ehem. Militär-Schießstätte

Did the echoes of gunfire once reverberate here at the ehem. Militär-Schiessstätte? This abandoned military range, nestled within the Maurer Wald, whispers tales of a time when the air crackled with the sound of target practice. The ehem. Militär-Schiessstätte, established in 1834, served as a training ground for soldiers honing their skills with firearms. The Pfarrchronik Mauer, the local parish records, noted its presence near two existing barracks. Later, a munitions depot was added, further solidifying its military importance. The range wasn’t solely for military use. The land, near the Tiergartenmauer and below the Dreimarkstein, also served the community. In 1852, the military paid 200 Gulden for the use of the communal land, formalizing an agreement with the Gemeinde Mauer in 1866. Interestingly, a civilian shooting range was established nearby in 1865, suggesting a culture familiar with firearms. The ehem. Militär-Schiessstätte saw a redesign in 1873. A building was erected on the approximately 600-meter long and 200-meter wide site. The site continued to evolve. Following 1918, the Mauer garrison was disbanded, and the shooting range building was repurposed. It served first as a children’s center run by the Kinderfreunde, then as a women’s retreat under the Verband Societas. In 1933, the Socialist Youth revitalized it as the “Viktor-Adler-Heim.” The building’s story takes a somber turn with the February 1934 civil war. Damaged during the conflict, it was repaired by homeless youth through the “Freiwilligen Arbeitsdienstes,” becoming a children’s home under the “Jugend ohne Heim” association. After 1934, the trail of its use grows cold, and the ehem. Militär-Schiessstätte gradually fell into disrepair after World War II. Today, only whispers of its past remain.