Wünsdorf Military Base One of Europe’s largest military bases during WWI
Wünsdorf Military Base
Hauptallee Zossen, Germany
SPACE TYPE: Barrack or base
PRESERVATION STATUS: Abandoned
What once started as a German military shooting range in the 1800s soon became one of Europe’s largest military bases during WWI.
In 1919 the Army Sports School was established here, training German athletes ahead of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
After World War II the complete base became the headquarters of the Soviet forces in East Germany during the communist era. At that time the biggest Soviet camp outside the USSR. The town had a population of 60.000 people, 50.000 of them were soldiers. Native people weren’t allowed inside the military town hence the nickname “Die Verbotene Stadt”.
Abandoned in 1994.
Text by Reginald Van de Velde
L’area di Wünsdorf/Zossen, nel Brandeburgo, era un luogo molto importante per l’esercito tedesco: qui si trovava l’Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, ossia il Comando Supremo delle Forze Armate tedesche.
Dopo la seconda guerra mondiale, i sovietici scelsero questo luogo per il contingente principale delle loro forze armate in Germania Est. Furono circa 50-60.000 persone tra civili e militari sovietici a installarsi nella zona, in strutture già presenti o in edifici costruiti ex novo.
Testo di Roberto Conte
Ph. Roberto Conte
