Fascinating pics reveal decaying theatre and Olympic-sized swimming pool inside once-glamorous secret Soviet city closed to the world until the end of the Cold War
The derelict site was once the biggest Red Army army camp outside of the USSR housing around 75,000 people
PAUL HARPER
THESE fascinating images show inside an abandoned secret Soviet city in Germany, which was once closed off to the outside world.
Wunsdorf, which once housed 75,000 men, women and children, shut down five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
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Juergen Naumann, 63, has allowed photographers inside the former Soviet town which was abandoned more than 20 years agoCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Seats in the old theatre at Wunsdorf, which hosted regular plays for the thousands of residents, are still marked with Cyrillic writingCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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The Olympic standard pool in the former Soviet HQ, the tiles reportedly date back to the late 1800s when the German Empire militarised WunsdorfCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Jurgen Naumman is now the caretaker of the 'Forbidden City' repairing damage and keeping an eye out for intrudersCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Wunsdorf was the biggest Soviet army camp outside of Moscow, with up to 75,000 men on the baseCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Some of the artwork inside Wunsdorf, this painting was created at a time when the Soviets were locked in a space race with the USACredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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One of the two statues remaining on the site dedicated to the former Soviet leader LeninCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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During WW2, Wunsdorf was a key part of the Nazi war campaign and featured an underground listening bunker surrounded by thick wallsCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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The Soviets abandoned the site in 1994 after it had been one of their key bases during the Cold WarCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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It is reported that Soviet families were in such a rush to leave that even pets were left behindCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
For a small fee members of the public and photographers can walk around the decaying, crumbling site once dubbed the 'Forbidden City' .
The intriguing tour reveals a grand hall, featuring two pictures showing Moscow and east Berlin, and a huge Olympic-standard swimming pool.
The heavily restricted site, managed by caretaker Jurgen Naumman, also features two rotting statues of Soviet leader Lenin.
Naumann's job is to check for damage caused by rain, unwanted visitors and arrange repairs, reports the .
The purpose built town around 30 miles from the German capital was once known as 'Little Moscow', and ran weekly trains to the Soviet city.
Wunsdorf, which included shops, schools, leisure facilities, was the biggest Red Army military camp outside of the USSR.
When the Soviets left in August 1994, troops and families were in a such a hurry to move that 98,300 rounds of ammunition and even domestic pets were abandoned.
It was first built when German states united in the late 19th century and the area became militarised.
WW1 prisoners were held at Wunsdorf and Germany's first mosque was built for Muslim POWs.
Then in 1935, Wunsdorf became the headquarters for the Wehrmacht, the German Armed forces.
The Nazi's war campaign was directed from the underground communications bunker at Wunsdorf, below buildings with walls a metre thick.
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The now abandoned site was a key venue during both World Wars and then the Cold WarCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Because of its size Wunsdorf was often referred to as Little Moscow, and trains ran to the city every weekCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Wunsdorf is among a legacy of abandoned ruins from the Soviet's time in Germany, which includes airfields at Rangsdorf, Oranienburg and Schönwalde, and military camps at Jüterbog, Kummersdorf, Vogelsang and BernauCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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Local people needed special permission to enter the city, which was popular because of the cheap goods on saleCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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A spiral staircase inside Wunsdorf where after the final military parade, the Russians reportedly left behind 98,300 rounds of ammunitionCredit: Not known refer to copyright holder
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Naumann, the caretaker of the Red Army's former HQ in Germany, which once housed 75,000 residents, spoke about how it's a shame the site has not been reusedCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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A remarkably intact artwork from inside Wunsdorf as the site crumbles around it - hundreds of Soviet children were educatedCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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The secret Soviet base of Wünsdorf, once the biggest in Europe, has stood empty for the last 20 years since the last Russian troops packed up and left in 1994Credit: North Downs Picture Agency
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This statue of the former Marxist Soviet leader Lenin is reported to be the only one of its kind still standing in EuropeCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
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It was once the high command for Soviet forces in Germany - but now it remains fenced offCredit: North Downs Picture Agency
In November 2015, it emerged the site was put up for up sale at around £3 million, reports .
At the time, Naumman, a veteran of 19 years with the Peoples' Army of the German Democratic Republic talked about the pristine condition of Wunsdorf before it was abandoned and left to ruin.
"It's such a shame that this place was never used after the change," he said.
"The joke around here was that the leaves of the trees were polished at Wünsdorf.
"So much could have been done with what was left behind."
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