partly abandoned, while an interesting museum has taken the northwestern part of its premises – the museum is covered in another post.

Navigate this post – Click on links to scroll

Wittstock/Dosse

Getting there and moving around

This site is located halfway between Berlin and Hamburg, just a few miles to the East of highway N.24, close to the junction with N.19 going North to Rostock.

The site can be easily reached by car. You can spot it very well on Google Maps and plan your trip – just search for Wittstock/Dosse. There are actually two airstrips concentrated in a rather small area, placed along an east-west line. The easternmost one is a still active, general aviation grass strip (Berlinchen).

The former Soviet airbase is the one to the west. It has been converted into a solar power plant, like most similar sites in former East Germany. Solar panels occupy the area of the former runway and taxiways, but the hangars and former barracks have not been included in the conversion plan – at least that was the picture in April 2016.

The access road you should go through is the one to the west of the airbase, going straight to the former barracks from road L153. You can park your car immediately after turning away from the L153. Actually there is a ‘no passing’ sign for cars, so you’d better go by foot to avoid misunderstandings. As it’s often the case with airports, be prepared to walk a lot, cause distances are not short.

On the pros side, apart from the grim appearance of the Soviet relics, the area is very peaceful and the countryside is relaxing and nice to see. During my stay lasting a couple of hours, I encountered only a few people out for a stroll in the countryside with their dogs, two technicians with a minivan going to the plant and some folks training their rescue dogs.

Sights

The former installation is totally deserted, and some of the residential, i.e. not technical buildings are really just waiting for the right day to collapse. There are danger signs scattered all over the area. Walking around should already give you an interesting and unusual picture of a ghost base from the Soviet era. I know of people who went inside most of the buildings, exploring them thoroughly. Personally I would recommend to think about it more than once before going in, especially the barracks, where concrete walls look really rotting – don’t forget it was made with Soviet quality… Risk connected with collapsing structures is not a remote issue here.

Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

In the photos it is possible to see the hangars – very large – some rather old and small shelters, and the barracks. I don’t know the specific history of this airbase – I’m currently trying to find a book on the matter, but it seems out of print and very difficult to find. Anyway, it is apparent that there are at least two groups of barracks built up in very different architectural styles, suggesting the base was built and later developed further. The two-storey buildings in a typical German style were probably built in the early days of the base, possibly before or during WWII. The cubic-shaped, all-concrete residential buildings are in pure functional Soviet style, and may date from the late Fifties or later.

The hangars – as I wrote these are not shelters – are very large and tall, suggesting they were used as maintenance shops. If this was the real role for this base, meaning it was a reference point for many others on the territory, this might justify the uncommon size of the barracks and living quarters.

A building probably used for movable service equipment and vehicles can be spotted among the hangars. It can be distinguished from the buildings connected with sheltering aircraft by the very (very) low ceiling. Interestingly, traces of a translation of the most typical German road signs to Russian can be still spotted on an inner wall, together with other less clear writings – unfortunately I don’t know Russian. The emblem of the Soviet Army (‘CA’) can be spotted on one of the doors of the same building.

Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

Two pinnacles of the exploration can be found very close to each other. The airbase apparently hosted a rather large indoor ‘sporting club’, with basket courts and other sport equipment. Most of the wooden floor in the gym is still there, with also other remains – including a Soviet newspaper from 1989 with stains of wall paint, probably used when repainting the walls. Curiously, the building hosting the gym is aligned at the level of the hangars, nearby the apron, and not among the barracks.

Moving through a courtyard just outside of the gym, it is possible to spot an incredible statue of Lenin, still perfectly preserved except for the missing face and inscription. Looking better at the statue, it is possible to notice it was placed in the middle of a perspective, leading to the statue from the main road crossing the service area of the base. Nowadays the perspective is less visible, due to newly grown trees.

All in all, the place is pervaded by a grim aura, the almost unreal and unnatural quietness of the buildings and maintenance shops making the site really unique and very evocative.

Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Wittstock Dosse Soviet Airbase

Note

Comparing the satellite photos with those above, it can be clearly seen that almost all trees have been cut and vegetation has been wiped out. The presence of some sorts of roadworks service trailers, even though apparently not recently used, may indicate some work is going on, and maybe there are plans to demolish the remaining buildings soon.

