Since reunification in 1990 the area has seen an upturn economically. However, parts of the town and countryside carry intriguingÊ evidence of their past. A number of large abandoned airfields litter the countryside, these are visible to the competitors and sometimes are not marked on maps.
The remains of significant concrete storage sheds and paved areas are dotted around. As I wrote earlier, some of this was related to communal machine storage when the farming land was under communal ownership.
Just off the western boundary road a little south of the airfield is a small track, with a manually operated boom gate. A red and white striped job, just like you see in the old movies. However, there are no armed guards and no other buildings in sight. The gate seems to be rusted open allowing anyone to follow the winding concrete road to a large flat, empty, concrete area to the south of the modellers part of the airfield.
Unlike amongst the Western Germans we have at the comps, English is not a common language in these smaller towns. During their separate times, the East Germans learnt Russian as a second language, while the Westeners learnt English. Since reunification English is the main foreign language taught in schools.
I went for a bike ride through the nearby local hamlets of Sachen, Spreeweise and Klix a few days ago.
I have been thinking of putting together a longish message of what the urban landscape is like, but I don't think I have time to do it properly.
The three hamlets named above form aÊ rough triangle with about 1km per side. Sachen is just north of the airfield (ie on the other side of the road).
Klix is at the east end of the airfield, we fly over it as we launch in that direction. Spreeweise is to the north of both these others. It is on a part of the river Spree system which spreads around here.
These hamlets are in easy walking distance from each other. It is not hard to imagine how in times of long ago it was possible that people could live their whole lives and not go more than a few kilometres away.
Instead of a long winded description, here are some pictures. Some buildings appear to have been restored recently. Some have been under restoration for a long time according to some of the visiting pilots, while some are in advanced states of disrepair.
The picture which looks like a ruined, overgrown farmhouse is in fact in the middle of Klix in a cul de sac off the main road. Big money is being spent on some places (one picture shows a well restored big house from the road, with a nearer stable complex which has not been yet been touched).
Next door houses can vary (e.g., the one with the Woppy in the front yard), one being in good condition and one in a very advanced state of disrepair but still in use.
This type of brick with render walls and tiled/slated/shingle rooves is the brick veneer of East Germany, but it seems to have been the favoured way for a long time.
One barn in Klix has the numbering 1900 in different coloured slates of the roof. I can only surmise this is the date the roof was last covered or originally built.
Another feature is nesting places for storks. In Sachen it is only a wagon wheel on a post but Spreeweise boasts this little masonary beauty. At first I thought it was the remains of a factory or furnace chimney (which it was), but couldn’t find the fire place. It had been bricked up after the original use had become redundant and a platform placed on the top for nesting. The original attached building is gone and only pasture remains.
Hope the emails over the past couple of weeks have been interesting. Time draws on and the comp will end soon and my web access will become more sporadic.
Regards SWK