In Tongeren Belgium I decided to search for a former Nazi barracks. It was a real challenge to find the buildings since they are far off the road and the gps coordinates must have been off. I used it as an excuse to have a nice long hike. In World War II these buildings were known as Barracks Ambiorix Tongren. The buildings were largely completed in 1939 but after Belgium surrendered in May 1940, the buildings were seized by the invading Germans who added to the structures.
The site was used to train machine gunners and snipers. German sniper training emphasized meticulous marksmanship, an emphasis on camouflage and technical skills like staking and position selection. Training involved 2-3 weeks of courses. Curriculum included theory, tactical exercises and of course shooting. Solders were trained in scope use, and taking into account wind, temperature and breathing techniques. I have noticed that when I sketch, I forget to breathe for long periods of time. Somehow the building were spared being bombed by the allies.
When Germany surrendered, this ending WWII, the buildings were used as a hospital by the Allies. There were about 1000 beds for the injured.
Later, when the site was used as a prison, there was overcrowding. A boarding house in Tongeren was also used to handle the overflow.
In November 1956 after a failed Hungarian uprising against the Soviet Union, the buildings were used as a shelter for Hungarian refugees. The Belgian government established five refugee camps in former military barracks. Caritas Catholica Beligica was assigned the camp at Tongren. The camp helped refugees with housing, finding jobs and restarting their lives.
It became clear as I was sketching that the building today is being used as an elementary school. Children and their parents exited the building and drove off in their cars. Other buildings at the former barracks are being converted into office spaces. I walked around a bit after finishing the sketch. There were some very old stone walls in what was once the central training yard. Bricks had been dislodged and support columns fell over. Wire fencing denied access to most of the central yard. There was something spooky about the place. It was strange hearing the shouts of children in a place that once trained men to kill. I wondered if these walls were once used to support sniper rifles or machine guns. Many of the buildings are still abandoned but it seems that they might be offered new life in the future.