Old village site of Wahn

The old Hümmlingdorf Wahn fell victim to the expansion of the Krupp shooting range near Meppen during the National Socialist regime.

Between 1939 and 1943 the 1,000 inhabitants were forced to relocate. The village fell into disrepair.

Since 2006 traces of the past have been exposed and made visible again.

On an approx. 2.5 km long circular path, the ground plan of the important St. Antonius Church, courtyards, streets and paths, but also the last, albeit silent, witnesses of the past such as special tree and woody species can be viewed.

In an information pavilion, an artistically designed model gives an impression of the size of the village and the story is described in words, pictures and maps

One of the most important memorials on the Hümmling.

Even in the 1930s, Wahn was a thriving, lively village on the edge of the Krupp’s shooting range. There had been considerations during the First World War to enlarge this weapons test site and to drive the people out of madness. However, it was only the Nazi regime that put this plan into practice: until 1943, the last inhabitant of Wahn was forcibly resettled. Many buildings - including the St. Antoniuskirche - were demolished, other houses fell into disrepair.