Ordensburg Vogelsang Museum

Website: https://vogelsang-ip.de/

Hours: Visitor centre hours vary seasonally-check official site before visiting.

Ordensburg Vogelsang is a former Nazi training complex on a wooded plateau in the Eifel, North Rhine-Westphalia, built in 1934-1936. The site has since been repurposed and now hosts exhibitions and educational programmes within the Eifel National Park.

The layout includes a large central parade ground surrounded by monumental stone teaching blocks and barracks from the 1930s construction period. On-site interpretation covers National Socialist training activities and the site’s later military and civilian uses, anchored by a dedicated documentation and exhibition centre.

Erected in the mid-1930s as part of the Ordensburgen programme to train party cadres and future leaders, the complex was taken out of Nazi use after 1945 and used by Allied and later military authorities in the postwar period. In the 21st century the area was transferred to civilian administration and integrated into the Eifel National Park with public exhibitions addressing its history.

Situated on a high forested plateau in the Eifel near the town of Schleiden in North Rhine-Westphalia, the site occupies a prominent position within the protected landscapes of the national park.

• Construction years: Constructed in 1934-1936 as one of the Nazi-era Ordensburgen used for political and ideological training.
• Current use: Now part of the Eifel National Park with an on-site documentation centre that presents the site’s history and educational programmes.

What to See#

• Main complex: The central complex of parade ground, assembly halls, and the main barracks block built during the 1934-1936 construction phase; these monumental stone buildings form the core visitor area.
• Documentation and exhibition centre: Vogelsang IP documentation and exhibition centre offering historical interpretation of the site’s Nazi-era origins, postwar uses, and its integration into the Eifel National Park; provides visitor information and rotating displays.

Vogelsang is located within the Eifel National Park, near Schleiden in North Rhine-Westphalia. By car, take the B258 and local roads to Vogelsang; parking is provided at the visitor center. Public transport is limited-regional trains to Kall or Schleiden followed by a taxi are the usual public-transit route. Guided tours and special events are announced on the official site.

• Enter through the visitor center on the northern edge-exhibits give necessary context before walking the site.
• Allow time for the viewing platform above the quarry to understand the scale of the complex and its landscape setting.
• Bring a jacket; the site is exposed and can be windy even in summer.