May 6, 2026, 4:43 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Off the coast of Rügen, one of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s most unusual properties is up for sale. But anyone looking to bid on the former military platform Ostervilm will need more than just a sense of adventure.
The artificial island Ostervilm is located off Putbus in the Baltic Sea and was a strictly restricted area during the GDR era. Only a few sailors were stationed there. Today, the site is a dilapidated lost place with a decaying residential building and technical facilities on 600 piles.
The platform dates back to the Cold War. DDR naval soldiers used the facility to neutralize the magnetic fields of ships, aiming to better protect them from mines and torpedoes. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German armed forces no longer needed the “demagnetization station Lauterbach.” Since then, the facility has fallen into disrepair–despite private investors having grand plans in the meantime.
Minimum Bid is 39,000 Euros
According to BILD, the former military platform will be auctioned at the summer auction of Norddeutsche Grundstücksauktionen AG on June 4, 2026, in Hamburg. The minimum bid is 39,000 euros. Today, the property is called “Island Ostervilm.” It is located about three kilometers east of the nature reserve island Vilm, which is 94 hectares in size, in the Greifswalder Bodden.
The price seems relatively low, but the condition of the facility is likely to pose significant challenges for potential buyers. The auction catalog describes the property clearly: “The extravagant island is built on a concrete frame platform with iron plate cladding and wooden plank decking. The condition is dilapidated due to nature, bird droppings, and vandalism. Settlement cracks. Rusted steel parts. Broken windows. Algae growing up the walls.”
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Inspection is Not Possible
Ostervilm is accessible only by water. Due to the poor structural condition, interested parties cannot inspect the platform before the auction. The property includes a total of 710 square meters of land and water area. There is a usage contract for the area with the Water and Shipping Office Stralsund.
The last known owners are a northern German architect and a planning engineer. They wanted to create a special art space on Ostervilm. However, the plans failed due to long transport routes, legal hurdles, and very high investment costs.
Plans for a Vacation Resort Failed
About ten years ago, there was also an attempt to convert the former station into a vacation resort. This project was not implemented either. Since then, mainly cormorants and other water birds have used the platform.
Living on Ostervilm would be difficult despite the extraordinary location: There is no fresh water, wastewater disposal is complicated, and heating and maintenance would be labor-intensive.