Military complex in eastern Germany known as the 'forbidden city' tells the country's complicated military history from empire times via the Nazis to the Soviets' reign during the Cold War, kugrieshaber writes.
In this Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2019 photo, the doors stand open in a corridor of the abandoned "Haus der Offiziere", the headquarters for the Soviets' military high command in former East Germany at the Wuensdorf neighborhood of Zossen, some 40 kilometers south of Berlin.
“The Kaiser, Hitler, the Soviets — all of them were militarily active here, one after the other,” says Borchert, 67, a guide offering tours of the “Haus der Offiziere,” or officers’ complex in the Wuensdorf neighborhood of Zossen, some 40 kilometers south of Berlin. He flicks a light switch in the darkness to turn on the cold, fluorescent lamps that light up seemingly endless hallways with numerous rooms branching off to the left and right.
The complex is now under the auspices of the state of Brandenburg, but no money has been invested and no new owner has been found. The ravages of time have taken its toll. The faded yellow plastering is flaking off the facade, windows are broken, a fuse box dangles off a wall, and wild animals such as martens have left trails of excrement on the dusty floors.
One pale mural aggrandizes communism, showing a powerful hydro-electric power station and muscular workers on tractors. Outside the main building entrance gate, there’s still an oversized statue of the Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. Most of the Maybach complex was destroyed after the end of the war by the Soviets, but the huge underground bunker known as Zeppelin, which served as a communication hub, is still accessible.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Guaido urges Europe to increase sanctions against Maduro – Venezuela crisisVenezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called on Europe to intensify financial sanctions against the government, a day after Caracas expelled the German ambassador for 'interference'.
Read more »
German leader clarifies stance on student climate protestsBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel is making clear she supports students protesting around the world against global warming, following widespread criticism of comments seeming to...
Read more »
German police: Dead gardener suspected of planting bombsGerman police urge anyone who had a conflict with a recently deceased gardener to be wary, after a doctor was killed and a mother and daughter injured by bombs apparently left behind by him.
Read more »
4 children, 1 adult killed in German house fireBERLIN (AP) — German firefighters say that five people, including four children, have been killed after a blaze ripped through their home in the southern city of Nuremberg. Firefighters told...
Read more »
403 Forbidden
Read more »
How California’s early primary illustrates the state’s political inferiority complexIn its bid for political relevance, California has often played around with the date for its presidential primary. Will an earlier primary in 2020 help assuage the state's long-held inferiority complex about its lack of political impact?
Read more »
South Korea agency says movement at Pyongyang ICBM research complex detected: newspaperSouth Korea's National Intelligence Service said movements of supply transp...
Read more »