Heuberg military training area

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Coat of arms of the Heuberg military training area

The Heuberg military training area is a military training area (TrÜbPl) of the Bundeswehr in the district of Sigmaringen and Zollernalb in Baden-Württemberg . Ever since it was established in the Wilhelmine Empire, it has always been a reflection of German history.

geography

Heuberg military training area

Located on the Großer Heuberg , a plateau in the southwest of the Swabian Alb at an altitude of 800 to 970 meters, the area is divided by the villages of Albstadt in the north, Stetten am kalten Markt with Heuberg camp and Alb barracks (both army ) in the southeast, Schwenningen in the south and Meßstetten with the Zollernalb barracks ( air force with air surveillance ) in the northwest. The low mountain range is hilly and intersected by several flat valleys.

The barracks, the on-site training area and the military training area cover around 47.9 km². Of this, 2,480 hectares are used for exercise, 1,245 hectares of which are suitable for tracked vehicles. The two properties of the Bundeswehr location Stetten am kalten Markt - camp Heuberg and Alb-Kaserne - account for 141.8 hectares, of which around 1620 hectares are in the district of Stetten am kalten Markt and 129 hectares in the district of Schwenningen. In 1909 the city of Meßstetten had to sell almost 40 percent of its municipal area to the Reich Treasury.

The training area is the linchpin of the Bundeswehr bases in the Sigmaringen district and in 2011 the last military training area in southern Germany still used by the military. Construction and expansion measures were carried out with amounts in the double-digit millions.

In connection with the Heuberg military training area, a radar dome was also built on the “ Weichenwang ” (district of Meßstetten) and the external fire positions in the tubs

history

prehistory

The Heuberg military training area goes back to the demands of the XIV. Baden Army Corps , which in 1885 formulated its need for a maneuvering room that would meet the new requirements of military tactical principles . On August 1, 1899, the General Command , based in Karlsruhe , the capital and residence of Baden , informed the Grand Ducal Ministry of Finance about the requirements for a future military training area. In addition to many criteria, the future military training area should not be at an altitude, have a railway connection and be as circular as possible. The domain management tasked with the search soon found that the wishes of the military could not be met by any candidate.

In 1905 the interest of the authority turned to the Heuberg. Because both the terrain and the acquisition posed the fewest difficulties there, the decision was made to go to the Heuberg, although only a third of the future practice area would be located in Baden and would not have a railway connection. Plans for a military station ( 48 ° 10 ′ 26.76 ″  N , 8 ° 57 ′ 5.18 ″  E ) below the Blumersberg outdoor fire station in Meßstetten were drawn up for 8,000 gold marks.

As of 1908, the purchase negotiations for which were Baden , Württemberg and Prussian districts initiated but which dragged on for some time, since not all private seller with the services offered by the military land prices agreed, making it in some cases to forced expropriation by the Reich Treasury came.

Construction and commissioning

From 1910, the first troop exercises by the XIV. Badische Army Corps could take place on the military training area, which at that time was only partially purchased. Due to the lack of permanent accommodation, the soldiers were housed in tents or in quarters in the surrounding communities. Between 1912 and 1916, the Heuberg camp was built on the Stetten am Kalten Markt .

Several repatriate farms , built in the 19th century to improve the economic situation of the population in the former rule of Straßberg , fell victim to the establishment of the military training area . These include: B. the Harthof and Lenzenhütte - also called Glashüttehof - (both districts Straßberg), the Ochsenkopf and Waldhof (both districts Kaiseringen ), the Knobelhof (district Heinstetten ), Sebastiansweiler with the Sebastian Chapel and Weinitz im Hardt (both districts Frohnstetten ).

