Standortübungsplatz bei Büecke, Nature reserve in Möhnesee and Soest, Germany

Standortübungsplatz bei Büecke is a 247-hectare nature reserve north of Büecke, mostly in Möhnesee and partly in Soest. It consists of open calcareous grasslands crossed by three deep dry valleys called Schledden, which divide the area into the Roe, Kleiberg and Mark plateaus. Shallow pools form in tracks left by tanks and other military vehicles, and the edges are bordered by scrub, small woods and orchards.

The site was used as a training ground by the Belgian garrison in Soest and later by the Bundeswehr. In 2004 the Arnsberg district government designated it a nature reserve. In 2017 the Federal Republic transferred 200 hectares to the NRW Foundation as part of the National Natural Heritage; the remaining eastern areas are privately owned.

The site's name reflects its former military purpose, yet today it represents a landscape where nature has reclaimed priority over training operations. Visitors experience how livestock grazing and natural recovery work together to shape the terrain.

Access to the main protected area is restricted, but visitors can explore the landscape from designated viewing hills and adjacent walking paths that circle the reserve. Wear sturdy shoes as the terrain includes muddy areas, especially after rainfall or in wetter zones.

The reserve maintains year-round grazing with Heck cattle and Konik horses across roughly 100 hectares, animals rarely seen in other reserves of this type. Their continuous presence shapes the appearance of the grasslands and helps maintain the open landscape naturally.