Ellernfeld
The Ellernfeld is a former barracks area in the south of the city center of Aurich in East Frisia . Today it is mostly used as a sports area.
Historical use
In 1912 work began on building barracks for the 78th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army . For this purpose, a multi-storey building was built on an area of the city of Aurich, which is immediately south of the city center. It was surrounded by barrack yard areas. The barracks building was nicknamed "Gray Donkey" by the Aurichians because of its color. However, the infantrymen never moved into the building: the First World War prevented the regiment from moving into the building , which instead went to war. After the war, the area was never used for its originally intended purpose.
After the Second World War, it was used as an interim camp for the numerous war refugees before they were distributed to the surrounding villages. A memorial stone reminds of this.
Current usage
Today the Ellernfeld is used by the Aurich Sports Association as a club area. On it is the stadium (with running track) of the club that played fourth-rate football in the early 1990s. At the moment (2006/2007 season) the first men's team is represented in the Ostfriesland regional league. In addition to the stadium, there is also an artificial turf field, a field for junior games and a basketball field.
In addition, the combined indoor and outdoor pool “De Baalje” of the city of Aurich, the city's youth hostel and the art pavilion of the Aurich Art Association are located on the Ellernfeld .
The barracks building was used in the past decades to accommodate socially disadvantaged people. For several years the building stood empty and deteriorated increasingly. In 2007 there was a major fire in the building. The rest of the "gray donkey" was then torn down.