Rechlin/Laerz

Getting there and moving around

This base can be reached driving on road 198, between the villages of Rechlin and Mirow. Rechlin hosts also a museum dedicated to aeronautics which is covered in another chapter. This is indicated with an official sign when you are close to the airport. That museum is not located in the area surrounding the airport. The former airbase can be reached with a pleasant 10 miles drive from Wittstock/Dosse (see previous section).

Rechlin is still operating as an active general aviation airport – with the name Mueritz Airpark – but during my exploration I saw no flying activity. Anyway, no solar cells here.

Compared to other bases, this place is much more populated. To the west of the airfield, accessible from the road running along the western limit of the airfield, it is possible to visit a very small air museum – a different entity from the one in Rechlin. Very few aircraft can be spotted just besides the main building, including a Dassault Atlantique formerly of the GFR (German Federal Republic, or ‘West Germany’) Luftwaffe, a Lufthansa Training Beechcraft King Air and some Soviet or GDR aircraft and helicopters – markings have been removed making identification difficult. There are also some jet engines, and other service material and pods partly of Soviet origin. The visit of this museum may not offer much to the more experienced aircraft enthusiast, but approaching the museum can be done driving on the path of a former taxiway, still retaining its typical Soviet pavement made of concrete slabs.

Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm
Luftfahrtmuseum Laerz rlm

From the area of the museum it is possible to take pictures from the distance of a peculiar installation which at the moment occupies a group of relatively modern aircraft shelters on the northern part of the airfield. The function of this place, which is fenced and cannot be accessed freely, and is named ‘Kulturkosmos’, is not very clear. From the distance it looks like a kind of hippie village or stuff like that. Unfortunately, they occupy a part of the former installation encompassing some pieces of military history and taxiways, which would have been otherwise extremely interesting to explore.

Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Kulturforum
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Kulturforum
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Kulturforum
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Kulturforum

An interesting part of the former military installation in Rechlin is to the south of the runway, and can be approached driving along 198 from Rechlin in the direction of Mirow. After passing the runway – you can clearly spot it to your right, as the road runs along the perimeter of the base in this part – and after passing a crop, it is possible to spot a large unpaved road taking to the right. It is basically the first road to the right after passing the runway, about half a mile from it. There is room for parking at the beginning of the unpaved road. There are no ‘don’t’ signs here, but you might prefer parking here and going by foot as the road is bumpy and there are no other parking places next.

Sights

The road points straight into the base. As usual with airports, expect long walks. After about half a mile, you reach a wreck of a gate, intended to stop larger vehicles, but it can be crossed by foot or bicycle – say a MTB. Already before going through the gate it is possible to see a large and relatively modern aircraft shelter. The size – its height in particular – suggests it was made for larger aircraft – possibly MiG-23/27 – with respect to those of the early jet age, albeit MiG-29 needed yet another size. The gate of the shelter used to be moved with dedicated motors, which are still there but not functioning. Somebody is using this as a hay storage depot.

Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

A very mysterious building is located next to this isolated Soviet shelter. It appears as a very large concrete building having collapsed, or more likely blown up. The size and appearance are similar to the partially demolished bunkers you can visit in Hitler’s ‘Wolf’s Lair’ in northern Poland, so I guess this was built during the Nazi era. Furthermore, there are various writings in Cyrillic alphabet on the walls, including years from the age of the Soviet occupation. They are most probably ‘souvenirs’ from Soviet troops. I guess the Nazi or Soviets actually blew up this large building, which was never totally wiped out nor reused.

Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

Going further towards the runway – there are no prohibition signs, but I would recommend staying at a respectful distance from the runway, as this is an active GA airport – you come across a small door leading to a subterranean passage. This cannot be explored, as it is full of debris and dirt, but gives you an impression of what was the complexity of this installation. By the way, from, satellite images it is clear it had two crossing runways at some point in its history, so at some point it used to be much larger and prominent than it’s looking today.

Further on, you cross a former taxiway, today covered in dust, where really many couples of rather old Soviet aircraft shelters are still in place. There are herds of grazing cows around, and most shelters are used for storing hay.

Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

Taking to the left (south-west-wards) along this road, between the first and the second shelter on the left, you find a narrow paved road heading South-East. It is marked by a small electric cabin painted in a camo colorway – Soviet – now disconnected. Following this road for more than half a mile – the road bends right at some point – until its end, you pass besides some deserted service buildings, including some garages possibly for service vehicles, and finally you reach a very interesting item.

Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

From the side it looks mostly like another aircraft shelter, but there is no taxiway and the entrance is very small, and there is a small and bulky security door instead of the usual shelter door. This is actually a former deposit and shelter for weapons, possibly not conventional ordnance to be mounted on aircraft. In front of the weapon bunker there are more service buildings and a truck loading platform, probably used to move ordnance that was transported by road. Similar bunkers can be found only in Finsterwalde and Brand over the territory of the GDR (see here).

This bunker is probably larger than it looks, as vents can be spotted on the ground pretty far from its perimeter.

Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Rechlin Larz Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

All in all, this site is less grim than Wittstock/Dosse, and may be less evocative of the Cold War times, but it is not dangerous at all, and still retains some mystery and has very special items to show. By the way, while walking the southern part of the installation I didn’t meet a person, but came across much wildlife, including deers and birds of prey, much surprised to see somebody around! There are also partly signed trails in the trees, just for ‘normal’ trail hiking. The countryside all around is relaxing and enjoyable.

Note

The area of the former airbase is in the focus of an ambitious design, intended to create luxury living estates in most of the shelters which will be directly accessible with private aircraft, mostly like John Travolta’s house in Anthony, FL. It’s unclear how long the completion of the project will take – no housing had been erected as of May 2016. Nonetheless, some lots have been reportedly sold, and the former airbase may not remain accessible for long.

Ribnitz/Damgarten

Getting there and moving around

This former Soviet airbase, reportedly very active in the last days of the Soviet occupation when Soviet Forces were moving back into the inner Russian territory, was only partially explored during this trip (April 2016). It is located less than 20 miles east of Rostock, close to the coast of the the Baltic Sea. It can be easily reached by car, immediately to the west of the village of Damgarten.

About one third of the runway to the East is covered with solar cells, plus part of the area is used as a storage of road materials or by local farmers. There is also a small museum of technology in one of the former hangars (website here). So there are tons of activities in the area of this former military installation.

The most important thing to know – which actually hampered my plans – is that the main gate of the base, which can be reached following the road signs leading to the museum of technology north of the base, is open to the public only when the museum is open. Needless to say, this was not the case when I visited. Due to the fact that there were workers going in and out at every moment, there were CC cameras, and somebody also photographed my plate with his cell phone while I was taking pictures of the external wall, in order to avoid misunderstandings I renounced to step inside. Hence I couldn’t explore the northernmost part of the complex, which I expected to offer something very similar to Wittstock/Dosse in terms of appearance and significance – large maintainance hangars, former barracks and sculptures with some typical Communist pomp. The large and many buildings and the abandoned railway track leading directly into the base – you can spot it to the right of the main gate – suggest that this installation was probably of some strategic relevance.

Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

I tried to approach the site from the North, experiencing a public road made of concrete slabs which was too obviously of Soviet manufacture. To the north, the base is surrounded by a concrete wall. There are some unofficial pedestrian accesses I was tempted to use, but there were signs warning about danger of unexploded ordnance. I thought it was not advisable to explore further.

Then I moved to the south of the airbase, which is basically unguarded and unfenced, to the aim of photographing at least the taxiways and the former control tower. The former south entrance of the base can be conveniently reached by car on a paved road starting from Puttnitz (to the South of Damgarten) leading to an aparted residential area. The road reaches a dead-end by the former entrance to the base – differently from the northern one, it is now totally deserted.

Sights

Walking to the north towards the area of the base from the road leading to the southern gate you cross a small forest and reach the former fence of the base, where barbed wire has been removed and only concrete posts are still standing. From here you can rapidly reach a groups of former service buildings which are numbered and placed on a circle. A paved road can still be seen, even though the area is being vehemently reclaimed by nature.

Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

These buildings were probably service buildings for vehicles, ordnance or other material. It is unclear why they placed them around a circular track, but I guess this was a typical Soviet construction technique, for I found similar assemblies also in other bases.

From the circle it is already possible to see the taxiways and the area of the runway covered by solar panels. Walking north, it is possible to spot some smaller mystery buildings. Once on the taxiway, you notice the view of the northernmost part of the site is obstructed by a heap of debris, which probably was not there when the base was operative. From this point to the south of the runway, it is possible to spot the former control tower looking north.

Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Ribnitz Damgarten Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

With a walk to the east along an unpaved trail it is possible to reach a ditch from where you can see some old-fashioned shelters on the northern side of the solar plant.

