Former Ski Jump "Adolf Hitler"

In the Eifel near the village of Hollerath the remains of a ski jump can be found.

The ski jump was built between 1932 and 1934 by the Cologne Winter Sports Association (WSV). On September 15th, 1934, the ski jump was opened and, in the prevailing era, named after Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, who had come to power with his NSDAP in 1933.

The ski jump itself was not put into use until 2 years later due to the lack of enough snowfall to use it.

During January combat operations on German soil in the final days of the 1944-1945 Ardennes Offensive (december 1944 until januari 1945), the ski jump was damaged. The American 1st Infantry Division (Big red one) and the 82nd Airborne Division (All American) captured the area from the German 277th Volksgrenadierdivision, see about this division in the Ardennes Offensive. In this area were several bunkers and so-called dragon's teeth of the Siegfriedline. The well-known rows of triangular concrete barriers that were supposed to hinder and slow down advancing armored vehicles.

After the war, a newer smaller ski jump was erected near the destroyed one.

In late 2023, the location and remains of the old entrenchment was declared a "Bodengedenkmal" of the municipality of Hellentahl. Since that time, an information board explaining the history of this ski jump has also been erected to explain the historical content.

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Hans Tasma
• https://www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-346097