The water supply for the 6000 exercising soldiers and 2500 horses posed a particular challenge. For this purpose, the Reichsmilitaryfiskus acquired the so-called hammer forge, an old ironworks in Thiergarten with a canal, weir system, and the one between Neidingen for around 35,000 Reichsmarks from the Fürstenberg dynasty and Thiergarten opposite Falkenstein rises Rainbrunnenquelle (Rainquelle). After the hammer mill was demolished, a pumping station was built in its place. Starting in 1909, three elevated tanks and a pressure pipe were built along the exercise area, which is more than 300 meters higher. In 1912, a power station was built, which supplied the training area with electricity via a power line from Thiergarten.

In the "Kohltal" district, which opens into the Storzinger Valley, planning began in 1911 for a sewage treatment plant, which was built between 1912 and 1914. It was able to go into operation in 1914. In 1925, Stetten am kalten Markt was connected to the sewage treatment plant with the western town center, and in 1981 the Glashütte district was added. On October 31, 2004, the Schwenningen sewage treatment plant was shut down and pumped via Glashütte to the Kohltal sewage treatment plant.

A material funicular was inaugurated in 1912 to set up and supply the military training area. Remains of concrete can still be seen from the end of the 2.4 km long Kaiseringen funicular railway , which led from the Kaiseringen train station up to the Alb plateau, and the 1.5 km long material railway on the military training area. However, the railway, which was built in 1915, did not run smoothly even after several modifications and was therefore soon abandoned. After the end of the First World War (1914–1918), the military training area was initially no longer used for military purposes due to the demilitarization required by the Versailles Treaty , and the railway was shut down in 1921 and not rebuilt. In 1985, a tank loading station ( 48 ° 8 ′ 9.56 ″  N , 9 ° 7 ′ 41.3 ″  E ) was built on the Zollernalb Railway in Storzingen .

First and Second World War

Memorial stone for the Bachem Ba 349 "Natter" on the Ochsenkopf. The stylized cross on the wings does not correspond to the facts.

In May 1914, shortly before the start of the war, the square was opened. Detailed considerations have been made in the War Ministry in Berlin about the naming of the military training area . In addition to suggestions such as “Stetten military training area”, the term “Heuberg military training area” was ultimately chosen and approved by the Minister of War. Dominik Richert completed a troop exercise there in July 1914 with the IR 1/112 before the war.

During the First and Second World Wars (1939–1945), a prisoner of war camp was set up at the practice area .

At the beginning of 1933, one of the first concentration camps of the Nazi regime was built north of the Heuberg camp using existing buildings , in which up to 2,000 people, mainly political opponents of the regime, were temporarily taken into " protective custody ". The Heuberg concentration camp was dissolved again after nine months . Most of the prisoners were then transferred to larger concentration camps, such as Dachau .

In 1936, Sebastiansweiler with its two farms and the Sebastian Chapel were demolished for the construction of a field airfield.

In 1939 two outdoor fire positions were built in the “Wanne” and “Wachtbühl” areas. From 1940, the privately quartered Enziandivision used the shooting range. Since the terrain is too flat for mountain troops, narrow paths to the eaves were built in 1940/41 to get the pack animals used to the height. A 1.7 kilometer long train of pack animals was on the move every day with loaded guns.

On March 1, 1945, the 23-year-old Air Force officer Lothar Sieber took off on the Ochsenkopf, about three kilometers from the Heuberg camp, with the Bachem Ba 349 "Natter" on the world's first manned flight of a vertical take-off rocket aircraft . He was killed in a crash near Nusplingen . His remains were buried with military honors on March 3, 1945 in the Stetten cemetery on the kalten Markt. The grave still exists there today.

Post-war years until today

From 1945 to 1959 the square was under French administration. The last French army unit withdrew from the Heuberg camp in 1997.

In 1963, the Zollernalb barracks of the Luftwaffe was built east of Meßstetten , and in 1966 the Bundeswehr location in Stetten am kalten Markt was expanded to include the Alb barracks .

At the point where the Waldhof, a popular excursion restaurant in the Kaiseringen district, once stood, rockets were stationed at the height of the Cold War .

In 1995 the city of Meßstetten bought back the outdoor fireplace in the "Blumersberg" district.

