Hindenburg Kaserne, also known as Hindenburg Barracks, was a former military

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

, located near in the Zellerau district in the city of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, in

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The ''kaserne'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: barracks), was situated between Weißenburgstraße, Mainaustraße and Moscheeweg. It was active as a military base between 1935 and 1993.

History

Construction began on the ''kaserne'' in 1934. In 1935 it was named in honor of

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fro ...

, a

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

who commanded the German army in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and who was elected as President of the German Reich in 1925. In 1935 the ''kaserne'' was given over to the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

. Hindenburg Kaserne was occupied by the ''II Abteilung des Artillerie-Regiments 93'' (English: 2nd Battalion (Heavy), 93rd Artillery Regiment) on 12 October 1937. This unit saw action in the

Polish Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

as part of the XVI Army Corps (Wehrmacht), and the

French Campaign The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

as part of the

IV Army Corps (Wehrmacht) IV Corps (IV. Armeekorps) was a corps level command of the German Army (Wehrmacht) before and during World War II. History The IV Army Corps was formed on 1 October 1934 in Wehrkreis IV (4th Military District) in Dresden by the expansion of the ...

. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Hindenburg Kaserne was occupied by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

from 1945 until its closure in 1993.

Current Use

After the withdrawal of US forces, the facility has been largely demolished. For several years the area lay fallow, due in part to environmental cleanup efforts. At the beginning of March, 2012, Freistaat Bayern purchased most of this area for use by the ''Staatliche Feuerwehrschule Würzburg'' (English: Würzburg City Fire Brigade School). As part of the expansion of the school, several practice areas and buildings have been built. Groundbreaking for this €29.5 million construction project was in the summer of 2013. In addition to the fire brigade school, portions of the area along Moscheeweg, Weißenburgstraße and Mainaustraße make up part of the ''Grüne Mitte Zellerau'', an outdoor fitness area and green space. Map of Former Hindenburg Kaserne

References

{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Barracks of the United States Army in Germany Military installations established in 1935 1935 establishments in Germany German Army installations Military installations closed in 1993 1993 disestablishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Würzburg Demolished buildings and structures in Germany Buildings and structures demolished in 2008