Fietstocht over het voormalig Munitiedepot Brüggen-Bracht

The Brüggen-Bracht ammunition depot is the largest abandoned ammunition depot in Europe. Between 1948 and 1996 it served as an ammunition depot for the British Army on the Rhine and the Royal Air Force and, in addition to numerous bunkers, even housed its own railway system and stations. It covers an area of approximately 1300 hectares. Since 1945, the British Rhine Army (RAF) has used parts of what is now a vast area to blow up unexploded ordnance. Restructuring began in 1948, during which the site was fenced and expanded into the largest ammunition depot in Europe. After the end of the Second World War, the site was used by the British Army of the Rhine under NATO command from 1948 to 1996. Orders also came from the nearby NATO headquarters in Mönchengladbach, which is now deserted. This is only about 20 kilometers away and is also home to a former British Army hospital on the Rhine. Initially, the ammunition was stored in simple huts made of corrugated iron. At that time, the British Army of the Rhine was already building ammunition bunkers. Later, the corrugated iron huts were replaced by mobile sheds so that the ammunition could be placed in different places, because transport was not always easy. Then the scale was simply slid over it. This was a good solution for the limited storage options of the 1960s. Some ammunition could not even be brought to a covered location due to their size or weight. For example, the aerial bombs were simply stored in the open air in the western part of the depot. Today, the almost 1,300 hectare site is largely owned by the North Rhine-Westphalia Foundation "Nature Conservation, Heritage and Cultural Care". Since 2000 it has been part of the Brachter Wald nature reserve. An adjacent company uses cleared parts of the area for industrial purposes. This is located in the Brachterwald There are more than 200 halls and bunkers on the site, four charging stations, including 15 kilometers of railway network and almost 90 kilometers of road network. For example, the Brüggen-Bracht ammunition depot had sufficient infrastructure to store up to 45,000 tons of ammunition quickly and in an organized manner. With this extraordinary amount of ammunition stored, it was at times the largest ammunition depot in Europe. The infrastructure of the Brüggen-Bracht ammunition depot In addition to the usual small arms ammunition, aerial bombs from the RAF Brüggen-Elmpt airfield were also stored. This is also a Lost Place today, followed by an article. The ammunition was delivered by freight rail via the Kaldenkirchen-Brüggen light rail. It was then unloaded at one of the four loading stations and transported by road. The station on the east side of the depot served as a distribution point. Here the incoming ammunition was forwarded to the corresponding other loading stations. The streets surround the site, which is located along a highway, along a fence. At some intersections the roads enter the site and flow into the ring road on the other side of the depot. Particularly noticeable on aerial photographs is a large intersection that forms a huge "X". However, not much can be seen of the approximately 15 kilometer long railway network these days. After leaving the site, the British dismantled many of the rails and the remaining rails were removed by German workers several years later. Bunker Abandoned bunker But most of the bunkers still exist and some have even been entered. However, there is no access to this through official channels. Only some of the corrugated iron halls, where ammunition was stored in the early days of the depot, are accessible from the official paths. Blowing up unexploded ordnance Before the site became an ammunition depot, the complex was mainly used for targeted explosions of unexploded ammunition and other ammunition. For this purpose, large concrete walls were built and artificial mountains were piled up so that flying parts and pressure waves could be absorbed. There is also a broadcasting house with antennas in between. #insta360x4 #dutchmarkymark #bikeride #360video #8kvideo    / @dutchmarkymark360videos-ot7xt