Used until around the turn of the century mainly for the Armored Corps, Heuberg is used in many ways today (besides practicing Force basic training army , bomb disposal , military police , Technisches Hilfswerk , fire departments , federal police , customs and police, NBC defense). A sealed Spitalwald blasting site was built in 2015.

Nature and landscape protection

The military training area has an extremely important ecological substance for nature conservation. Its area is divided into 40 percent forest areas and 60 percent open meadow areas, partly interspersed with juniper heather . It is characterized by traditional migrant sheep farming . In this way, the typical cultural landscapes of the past centuries were able to maintain or expand on the military training area. With the small hollow rock and the big hollow rock (both districts of Meßstetten) there are natural monuments on the military training area. In the barren, largely treeless and natural landscape, the wrecked tanks parked for target practice lie scattered. Old bunkers or what is left of them after the bombardment can be seen on the hills. Since the military training area is largely contaminated with ammunition and parts of ammunition due to its almost 100 years of military use, entering and driving on it is life-threatening and therefore prohibited for civilians.

Natura 2000 area

The Heuberg military training area is a Natura 2000 area. In 2010, the Bundeswehr planned the construction and expansion of a new and an existing blasting site on its premises in the Spitalwald. It consists of a large main area, which is mainly located in the Heuberg military training area, as well as several small sub-areas near Frohnstetten and south of Ebingen . The total area of ​​the FFH area is 4732 hectares. In 2010, 4134 hectares of this were within the military training area which has been protected as a bird sanctuary since 2001 and as an FFH area since 2005. For the protection of the area - it is particularly suitable as summer sheep pasture - the species-rich limestone grasslands and juniper heaths are particularly important .

Historic landmark

In the military training area there is the legendary three-spell mark, also known as the three-lane mark, a border stone from the 17th century, which today marked the border between the marks of three municipalities, formerly the three states of Württemberg , Baden and Hohenzollern . The meadow near the Dreibannmarke served as a storage place for traveling traders, carters and craftsmen. With finesse it was possible to find an advantage between the borders. After the shooting lanes went into operation, a meadow on the edge of the restricted area was allocated as a storage area up to the Porajmos . Until 1835, goods were smuggled for traders across the customs border guarded by country hunters.

Historic castle ruins on the Schloßberg near the Kählesbühl transmission tower

Knight Heinrich von Tierberg called Haiterbach had very probably sold his property in Haiterbach and in exchange acquired his new rule in 1345 on the site of today's military training area, the center of which was Meßstetten Castle . In the 14th century, a branch of the Lords of Tierberg (called Haiterbach) exercised rights in the village and had a small rule since 1345/47. Possibly this seat of power - maybe also the Hossing castle - was the center of power of the mentioned branch of the Lords of Tierberg. In 1418 it was sold to Württemberg.

literature

  • Klaus Hört, Manfred Hensel: Chronicle of the military training area and the garrison Heuberg near Stetten on the cold market: ed. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Heuberg military training area: A. Wolf (self-published), Inzigkofen, 1980, ISBN 3-921580-17-X , (History of the garrison town of Stetten am Kalten Markt and its surroundings, Volume 1)

See also

Remarks

  1. ↑ Total area of ​​4790 hectares
  2. ↑ Total area 1,417,564 m²
  3. ^ Grand Duchy of Baden , District Office of Messkirch : Heinstetten , Schwenningen and Stetten am kalten Markt
  4. ^ Kingdom of Württemberg , Oberamt Balingen : Ebingen and Meßstetten
  5. ^ Hohenzollernsche Lande , Oberamt Gammertingen : Frohnstetten , Kaiseringen and Straßberg

