Trespassing Into History

A weathered brick barge resting quietly in the water and a handful of crumbling brick walls are among the few visible reminders of what was once one of Mecklenburg's most important industrial sites. Today, the former Brick Harbour (Ziegeleihafen) in Malliß is a peaceful destination surrounded by woodland, accessible via marked forest trails. It is difficult to imagine that this tranquil place once echoed with the sounds of industry, where barges, workers and machinery kept one of the region's largest brickworks in constant motion....(more)

The former Soviet radar site was part of the air surveillance network operated by the Soviet Forces in Germany (GSSD/WGF). During the Cold War, it served as an early warning and airspace monitoring station, contributing to the integrated air defense system of the Warsaw Pact. Its primary mission was to detect and track aircraft approaching from the west, monitor the airspace over Saxony and the Ore Mountains, and relay radar data to higher command centers responsible for coordinating fighter aircraft and surface-to-air missile units....(more)

A week after our visit to the abandoned brickworks, we found ourselves heading out again on a sunny Sunday in February 2021. The snow had finally melted, temperatures had climbed back above freezing, and it was simply too nice a day to stay indoors.

At the time, Germany was still in the midst of its second strict COVID-19 lockdown, which had already been in place for almost two months. Travel restrictions meant we were not allowed to leave our federal state, so I started looking for abandoned places closer to home that we hadn't explored yet. Eventually, I came across two promising locations: a small cottage in the middle of a quiet village and a much larger farmhouse with a barn and several.....(more)