The former military training area to the south-east of Cologne is known as the Wahner Heide. It has a long history of use as a testing ground for tank maneuvers for German and Allied forces. Before it was decommissioned and opened to the public, the vast heath had to be thoroughly searched for explosives and munitions.
Even today, warning signs remind the hiker not to leave the marked paths. Some electronic fences still bar access. The Belgian tank troops were stationed in Camp Altenrath. When they came back from playing in the mud with their heavy machinery, they first had to pass the “tank wash”, a cleverly designed street with steel-covered concrete slabs. They would shake the entire tank while water jets would perform a cleaning job. No dirty tank allowed back on the base, please!
The whole area is now a nature preserve, and where the mud flowed, there is a little basin which allows rare plants and tiny protected animals to thrive.
