We drove from the Schleiden parking space to the Vogelsang parking space in the Eifel National Park. The Internationale Platz Vogelsang IP is not far away.
Ordensburg Vogelsang IP
Vogelsang IP is an old NS Ordensburg, 100 hectares in size and located on a ridge above the Urft dam. Here young men were trained to be leaders of the NSDAP until the beginning of the Second World War. In 1945 the Order Castle was occupied by the US Army. From 1946 to 1950 it became the British military training area “Camp Vogelsang” and at the same time the village of Wollseifen was evacuated. The residents of that time only had 3 weeks to vacate their houses and look for new accommodation. From 1950 to 2005 the camp was used by the Belgian army. During this time, new buildings such as a cinema were also built.
Today there are exhibitions like the history of the Red Cross in the rooms. Various tours can be made, for example a guided tour of the site or an exhibition. There are also always events or educational opportunities. Since we are out and about with dogs, dogs are not allowed to enter the exhibitions. Dogs may be kept on a leash on the premises.
Many other offers and information are on the official website to find.
Vogelsang IP is located in the Eifel National Park, so there is an interactive exhibition. Here the “wilderness” and its inhabitants are brought closer. There are various hiking trails around Vogelsang, such as the Eifelsteig, which can be guided or run on your own. From here you have very beautiful views of the surrounding land and the dam.
After we had walked across the area, we came to a junction for hiking. A lookout point was indicated on it, which should be 1.2 km away. Since the weather was fine and it was still noon, we thought we'd go there for a hike. Well, what we didn't know, the path went down a little steeply and up again on the other side of the stream. Out of breath and sweaty we arrived and were rewarded with a beautiful view over the country.
Vogelsang motorhome park
The parking space is slightly above the passage to the Ordensburg. However, it is only suitable for self-sufficient vehicles as there are no sanitary facilities or electricity. There is only one supply and disposal at the moment (05/2020). About 50 vehicles can be parked on the gravel yard. From here you walk about 10 minutes to the Ordensburg or you can start hiking straight away. You can find more information on the RV park website.
Star Park Eifel National Park
For all star lovers, the space around Vogelsang IP is ideal for observing and photographing the sky at night. Since there is very little light here in the internationally certified light protection park, you can see a lot of stars and even the Milky Way in a cloud-free sky. An incredible experience for a city dweller like us. So don't forget to bring binoculars, telescope or camera with you! There is also one shortly after the entrance to Vogelsang IP Astronomy workshop, which offers star walks. Here you can find the offers of Astronomy workshop.
Sebastian, who really wants to photograph the Milky Way, had hoped to have a clear sky the first night. The star firmament was very impressive. Not clear enough for taking pictures, however. We had a second night on site. But until late at night the sky was so cloudy that we didn't make it this time either. Well, we still have time.
