Vogelsang IP and Wollseifen in the Eifel National Park

Just like the current war between the neighboring countries of Russia and Ukraine, our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents also experienced some useless wars, including World War II. We are moving through the old Nazi and NATO terrain that today symbolizes peace and tolerance. We descend to the Urftsee to step back on this nearly 12 km long circular hike through the ghost villages of Vogelsang and Wollseifen.

 

Viewpoint Modenhübel: 0km - 3km

Our journey today takes us 20 km over our eastern border at Gemünd, a district of Schleiden in North Rhine-Westphalia. Today in 2023, this border is open and freely accessible, but it was different during the times of my grandparents and parents. Hearing much about life during the war, under the Nazi occupiers through to liberation, from my grandparents. So it’s high time to imagine some of that during a walk through the former Eidel-ant nest of the Nazis.

 

You can choose a paid parking spot (up to a camper park) in the area of the NS Ordensburg Vogelsang, the former training camp of the NSDAP or the National Socialist German Workers' Party. We opt for the smaller free parking lot - Walberhof near the B266 - the federal highway between Simmerath - near the Belgian border and Euskirchen. From here, you can take the short path to the entrance or a slightly more challenging version with some nice viewpoints along the way and a few more kilometers. For us, the choice is quickly made, and we head towards the first Eifel View or Modenhübel. An open hill at 485m elevation, which we reach through some meadows and outcrops of this large forest around the Urftsee. You can find a nice bench to take some beautiful photos or enjoy this lovely view over the valley of Urft and the village of Gemünd.

 

The next Eifel View, however, does not take long to appear, as just 200m further brings you to the Viewpoint Kickley, with a view over the confluence of the Urft with the Lassbach. The Urft, a 50.2 km long tributary of the Rur (Roer), creates a large artificial lake at the foot of Vogelsang IP. The next river - Morsbach is also one of the many rivers and springs that complement this reservoir. Additionally, this valley presents the necessary challenge through some bridges and stair constructions interspersed with some muddy sections.

 

In the meantime, we have already wandered a few kilometers and are hiking a section of the Eifelsteig or a long-distance path of 312 km through this beautiful Eifel in Germany. The Eifelsteig is definitely recommended and can be covered in 15 stages with distances from 14 to 28 km per stage.

After a short climb out of this Morsbach valley, we see in the distance the first buildings of Vogelsang IP. The Eifelsteig follows the edge of this old military area, which has been accessible to the public again since January 1, 2006.

 

Vogelsang IP, from Nazi camp to NATO zone: 3km - 5km

We leave here - 17 years after the public opening - the Eifelsteig to explore this former NSDAP domain, after it has operated for 60 years for military purposes and was strictly taboo.

The first buildings of this vast complex were already constructed in 1934, such as the Malakoff building, which formed the imposing entrance to this soldier factory for the NSDAP. The National Socialist German Workers' Party, a political party composed of individuals with extremely nationalist or racist views, which would ultimately lead to Nazism, the Holocaust, and World War II. When the NSDAP came to power in 1933, party chief Adolf Hitler appointed loyal supporters and confidants to lead positions.

 

Unfortunately, this still happens today on our European continent, although I hoped humanity would learn lessons from its past. For this reason, I find it important that such buildings are not destroyed, so that future generations can reflect on this human horror and hopefully draw life lessons from it.

 

The NS Ordensburg Vogelsang was one of three castles that served to retrain the elite of the Third Reich. This castle, along with Ordensburg Sonthofen and Ordensburg Krössinsee, had a special task during this training as SA members, order junkers, or better known as the brown shirts. A militarily equipped service whose task was to protect and intimidate the NSDAP against political opponents.

 

During World War II, Vogelsang was used as a barracks for the Wehrmacht - the armed forces of Nazi Germany at the time, where every soldier had to swear a personal oath of allegiance to Hitler. This Wehrmacht also played a crucial role in the attack on other countries, committed war crimes (mainly on the Eastern Front), and contributed to the Holocaust. On the other hand, it was also the Wehrmacht that began to oppose the NS regime starting in 1938 with the ultimately failed attack and coup against dictator Hitler in 1944.

 

After World War II, Vogelsang was restored and used as a training ground for several NATO countries, including the British from 1945 to 1950 and the Belgian armed forces from 1950 to 2005. All swastikas and inscriptions honoring Hitler were also removed, and a cinema, a climbing wall, and a barrack were added for the remaining troops.

Since 2006 to the present, this complex has grown into Vogelsang IP - International Place and is part of the Eifel National Park Center. These former military domains today symbolize tolerance, peace, reconciliation, and resistance against racism. Outside, you can walk freely, and everyone is welcome...

 

For a fee, you also have access to various facets of the Visitor Center of Vogelsang IP. You can visit the permanent exhibition of the NS documentation Vogelsang with the history of this NS Ordensburg Vogelsang domain. The permanent exhibition of the Eifel National Park Center or an experiential exhibition on local biodiversity, but also globally. This 100 ha area offers guided tours or climb the 48 meter high flank tower of the eastern wing with its 172 steps (open only from April to October). There’s a panoramic restaurant where you can have something to drink or eat, an out-of-school learning location, a meeting center, or the Cultural Cinema Vogelsang IP, the Belgian cinema in Vogelzang from 1950 for the troops, where you can attend numerous events.

 

Next to the visitor center, you will also find the soul care of the Eifel National Park and Vogelsang, the Red Cross Museum Vogelsang IP, the astronomy workshop "Stars Without Borders," the "Nature Conservation House Eifel-Ardennes," the guesthouse K 13, the swimming and sports club Vogelsang e.V., the seminar house Vogelsang 86, and the Transit 59.