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gerd Feuerstein: Don't forget the victims. SPD candidate for the Bundestag lays flowers at the memorial at the military training area . In: Südkurier from November 19, 2008
  2. ↑ a b c Location profile Stetten akM (PDF; 3.4 MB), May 2007; Retrieved November 7, 2011
  3. ↑ Troop Training Area Command South , bundeswehr.de
  4. ↑ a b Chronology of the Schwenningen community (publisher) ( Memento from February 10, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ); Retrieved November 7, 2011
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h Wilfried Groh (wgh): A place steeped in history. With Gerhard Deutschmann over the eastern part of the Heuberg military training area ( Memento from October 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) . In: Zollern-Alb-Kurier of September 30, 2009
  6. ↑ 5000 employees work in four barracks in the Sigmaringen district . In: Südkurier of January 13, 2011
  7. ^ Siegfried Volk: "We stand for the Bundeswehr" . In: Südkurier of January 13, 2011
  8. ↑ City archive plans Heubergbahn Meßstetten with military station HR-E 787.11 / 01-05
  9. ↑ See Allgemeine Forst und Jagdzeitung, Volume 87, 1911
  10. ↑ a b c d Lieutenant Marcus Klotz, officer for location matters in Stetten akM: The military relies on the Heuberg (1st part). In: Ders .: Series “100 Years of Military Training Area” in Südkurier from March 25, 2010
  11. ↑ Nine researchers are investigating the history of the country. The contributions appear in the current edition of the quarterly journal “Hohenzollerische Heimat” published by the history association. In: Schwäbische Zeitung of July 7, 2011
  12. ^ Large: The water supply for the military training area on the Heuberg . In: Journal for Gas Lighting and Water Supply, LVI. Born in 1913, pp. 250-254.
  13. ↑ See progress in geology and palaeontology, issue 16, The connection between river course and tectonics , 1926, p. 26 and Geologie von Baden III. Part, 1918, p. 111.
  14. ↑ Thiergarten hydropower plant ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) , German Association of Gas and Water Subjects e. V. (DVGW); Retrieved November 7, 2011
  15. ↑ Ursula Mallkowsky (sky): Together into the future . In: Südkurier of October 29, 2004
  16. ↑ Wilfried Koch (wk): "Schwenningen and Stetten are in the same boat" . In: Südkurier from November 5, 2004
  17. ↑ Kaiseringen funicular railway ; Retrieved November 7, 2011
  18. ↑ a b c Kaiseringen - Heuberg military training area ; Retrieved November 7, 2011
  19. ↑ The Best Opportunity to Die, p. 11.
  20. ↑ Muliweg
  21. ↑ Schwäbischer Albverein Hossingen: Official Gazette of the city of Meßstetten 58th year / no. 8 . Hossingen. Ed .: City of Meßstetten. Meßstetten February 22, 2019, p. 20 .
  22. ↑ [1]
  23. ↑ Sprengplatz at Sprengplatz, / action alliance free Heuberg
  24. ^ Blasting site
  25. ↑ Wilfried Groh (wgh): There is a bunker under the ruin . In: Zollern-Alb-Kurier of June 11, 2010
  26. ↑ Out and about on the practice area . In: Südkurier from September 1, 2007
  27. ↑ Alb barracks. “Natura 2000” is the focus . In: Südkurier of October 16, 2010
  28. ↑ CDU diligently collects signatures . In: Südkurier of October 16, 2010
  29. ↑ Kurt Loescher (loe): Experts present Natura 2000 . In: Südkurier of October 22, 2010
  30. ↑ Gottlob Hummel: The History of the City of Ebingen 1923 . Ed .: Cooperative printing company. S. 24 .
  31. ^ Hermann Krauss: Local and Church History of Meßstetten . 75th anniversary of the church. Ed .: Organ Fund Pastor Peter Gall. Meßstetten, S. 17 .
  32. ↑ Sigrid Hirbodian , Andreas Schmauder and Manfred Waßner (ed.): Community in transition . Volume 19 A city in transition The history of Meßstetten. No. 19 . Tübingen 2019, p. 73 , (1500 copies from the city of Meßstetten) .
  33. ↑ Home history Südkurier

Web links

Commons : Heuberg military training area  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 10 '  N , 9 ° 1'  E