View of Pionierbecken 2

Pioneer Pool 2: The name stands for the "second oldest pioneer practice pool". For military reasons, the pit was not created, the name should suggest it. Exercises by pioneer units never took place here, instead the Belgians, the federal government as the owner and a civil engineering contractor benefited from the commercial gravel mining that was actually not permitted in the nature reserve and on the military training area. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, sand and gravel of the Rhine were removed here. Initially, this represented a significant change in nature and landscape. Over the years, however, the "crater" became a substitute habitat for some specialized and highly endangered species of the heath and the wasteland, because there were still large open sandy soils in the pit.
Source: Wahner Heide, Die 10 Rundwanderwege, Gasterland-Verlag ISBN 978-3-935873-56-7

Wonderfully landscaped, from the former military training area.

Nice overview of the pool