FLUGPLATZ BRAND [DE]

Exploration #216 Flugplatz Brand. Flugplatz Brand is an abandoned airbase about 50 km south of Berlin. Its construction started in 1938 for the Luftwaffe and in 1939, the airfield was equipped with a 1000 m long grass runway. It served as an operational airport and, until September 1944, as a training airfield for the pilot school. A school building was erected especially for the pilot training school.

The Soviet forces, who remained in Germany as occupation forces after the end of the Second World War, extended the small airfield in 1950/1951 by adding a 2500 m long concreted northern main runway. In 1958, another 2000 m runway was added as an auxiliary fighter runway. In later years, there was even a command post and a weapons warehouse that could be used to store nuclear aircraft bombers and MIG-17 as well.

The Soviet left the base and the buildings in 1990 and the site was transferred to German authorities. In 1998 the society CargoLifter bought the area and started dismantling the northern runway and built the most extensive unsupported hall in the world to construct cargo airships. After the insolvency of CargoLifter in 2002, the airship hangar was sold to an investor from Malaysia, who has been operating the amusement park “Tropical Islands” there since 2004. On the contrary the buildings are nowadays abandoned.