Located 40 miles from Berlin and hidden away deep in the forest lies the abandoned Soviet base of ‘Vogelsangit’. Abandoned in 1994, the village once covered almost 5,000 acres and was the home to over 15,000 Soviet soldiers and families.
Recently the area was captured on a drone video camera, which shows the once proud village decaying after over 20 years of abandonment. The village was the biggest ever built on foreign soil.
Once World War II ended, a site that was situated north of the village became of great interest to the USSR.
In 1952, the Soviets built a town consisting of barracks in the woods that would hold up to 15,000 soldiers and their families. This town was off-limits to anyone that wasn’t essential, and contained a gym, shops, a school, a medical facility and a theater.
It was the third biggest Soviet base inside East Germany.
According to Soviet military records, the R-5 withdrew in 1959.
Documents from the British Military Intelligence and the CIA have stated that the village may have actually been used all the way up until the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis; in fact, it was most likely used until the R-5 was retired in 1967.
These records show that not much of the site can be seen easily, so it is unsure how long operations could have continued, though it is known railways were used until late 1959.
When the early 60s rolled around the site was taken over by the 25th Tank Division.
When the Russian Army withdrew in 1994, some parts of the town were destroyed while others were left to be reclaimed by nature.
So much ammunition seeped into the soil that it is now advised you do not go walking on the ground, otherwise, you may lose a leg after accidentally setting off a mortar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN53fYycb9o