All in all, this place has much more to offer than what I was allowed to see without disturbing local activities. I kept out of any prohibited area, yet I took care not to be spotted by anybody. I would recommend to try visiting during the opening times of the museum of technology, in order to be allowed in the installation without going undercover. This way you would be granted access to the northernmost part of the complex, which is probably also the most interesting.

Merseburg

Getting there and moving around

This former airbase is still an active airport for general aviation, so access is not totally free, albeit the place is not very active. On the plus side, the formerly interdicted area has been greatly reduced since the conversion to civil airport, and now it is even possible to move with your car on some of the former taxiways once used by aircraft. There are various activities on the field of this airport, including companies offering skydiving experiences and an air museum. There are also various deposits of hay in the former aircraft shelters, and parts of the former free areas of the airport have been reassigned as land for agriculture.

Due to the many activities on the field, arriving with a car is very easy. The airport is located between the small town of Merseburg and less than 3 mi south of the big city of halle, in a very well served area. I arrived from L172, running along the airport to the north, from where you can already spot the shelters. There is a traffic light where L172 turns into a local road, with signs with the name of some companies having their quarters in buildings near the airport, taking to the south of L172.

Soon after turning on this street going south along the eastern border of the airfield (named ‘Fischweg’), it is possible to spot a strange-looking road taking to the right – from the concrete slabs making the pavement, you soon realize it is a former taxiway of a Soviet base. You can drive this road which reaches to the base of skydiving and general aviation activities.

Going back to the ‘Fischweg’ road and going further south, you pass a round about and reach the air museum – which regrettably I couldn’t visit because I was slightly late – with a Tupolev 134 in the colors of the former flagship company of the GDR ‘Interflug’ parked in the courtyard, and visible from the outside.

From nearby the museum it is possible to spot a former taxiway going west. I guess it is not possible to go by car, as it points straight into the base and reaches to the runway. On the other hand, going by foot should not be a problem, but unfortunately there are no old buildings at all to the south of the runway.

In order to get acceptable photos of the more recent shelters, it is advisable to go back to L172, turning south on the 91 crossing the village of Merseburg, and turning west on ‘Geusaer Strasse’, a local paved road going west to some small and aparted residential areas (Geusa and Atzendorf). After about 1.25 miles going west on this ‘Geusaer Strasse’ you reach Geusa and you find a local street called ‘Rohrwisenweg’ taking slightly to the right. After .25 miles you find a narrow paved road to the right going straight north. It is impossible to miss it, as at the beginning there is a large scrap dealer. This road is only for locals and agricultural traffic, there is a conditional ‘no passing’ sign, but I encountered no problems driving all the way to the other end, which is again on the L172 to the north of the airport. You might take the same road directly from the L172 in the opposite direction, but due to the intense local traffic, you have more chance to be noticed ignoring the ‘no passing’ sign taking that road to the south.

This connection road is aligned in a north-south direction and runs along the western border of the airport. From there with an average zoom lens you can take pictures of the more recent aircraft shelters. Getting closer by foot might be possible, but I couldn’t find a good place for parking safely, and you should keep in mind that this is an active airport, so you’d better avoid misunderstandings with the locals.

Sights

As mentioned in the previous instructions, the main attraction is the opportunity to drive on the former Soviet taxiways. I was very worried about having a flat tire, but I noticed there were many cars at the opposite end of the road going to the local GA terminal.

Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

In the old-fashioned aircraft shelters located in this area it is still possible to spot some writings in Cyrillic alphabet. There are also unsheltered parking aprons for single aircraft. You may like to photograph your car in a place where once stood a Soviet MiG-17!

I won’t cover the air museum (website here) as I unfortunately couldn’t step inside, having arrived after last admittance time. In one of the pictures you can see the Tu-134 of ‘Interflug’ mentioned above.

The last photographs show the larger shelters as you can see them from the distance, from the connection road to the west of the airfield. Merseburg hosted MiG-29 in the latest stage of the Cold War, so I guess these shelters were large enough for hosting also that type of aircraft.

Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase
Merseburg Flugplatz Soviet Airbase

All in all, this former airbase is not very ‘dark’ nor difficult to visit, on the contrary there are many people and activities around. The countryside is not much interesting, as the area is mostly urban, being in the outskirts of Halle. So, it is not a great place for a relaxing walk. Notwithstanding its original size, the site has less to offer than other Soviet airbases – no barracks or service buildings -, but on the plus side you can move around by car getting pictures of what is still in place without spending much time exploring the site by foot.