Anyone who has always wanted to moor up on their own island will have the chance to do so on 4 June 2026, when the artificially created "Ostervilm Island" will be auctioned off. The starting price for the former demagnetisation station is 39,000 euros. In addition, there is an annual lease of 75 euros for the 700 square metres of water southeast of Rügen in the Greifswald Bodden. There is also a work of art, but this costs extra.
The lost-place property is now looking for a new owner - however, an on-site inspection of the now very dilapidated platform is not possible.
From secret technology to a lost place
The platform, erected on hundreds of oak piles, was built around 1954. It was originally used by the People's Navy to reduce the magnetic fields of ships in order to protect them from magnetic mines and torpedoes. Sailors were stationed on site. They monitored generators, operated the technical equipment and carried out the necessary measurements. Usually three soldiers were on duty at the station for one or two weeks at a time. Everything they needed came by ship. A lonely post in the middle of the Bodden, surrounded by water, seagulls and military secrets.
The facility consisted of a residential building and an engine house, which made the operation possible. After reunification, the German Navy had no use for the NVA facility - the station was left to the wind, weather, cormorants and looters.
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Ambitions and obstacles
It was not until 2001 that the federal government found a buyer for the artificial island after a long search: mechanical engineer Peer Wenmakers from Bergen and Düsseldorf architect and set designer Gerhard Benz bought it from the Federal Property Office for DM 10,001. The ambitious buyers wanted to turn the "Ostervilm", popularly known as the "Entmag", into a meeting and creative centre for artists. Readings, workshops, studio work and perhaps exhibitions were to take place here, a "sanatorium for the mind" was to be created. A mare-TV report from 2014 shows the beginnings of the now abandoned project.
Even before that, there were a whole host of other interested parties with some bizarre plans. More or less serious interested parties wanted to build a casino at sea, a holiday and leisure facility, an adventure base for anglers, a restaurant for water sports enthusiasts, a test station for wind turbines or even a brothel - an entertainment centre on stilts in the biosphere reserve, only accessible by boat, with seagulls as fence guests.
The buyers disposed of huge amounts of bird droppings and even brought a caravan to their island. However, their project failed due to the enormous costs of transporting building materials and repairs. To this day, the island is also home to a free-standing sculpture by the architect, a ceramic bell weighing around 1.3 tonnes. It sits enthroned on the dilapidated platform like a stone memorial to failed dreams and has since become a Popular photo and film motif for drone pilots, sea kayakers and sailors - and not included in the purchase price.
Options for the future?
The platform is a well-known landmark for sailors in the Greifswald Bodden. Its location in the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve however, sets narrow limits on ideas for future utilisation.
It is also interesting to note that only the building will change hands with the purchase, not the surrounding 710 square metres of water. Daniela Tiker from Norddeutsche Grundstücksauktionen AG clarifies: "This will be leased from the Water and Shipping Authority in Stralsund." The annual lease fee is 75 euros - initially a bargain in view of the berth prices on the Baltic Sea.
On closer inspection, however, there are a few obstacles. The Greifswalder Bodden is a federal waterway and is also located in the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve, which is designated as an FFH area and EU bird sanctuary. Potential buyers should clarify in advance with the Stralsund Waterways and Shipping Authority and the nature conservation authorities whether they are allowed to moor freely at the platform or whether special permits are required.
The former military platform has now developed into a refuge for birds. Cormorants in particular regularly use the structure as a resting place and have covered the concrete, wood and rusty steel beams with a thick layer of guano. Stricter regulations could apply during the breeding season from February to July. Every renovation or structural change requires authorisation from the nature conservation authority and the biosphere reserve - a procedure that does not necessarily end successfully. Tourist or catering development could also contravene nature conservation regulations.
Great interest, uncertain future
The structural condition is challenging: over 70 years of Baltic Sea weather, subsidence cracks, rusted steel structures, destroyed windows and massive cormorant populations have left their mark. Complex material transport across the water, legal and practical hurdles can turn even the smallest projects into a mammoth task.
Nevertheless, interest is high: "Enquiries have been piling up since today," reports Daniela Tiker from Norddeutsche Grundstücksauktionen AG. "We already had enquiries beforehand, but I assume that there will be even more. It is not yet possible to say to what extent interested parties will actually buy, but there is a lot of interest for the time being."
What the prospective buyers intend to do with the platform remains their secret for the time being. "Our customers always keep a lid on what they plan to do with it in advance," says Tiker. It is often only later that the auction house finds out which plans are actually being realised. The auction house has not yet registered any enquiries from the water sports scene.
However, nobody should approach the matter with overly optimistic calculations. Tiker explains: "The current owners had a lot of ideas, but according to them, they failed financially because it was more expensive than initially thought."
Auction details and conditions
The auction will take place on 4 June 2026 at 11.00 a.m. in the Haus der Patriotischen Gesellschaft, Trostbrücke 4-6, Hamburg. It will be organised by Norddeutsche Grundstücksauktionen AG. A total of 42 properties will be auctioned on this day - the Ostervilm is likely to be one of the most unusual.
The minimum bid is 39,000 euros. There is also an auction premium. Buyers do not acquire a classic plot of land, but merely a right to use the water area of around 710 square metres and around 250 square metres of usable space on the platform itself. According to the auction house, it is not possible to view the property on site - interested parties must rely on the auction documents and the numerous photos circulating on the internet.
What is a demagnetisation station?
The facility was used by the People's Navy as a demagnetisation station. The magnetic fields of ships were measured and reduced via cable loops on the seabed. The principle: the ships travelled over the cable loops laid in the water while their magnetic signature was recorded. It was then technically influenced in such a way that the risk of magnetically triggered weapons was reduced.
Iron ship hulls develop their own magnetic signature due to movement in the earth's magnetic field. This can be utilised by magnetic mines or for submarine detection with magnetic anomaly detectors. Demagnetisation stations were therefore highly relevant for military purposes during the Cold War.
Other demagnetisation stations in Germany are located in Wilhelmshaven, near Kiel in Friedrichsort and in Möltenort. Near Rendsburg, in a side arm of the Kiel Canal, there is also a geomagnetic field simulator operated by the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (WTD) 71.
Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
