• Ordensburg Vogelsang, Eifel

 

Some background information about the facility: The SS-Ordensburg Vogelsang was a huge complex set up by the Nazis near Gemünd/Eifel close to the Urfttalsperre, an artifical lake in Northrhine-Westfalia. Teh complex served as a training facility for the NSDAP and to train its future leaders. It is protected now under the "Denkmalschutz", which means it cannot be changed. Its size comprimises of more then 50000 square meters and is besides the "Parteitagsbauten" (Zeppelin field, where the big NSDAP marches and congresses took place) in Nuremberg with about 100 ha of built ground the biggest architectural remain of the NS-time in germany.

Following the second world war, the complex was used by the british and then the belgium army under the name „Camp Vogelsang“ as barracks and (incorporating the nearby area and villages) used as an army training ground. 

On a rather late, cold yet sunny saturday afternoon we arrived at the "Castle". I set these in quotation marks, because the whole complex is trying to look like a real castle, but really isn't. Under the thin facade, you could always see crumbling concrete. Like so many other things from the NS era, also this building is pretty much a movie stage. Except built a bit more massive. In a lot of ways we could see, that things were not built functional but really to set a dramatic stage and to be representative by all mean necessary.

Upon arriving, we saw a rather weird view: The entrance. A crude mixture of "Heimatschutz"-architecture, medieavel castlelike elements and - to top the absurdity of this concrete nonsens - concrete doric pillars. Oh well. This area was called "Malakoff", unfortunately its not open to the public yet. So on we went to park our car and walk to the other buildings on foot. 

(Entrance area "Malakoff": Main gate from the outside. "Classic", including completely not fitting doric pillars.)

We went further into the complex, parking our car next to a former tank depot. Walkiong on foot then towards the buildings we could see further in the distance, we noticed that one of those buildings seemed to be extremely massive and big. It turned out to be the barrack "Van Dooren". We went past it though, following the signs leading us to the visitors centre and checked another building out that was on our way and which is completely intact: "Die Burgschänke". 

(Burgschänke from behind, viewed from direction of the barrack Van Dooren.)

The Burgschänke was used for special occasions, to cepebrate partys there and as a dining hall for the teachers and higher ranks of the SS: The normal students had their own dining hall, which we could see later. Towards the right side of the building is another half-round building, in which official receptions were done. 

(The Burgschänke, frontal view. On the right side is the half-round receptionhall.)

On we went to see the other buildings. Next were the central parts of the omplex. Here we could see the so called "Adlerhof". The buildings placed around this forum like structure were used as auditoriums, lecture halls and where workgroups of students could work on collaborative projects. Some lectures were held in the open area of the forum, due to noise from the outside and the everblwoing wind probably a quite unsmart idea.

(The Adlerhof - view of the right half of it. Here used to be also a lecture hall, but it was destroyed after being hit by a bomb. In the background you can see the visitor information centre, it used to be the dininghall of the students. Also: the "Bergfried", the castle tower.)

(Adlerhof, View towards the artifical lake. This is part of the open forum, where lectures were held outside. The wind blew through here prettay hard when we checked it out. )

(Adlerhof left part with part of a lecture hall and other buildings.)

We went  further hrough the complex. From the edge fo the forum, we could see the former dining hall and the other buildings of the castle, like kitchen, storage rooms etc.  Interesting detail: Seen from the dining hall, the main tower shows the concrete structure behind the castle-like plating. The light grey part of the tower without the plating is: Pure concrete. The whole complex was supposed to be look historic, to pretend to have a tradition. Which clearly didn't exist. To keep the cost of building at a reasonable level, insted of a pure stone construction, concrete was used and facades were plated on it. At all places, where this plating was not put in place or where it crumbled away in the last few decades, you can now easily see the poured concrete again. 

(Pure concrete at the tower: A bom tore off the roof and upper floor of the dining hall and it was remodeled with just the lower level. The stone plating on the tower was never rebuild.)

Shortly before leaving the area of the Adlerhof, I took a picture of the stuettes, that are giving the name to this forum. There used to be also stoneversion, but the wooden ones looked a bit better. One of the few small design elements of the 30ies, that were not removed after the war. 

(Wooden eagle at the ed of one of the wooden bars at the Adlerhof.)

(Beautiful view of the Lake Urft from the forum.)

Next, after briefly checking out the slightly underwhelming exhibition in the former dining hall, we went to see the big building we saw when entering the compound. The barracks "Van Dooren" were built after the war by the belgian army on the already pured foundations of one corner (!) of the "Haus des Wissens". This construction was supposed to be the cornerstone of a Nazii academy, basically a teaching and administrative building. Vastly oversized for such a task, it was not built besides the foundation. The materiel for building it though was already in place, so after the war the belgians build part of it following the existing plans to use as barracks. The inside is not open to the public, but looking through the windows we discovered that the rooms are entirely empty. Completely empty. 

(The Van Dooren barracks -the concrete paths were to be covered with the same shindles as the buildings, but this was never done.)

