Ordensburg Vogelsang, Former Nazi training complex in Eifel National Park, Germany
Vogelsang is a former Nazi party training facility in what is now Eifel National Park in North Rhine-Westphalia. The buildings made of concrete and stone spread along axes and terraces on a ridge overlooking Urfttal reservoir.
The National Socialists built the complex between 1934 and 1936 for ideological training of party members. After 1945 the British and later the Belgian army used the site as a military training ground until 2006.
The name refers to the castles of medieval Teutonic knights, linking ideology to warrior traditions. Today school groups and adult visitors come to confront this chapter of German history through guided programs.
Shuttle buses run from Kall and Simmerath train stations to the site, guided tours take place regularly. The grounds sit on a forested ridge and require sturdy shoes for the sometimes steep paths between buildings.
The so-called tower rises as the second-tallest surviving Nazi building in Germany, shaped like a medieval fortress tower. Despite modern materials, the form was meant to symbolize tradition and power.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
