Munster Training Area
When the military training area was established a camp or Lager was built about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the town centre which became known as Munsterlager.
There are many rare and endangered plant species on this terrain today that thrive in the environment created by the training area.
The camp was first established in June 1893 by the 91st Infantry Regiment (Infanterieregiment 91) from Oldenburg under its commanding officer, Colonel Paul von Hindenburg, who later became the Reichspräsident.
The terrain, which was originally used for exercises and troop movements, has been used since the formation of the post-war German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, as an artillery range.
Training Area South also has bivouac sites and ranges for small arms and anti-tank weapons.
In 1916 the so-called Breloh Camp (Breloh-Lager) was built in north Munster by a regiment of gas warfare engineers (‘’Gaspionier-Regiment’’).
In January 1917 the Prussian War Office issued an order for the construction of a facility for gas munitions.
Gasplatz Breloh was built on a piece of land about 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) in size in the Raubkammer Forest (part of the present-day Munster North Training Area).
Production began as early as July that year and, by the end of the First World War in 1918 extensive facilities had been built, the majority of which were working.
More than 6,000 people (75 officers, 677 NCOs and about 5,775 special staff) produced in these facilities about a quarter of the total war munitions for the German Army at that time.
In addition, captured munitions were stored at Munster; for example, about 20,000 chlorine gas bottles of Russian origin and chemical jars (Nebeltöpfe).
Chemical grenades were catapulted for miles around and clouds of poison gas threatened the surrounding villages, some having to be evacuated.
9 Weapon Testing Office of the Army Weapons Office (Heereswaffenamt) and the Army Chemical Defence Laboratory moved at the beginning of March 1945 from Berlin to Munster (Örtze), due to air raids, and carried on working there until the end of the Second World War.
An extensive range of tests were carried out on a wide variety of shells of various calibres, as well as on mines, projectiles, bombs (up to 500 kg (1,100 lb)) and spray equipment.
In spite of that, it has left a dangerous legacy behind which is one of the largest areas of residual contamination caused by armaments in Germany.
The first unit to occupy the camp was the 91st Infantry Regiment from Oldenburg in June 1893, commanded by Colonel Paul von Hindenburg, later to be Reichspräsident.
Around the turn of the 19th century other troops were stationed there including those involved in the Boxer Rebellion in China and units destined for the German colonies in Africa.
In 1956 Munster was the base for important military installations for the Bundeswehr, Germany's newly formed armed forces.
The old headquarters building now houses the municipal department of works for the town of Munster, the officers mess has been turned into a hotel.
