Viewpoint "Lost Homeland"

Between 1937 and 1978, 14 municipalities had to give way to the military training ground, which was still founded by the Wehrmacht. Along a path with numerous vantage points, the individual communities are given background information.
Some of the place names are still used on the practice area.

𝗗𝗶𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝘄𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁The names of the 14 communities that had to make way for the military training area in 1937/1938 are still familiar to many, but are still foreign:𝐴𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ, 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑟, 𝐵𝑟𝑒𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛, 𝐸ℎ𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ, 𝐸𝑟𝑧𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑟, 𝐹𝑟𝑜ℎ𝑛ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑛, 𝐺𝑟ü𝑛𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ, 𝐼𝑙𝑔𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑚, 𝐾𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑚, 𝑀𝑎𝑚𝑏e𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙, 𝑂𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ, 𝑅𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑔, 𝑊𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑠 1978 𝑎𝑢𝑓𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑓𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑍𝑎𝑢𝑏𝑎𝑐ℎ.In some places, street names such as Ausweiler or Mambaecheler Strasse are still reminiscent. At the military training area there is the Aulenbach camp or at the Germany Rallye a test is called Erzweiler. In the course of the transformation, Baumholder's economic life shifted more and more from the agricultural to the commercial sector. The construction work stimulated the regional economy. However, the local companies were only able to participate to a small extent because the large foreign companies had cheaper offers. At the beginning of the facility, the final expansion was not yet certain. However, it was clear that proper self-government was no longer possible. That is why the area was combined to form the Baumholder army estate district. Source: text information board𝗘𝗿𝘇𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿The picturesque village of Erzweiler was also one of those communities that had to be evacuated shortly before the Second World War in favor of the military training area. But the dissolution of the village with its approximately 600 inhabitants took place in several phases. On February 17, 1938, the inclusion of the village in the military training area was announced. However, the first ten residents did not emigrate to Salzgitter until eleven months later (on January 2, 1939). A few weeks later they were followed by six families of 23 people. With the permission of the army administration, not all residents were resettled and the district of Erzweiler in the military training area was only completed on April 1, 1942. After the war, the population increased again until the place was finally cleared on July 17, 1974. After Mambaechel, Erzweiler broke into the largest ban area with 1068ha in the military training area. Erzweiler is on the road from Baumholder to Niederalben and is therefore the only deserted area that is freely accessible. A church and the cenotaphs of the 14 villages can still be seen today. Source: text information board

𝗚𝗿ü𝗻𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗵Grünbach was one of the communities that had to give way to the military training area shortly before the Second World War. The village probably came into being around the year 1000. Until recently, the inhabitants lived mainly from agriculture. In 1939, 364 residents said goodbye to their homeland. The district mentioned with 183ha fell to the military training area. Grünbach is now in the target area of the training ground. Source: text information board𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠It is believed that the first settlers settled and built their homes around 800 AD. In 1939, the thousand-year development of the farming village came to an abrupt end when the 330 inhabitants of the village were resettled to all parts of the country with the construction of the military training area. The ban on Ronnenberg fell entirely on the military training area with its 544 hectares. As in all other places, only a few remains of the wall can be found today. Source: text information board𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗯ä𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹In 633, Mambaechel, as part of the royal court at Tholey, was given to the bishop of Verdun as a gift. The country at the Mambachel has been an important discovery site for Westrich agates. Some can be seen on the Prague Hradcany. The agates were harvested in the fields and in "pingen" (holes hammered into the ground). Today the outcrops are overgrown. On May 1st, 1938, Mambaechel was included with 1198ha in the military training area, 238ha came to the district. Baumholder. Mambaechel was the largest place and had 107 houses with 118 families and 614 people at the time of the evacuation. Most of its citizens settled in the surrounding communities. Source: text information board𝐀𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐡Aulenbach owes its existence to the invasion of Frankish tribes around 500 AD. The place was first mentioned in 633. Aulenbach was also in the area of the new military training area that was to be built. The 264 inhabitants had to leave their 56 houses in autumn 1937. 459 hectares of the district of Aulenbach fell into the military training area, the remaining 4.5 hectares went to the municipality of Reichenbach. Source: text information board