# Lenin's Officers House



## UrbanX (Nov 8, 2018)

History: 
A once thriving soviet town of 70,000 people, who even had a daily direct train to Moscow. Now completely abandoned. The main town / barracks are pretty ruinous. I spent a whole day wandering the town last year, you can see my photos from that here: 

However in one corner, almost perfectly preserved is all of the officers accommodation and leisure facilities. 

The jewel in the crown of any barracks is the officers accommodation. I explored the town last year, it was huge, it housed 70,000 troops and even had a daily train service to Moscow. Today though is all about the officer’s accommodation. 




In front of the building, still standing proud is Lenin. Behind it is the historically protected (although very dilapidated diorama, a rotunda, which was integrated into the complex until 1970. Here, the Soviets presented a painting entitled "Storming of the Reichstag by the Red Army".





Humorously it is actually up for sale at the moment, here’s some words from the estate agents blurb:
_“The mess house was used by the Soviet troops as a pioneer house. The Russians housed a casino and a library there. It’s a treat on the senses with its imposing dining room, which opens with large lattice windows and a terrace leading to the former officers' garden.”_

Nothing about school catchment areas tho. 

The Explore: 
Before going in I decide to survey the prize, so I climb the building opposite to get a decent view of it.








Signage






Murals

The stairs!












Back up to the roof: 
Looking back: 




Looking forward (Note Lenin at the bottom:



Detritus in the clock tower:
















Thanks for looking:


----------



## HughieD (Nov 8, 2018)

That staircase porn is amazing. Another top-notch report Mr X....


----------



## Wrench (Nov 8, 2018)

Holy shit thats nice
I do like the old soviet stuff, nice work


----------



## BikinGlynn (Nov 8, 2018)

Yes lovely that, the staircase is a work of art. nicely done


----------



## UrbanX (Nov 8, 2018)

HughieD said:


> That staircase porn is amazing. Another top-notch report Mr X....



Cheers dude, I'm sure there's photos circulating of me flat on my back under that stair tying to get the shot wider!


----------



## Mikeymutt (Nov 8, 2018)

Just beautiful mate that is.


----------



## smiler (Nov 8, 2018)

Proper Job, Loved It, Thanks


----------



## Sam Haltin (Nov 9, 2018)

A very nice collection of photos especially the first one, the "then" picture, if you'll notice that not one officer has his hands in his pockets.


----------



## prettyvacant71 (Nov 11, 2018)

Looking up at that staircase is just mental, it has a bit of a Gaudi feel about it Very nice UrbanX!


----------



## Ninja Kitten (Nov 16, 2018)

ahhhh heckers ...wow..


----------



## Scattergun (Nov 21, 2018)

That's a good effort mate, it's quite an impressive place with a rich history. Do you still pay to get into the main block? I understand that's what most were doing although if you were lucky sometimes there was a subtle way into one of the outlying wings.


----------



## Pincheck (Nov 22, 2018)

Yes like a numbers of places in Germany you can either do it old school or pay for the tour i prefer old school myself.Found this a very entertaining site to see


----------



## MrSovieticus (Nov 22, 2018)

Great place and report, I love explores with history like this one!


----------



## skankypants (Dec 1, 2018)

Stunner....


----------



## wolfism (Dec 4, 2018)

Good shots, did you see the auditoria and modern rotunda? The latter is easy to get into and has an interesting WW2 map on the wall. We also came across some ex-Soviet sheep grazing in the grounds…



Scattergun said:


> Do you still pay to get into the main block?


Yes you do, but worth it to have a chat with the caretaker who is quite a character and zooms around on an electric bike.


----------



## Rubex (Dec 13, 2018)

Awesome! Very nice work!


----------

