An urban explorer recently ventured into a vast 11,000-acre settlement that emerged rapidly during the Cold War era, expressing astonishment at its extraordinary size. Colin Hodson, known for sharing his explorations on his YouTube channel, the Bearded Explorer, was amazed by the immense scale of the Rheindahlen settlement in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. Despite having visited the site before, Colin admitted he had underestimated its sheer enormity.
The complex, which once housed around 12,000 British military personnel and their families, has been abandoned since 2013. Rheindahlen served as a key base for British forces in Germany and the NATO Northern Army Group during the Cold War, operating from 1954 until 2013.
During his exploration, Colin made notable discoveries, including a hidden underground shelter with a detailed map of the entire site. Guided by the map, he located the town’s shopping district, church, and cinema, which was targeted in a bombing attempt in 1973.
The town provided various amenities for military personnel and civilians, such as accommodation, sports facilities, a swimming pool, cinema, and recreational areas. At its peak, Rheindahlen was home to 12,000 British military individuals and their families, serving as a significant base for the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force throughout the Cold War and beyond.
Despite past proposals to repurpose the site into a leisure park or housing for asylum-seekers, the town remains deserted, reclaimed by nature. Colin noted that the once-bustling open-air swimming pool is now overrun with algae, deterring swimmers.
Exploring the Globe Cinema, Colin found stripped auditorium seats and promotional materials from films like “16 Blocks” and “The Break-Up,” both released in 2006. The cinema’s English-language materials and safety instructions hinted at its past English-speaking occupants.
In the overgrown police station, Colin discovered a large detention cell, now home only to a deceased rodent. The site, once teeming with life, now stands silent, a testament to its abandoned state.