Urbex In Leipzig: Abandoned German State Railway Repair Shops (Photos)

Updated: 13th September 2026

On my way to the Leipzig Panometer, I took the train to the Leipzig MDR S-Bahn station. Just beside it was a set of abandoned buildings – by the looks of it, an old factory or storage warehouse facility.

A quick search online, and I found the buildings were called RAW ehemaliges / Lost Place, RAW being short for Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk – a maintenance and repair shop for vehicles on the former Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German State Railway.

The RAW operated as a major state railway and maintenance facility before being scaled down and ultimately closing during the political and economic shifts of the GDR era.

The Deutsche Reichsbahn operated from 1920 to 1949. When the East and West German states were founded, East Germany took control of the DR and continued to use the name.

However, during the time of the GDR, the economy was struggling and many employees were laid off, so facilities like these ceased operations.

Now, the buildings are a ‘Lost Place’, an open exploration space for decaying buildings for urbex fanatics, of which there seem to be many in Leipzig.

I had fun exploring this one, and the neighbouring Institut fuer Zukunft, which was also abandoned, but briefly transformed into a venue for events, flea markets, and an electronic/techno music club.

Here is a selection of my photographs taken of the site.

Urbex In Leipzig: Abandoned German State Railway RAW (Photo Gallery) – Thanks For Reading!

It was interesting to learn about the history of these abandoned RAW in Leipzig and to have the opportunity to explore them and take photos of these Lost Places. – Lauren x

If you liked this, check out 12 other weird and wonderful things to do in Leipzig, Germany.

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