The Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant (in German: Kernkraftwerk Rheinsberg or ‘KKW Rheinsberg’) was commissioned in 1956 as East Germany’s first commercial nuclear reactor, using Soviet technology and designed through cooperation between East German and Soviet engineers. The nuclear plant was intentionally hidden deep in the Brandenburg forest in an area chosen for its low population density. The exact location of the plant, and the existence of the railway leading to it, was kept a tight secret. Nearing the end of its intended lifespan and unable to meet new West German…
