Lehnin Training Area is located approximately 25 km southwest of Potsdam surrounded by Brandenburg pine forests.
Today the Lehnin monastery houses the Luise-Henrietten-Stift of the Evangelical Landeskirche Berlin-Brandenburg.
The following cities and municipalities border the Lehnin military headquarters (clockwise from the north): Emstal, Busendorf, Kanin, Fichtenwalde, Borkwalde, Neuendorf, Brück, Freienthal, Damelang, Cammer, Rädel and Kloster Lehnin.
Lehnin was established in 1956 under the cover name "Dunkelkammer" for the National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee, NVA) of the GDR.
The paratroopers of the NVA (Luftsturmregiment 40) were stationed in the course of the 1980s before being moved to the northern edge of the exercise site.