(It's not so easy to see i nthis picture to tell the size of this building, but it is huge. If it reminds you of the failed NS-sea bath Prora: Same architect. Buttugly. )

Following this slightly Kafkaesque building, we had the comical highlight of the day when checking out the next building, the hilariously unintentionally badly  named "Haus der weiblichen Angestellten" - "House of the female employees" - an extremely stupid name in our minds for, well: the living quarters of the females working in the complex. Comes with quite some innuendo... Be it kitchen aid, secretary or medical assistant: All females of the complex were living here. Obviusly for two reasons: First to keep a certain flair of companionship betweeen the males in the area, focusing them on the Nazi ideology rather then get distracted by women and second, it was easier to control that no unwanted friendship developed between the sexes anywhere. Well, our somewhat less noble ideas about this house were comlpetely shattered on sunday, when we heard during the guided tour that this was really no brothel but and tha also the "Lebensborn", that used the building later on did not use it as some sort of breeding facility. 

Could have been though, right? Right?

(Biggest "Doh" of the trip: "The house for female employees".)

And our tour went on - next we wanted to see the main tower. Unfortunately there were some metal fneces in our way, but a quick shove and the problem was solved. It wasn't slipery or icy at all that day, so blocking the road because of ice... well, on we went to take some more pictures.  

(Main tower viewed from the bottom. Interesting construction. It was also used as a chapel for SS-couples.)

Since there was not too much to see here at the tower besides the tower (and we couldn't get in...), we took a short detour and checked out a monument by an NS-artist, that endured the time. It was still bearing the inscription on it: "Wir sind die Fackelträger der Nation" - we bear the torches of the nation, as the bullet-ridden stone could be deciphered. Well, they did set the country on fire, but not to illuminate it in a positive way. Seen like that, it was an unintended, yet prophetic monument.  

(Monument by Willi Meller.)

The way sloped further down the hill, completely not dangerous. Why ever they took the effort to set up those fences is beyond me. Next thing we saw were the student houses on the campus. Here the NS-students were housed and after the war, soldiers were using these as barracks. Very basic housing we were told during the guided tour, and since we looked through the windows on our own tour, we agreed with that. Some of the few  really completed buildings. 

(NS-student housing.)

(NS-student housing. Another view to show the whole arrangement as a campus.)

Another bit down the hill, we found the sports course. Below it are two halls, one is a swimming pool, the other one an indoor sportshall. Judging by the standards of the time, this was a very luxuriously equipped sports area. Between the halls was a tennis court, that one was covered with a tarp during our visit.  

(To the left and right are Sport and swimming halls.)

At this point we took a little break from our exploration and had a little snack and a beer. We thought about this incredible madness and insanity, that took place here and the horrible ideas, the students were taught in the classes. What a huge waste of resources and money this NS university was, what mad ideas and ideologies were taught here. And it was obvious that the focus of the studies here were: Sports. Sports and paramilitary drill, but not science, arts or other classical feats. At least this explained why we saw so many sport places and not much else. 

We started to climb the steep hillside above the two halls and headed back to the central complex. There we sa the "Thing" - a cultic halfcircle, that the pagan inspired Nazis used to hold celebrations and whatnot. On the way there, at the side of the sports field we saw another NS monument, picturing sports activites. 

 
(Relief at the sports course.)

Just above it are the "tribunes", an auditorium like in a greek or roman amphitheatre. The simple stone benches were used as seating during public speeches, sports events and other activities.  

(Thing as viewed from the tribune)

On the way back we took some more pictures of the student houses, but since they are completely empty, its pointless to show them. The opening hours were also coming to closing time, so we left the compound and headed back to our car. Not before taking a snapshot of this little gem...

(Private parking...)

In the evening we decided to return here the next day to check out the guided tour. We were hoping to see some more parts of the complex, that we were unable to see on our own. 

First we were introduced to have a look at the "village" across the valley. Turns out, that this viallge was razed after the war when the are here was turned into an army proving ground. The houses were used for practicing battles in streets, viallges and cities, the population was deported beforehand and when the houses were all blown up, they got replaced with "practice houses" to keep the appearance of a village for practicing. 

(Remains and newly built fake village Wollseifen)

Besides two details we were only shown things we saw on the first day (or lessm we were wlaking in areas on the day before that the guided tour didn't touch), so here is wath we couldn't see before: 

We saw the inside of europes biggest single-room movie theatre. It was supposed to be a massive auditorium, a lecturehall for 1000 attendees. However after the war for lack of better use, it was turned into a movie theatre. Due to is immense size, my flash didn't reach the opposite walls, so the picture turend out pretty crappy. 

(The gigantic lecture hall from the inside.)

At the end we would see the inside fo the Burgschenke and the half-round reception hall attached to it.  

(Inside view of the Burgschenke.)

(Halfround reception hall of the Burgschenke.)

After the guided tour we left the complex, drove back to our friends place, loaded our cars with our stuff and ended this trip, driving home. 

Latest update 03/27/09