 

All information can be found through the link below, as well as opening hours and admission prices.

 

All info about Vogelsang IP

 

The Victor-Neels Bridge over the Urftsee: 5km - 7km

We leave the Vogelsang domain for a while to head down towards the reservoir or Urftsee. When we take some narrower paths through the forest, we come to the 5-meter high statue of the torchbearer. A warrior muscular figure of the Aryan "master race" according to NS ideology, with the Olympic flame in one hand and an eagle on the other arm.

 

Back on the road, we arrive a bit lower on a narrow paved path, which we continue down towards the Victor-Neels Bridge. In itself, you can skip the descent to this bridge, but this steel suspension bridge over the Urftsee is certainly worth it. This 124m long suspension bridge has been in use since 2009, connecting the former NS Ordensburg Vogelsang from Gemünd or Rurberg. Named after a Belgian commander who was stationed in Vogelzang between 1970 and 1980 and built a social bond with the local population. Furthermore, the bridge was awarded the German Steel Construction Prize in 2010 for its environmentally friendly construction and aesthetics, and can only be accessed by bike or on foot along the Urftsee perimeter path. This is meant to replace the old ferry, which has not reached this place since World War II.

 

Today we use it as a viewpoint over this 2.16 km² large reservoir, which the Urft has been damming with its Urft Dam since 1905. This 58.5 m high and 226 m long dike was at that time the largest in Europe and serves the primary purpose of generating electricity. Although this dam is also used as a buffer against flooding or as a reservoir in low water of the lower parts. Due to decades of intensive military training in this lake, this lake also cannot be used for drinking water, like the western upper lake. Today, in this wooded landscape all around, you can’t see much of this pollution. However, the super low water level mean that even the Krumenauel island will be completely dry. Due to the lack of alternative routes, we are forced to take the same way back to Vogelsang to reach various sports fields and larger sports facilities.

 

Vogelzang, the largest sports facility in Europe: 7km - 8km

With the aim of these three training camps or NSDAP Ordensburgen, not only a mentally “brainwashed” mind was important, but also in the athletic field these elites had to be prepared to become the future leaders and athletes of Nazi Germany. This sports facility was to be the largest in Europe, but construction was halted at the start of the war.

 

Here you will find the Thingplatz or event stage with a solstice area, a grandstand with a fitness room and swimming pool. But also various outdoor sports facilities, where the focus in Vogelsang was on horseback riding.

 

The schedule of these Nazi junkers was therefore intense with:

- 6:00 AM morning sports

- 7:00 AM flag raising

- 8:00 to 10:00 AM learning groups

- 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM lectures in the large auditorium by guest or main teachers on topics of racial studies, geopolitics, and racist proposals for poor foreign policy

- 12:00 PM afternoon sports

- 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM another session of the working groups

- 10:00 PM a military tattoo or evening ceremony, mainly held in Germany, honoring outgoing federal presidents, chancellors, defense ministers, and generals.

 

We take the stairs at the base of the grandstand, where the "Relief of the Athlete" from 1938 is located. A sculpture of athletes made of red lava, but strongly eroded and with traces of bullet holes. This staircase, which can be closed in icy or damp weather, takes us back to the various sleeping compartments or camaraderie houses, which we continue towards the Hundertschafthäuser at the edge of the forest.

 

From here we leave this enormous Vogelsang IP complex and take the old connecting road to the former villages of Vogelsang and Wollseifen.

The disappeared villages of Vogelsang and Wollseifen: 7km - 11.6km

After crossing a stream and the forest area turning into a thicket with open heath, we approach the ghost village of Vogelsang. This model settlement was created for the civil personnel of NS Vogelsang, which could have had up to 4500 residents with 60 houses, schools, and a cemetery nearby. With the outbreak of the war in 1940, the construction of this village did not exceed 12 houses.

Like the next ghost village Wollseifen, the village of Vogelsang was also completely destroyed. Partly due to artillery fire in the late stages of World War II, but mainly as a training ground for the British and Belgian troops stationed in Vogelsang. After the closure of this military area in 2006, the last remnants of this artificial village of Vogelsang were completely removed to prevent accidents, and this area has remained inaccessible to this day.

 

The next ghost village on our route or Wollseifen is accessible and has a natural origin from the 12th century. This village, which would be translated as Wollseife, owes its etymological origin to wolf and siefen, meaning the wolf stream valley. This rural village consisted of some farms with houses and is located on the Dreibroner Plateau, which like the village of Wollseifen came under British administration after World War II. On August 13, 1946, these British troops claimed this Dreihorner upland and the village of Wollseifen as a military training area. The 500 inhabitants or about 120 families of this village had 3 weeks to leave. On September 1, 1946, the Wollseifers were sent to emergency shelters in surrounding villages like Einruhr, Herhahn, Gemünd, Schleiden, or near their families. From that day on, this village served as an urbanized military practice area for the British NATO troops, although some residents risked occasionally returning to their old home and village.

 

Since 1650, the Belgian troops had offered the Wollseifers limited access to this military area once a year to visit the graves of their relatives on All Souls' Day.

In May 2001, another 52 stage houses were built by the Belgian army, of which you can still see some today. These stage houses served for urban warfare during the Kosovo missions, which included NATO. These buildings were made inaccessible to humans but provide shelter for reptiles and bats... Outside these stage houses, you will find some remains of houses or walls. The partially preserved church and village school have been renovated and can be visited again. In the village school, you will find a small exhibition with photographic material from 2021 about this historic village Wollseifen and life before, during, and after the use of this village as a military target.

 

On the way back to the parking lot, you can still find the village chapel, and we leave this piece of Eifel National Park, which has developed into a place of peace and contemplation over nearly 12 km.