Doggerstollen

The Doggerstollen (also called Doggerwerk ) is a system of tunnels in the mountain Stock of Houbirg.

History

The tunnel was created from May 1944 to April 1945 by prisoners of concentration subcamp Hersbruck, a subcamp of Flossenbiirg in forced labor. Here should be a planned underground factory (U - shift ) important war BMW aircraft engines are produced. The construction management and the SS guide rod were in Happurg. The code name was " Ash 1".

The prisoners were usually walk the five-kilometer distance from the barracks in Hersbruck and worked in two shifts. From Grassington Station led the purpose of material handling a branch line up to the construction site at the Houbirg. By the end of the war 0.5 million cubic meters of sandstone were broken in 3.9 kilometers of tunnels; of which about 750 meters were concreted. The total should be 100,000 square feet, were completed of which only 15,000 square feet. During this time the satellite camp was manned by about 9,500 prisoners, during the same period 4,000 people were due to the working and living conditions of their lives.

Doggerstollen today

The lugs are walled up and entered only with special permission by normally closed doors. Currently, efforts run by the association " documentation center KZ Hersbruck " to open a tunnel section of around 250 meters as a historical document and make accessible. Located by the competent federal authority for approval before already. Financial hopes makes the association to the Leader Plus program of the European Union, which could contribute the title of " health region and tourist revival " around 50 % of the necessary 325,000 euros expensive measure.

In May 2006, criticized a report commissioned by the Bavarian Memorial Foundation, the absence of " technically historical, educational and museological quality standards " in the concept of the association. Dr. Jens-Christian Wagner, expert and head of the " memorial Mittelbau- Dora " Nordhausen, fear in his expertise, that in the current concept form at the visitors rather " cave romance and enthusiasm for technology " predominate and socio-historical aspects such as the Passion of Hungarian Jews or the employees of foreign workers and police detainees are not elaborated enough.

In a statement in July 2006 refuted and rebutted the club's criticisms of the report and pointed out that inaccurate assumptions have led to the negative assessment of expertise. The association does not seek to fully equipped documentation center in or near the tunnel in Happurg, as is assumed in the report, but the focus of education and remembrance will still be in Hersbruck and cover the entire field of " satellite camp KZ Hersbruck ". The Doggerwerk itself is in one of several important learning and memorial sites.

The fact that the subject of his expertise is not off the table, the expertise proves itself in the importance of the former concentration camp site in Hersbruck and Doggerstollen is pointed in Happurg and the need to preserve and labeling of the two sites within the meaning of Remembrance is required and places of learning. The report, however, is the possibility been zunichtegemacht, now or in the near future, the tunnel with the help of - to open EU funds at half the cost - now awarded.

At a meeting on 17 and 18 November 2006, the Foundation Bavarian memorials under the motto " The sub-camp in Bavaria, stocktaking and perspectives " on the grounds of the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg had also invited representatives of the Hersbrucker association the opportunity to present their notions of a memorial Hersbruck / Happurg before attending specialist audience, concentration camp survivors and representatives of international politics explain. The results showed that the performances of Hersbrucker Association and those of the Foundation are not Bayerischer Memorials very far apart. In future, it is closer to one another and share a concept for a documentation center " concentration camp Hersbruck " work out.

A timetable for the implementation of the plans is not yet available.

Documentary

The mirror - TV - documentary " Brutality in Stone - The buildings of the Nazis " from 2002 shows the Doggerstollen from the inside and provides insight into its history.

Furthermore, there is the documentary " KZ Hersbruck and Doggerwerk " from the year 1999.