In 1939 the German government built Europe’s biggest ammunition factory in Allendorf. Allendorf is a former small farmer village with a few hundred inhabitants. In the Second World War, people from 20 different countries were deported to work here in Allendorf’s factories.
The place was a good choice by the National Socialist regime; No one expected such a big factory to reside in the middle of nowhere.
In the DIZ Stadtallendorf (Dokumentations- und Informationszentrum Stadtallendorf) there is a very interesting exhibition on the development of these factories through the Second World War. Most interesting are the personal stories of the deported workers from all over the world.
I also visited the site of the former factories. Still, bunker buildings can be seen on the grounds. Some of the buildings have been converted into family houses. A very strange place, but definitely worth a visit!
