The Forbidden City

Just outside Berlin lie the towns of Wünsdorf-Waldstadt, Kummersdorf-Gut and Sperenberg - places which most inhabitants of Berlin and Germany are unlikely to know much about. And yet all these places and their surroundings are steeped in contemporary history. With the project from which a book has developed and gonna be published by Kerber with my graduation from the Neue Schule für Fotografie in Berlin this April. I go on a trail of evidence in pictures and investigate the most relevant events, sites and changes over four eras. Thus, an insight is given into the former use of these sites extending from the imperial age, through the Nazi era and the occupation by Soviet troops right up until the present age. The discovered relics found from various time periods have prompted me not only to take photographs myself, but also to include other material. I have thus investigated various archives for information, documents and older photos and film recordings. One lead even took me to Russia, to the town of Zhukov, where the diorama from the Russian garrison had been reconstructed after its removal from Wünsdorf.

One can see how Wünsdorf and the surrounding area developed into such significant military locations: Which facilities were most important and for which purpose they played a role. It is interesting to see how the use of various buildings and sites changed over time.