The huge town was built by the British government at the height of the Cold War but has been left abandoned since 2013.
An urban explorer has revealed a forgotten town, completely hidden for over a decade and fast becoming over-run by the wilderness.
Stretching across acres with sizeable four-bedroom houses, sporting facilities, and even its own filling station, JHQ Rheindahlen once hosted up to 12,000 British servicemen and their families until its doors closed in 2013. It was built by the Brits during the tense times of the Cold War, not on UK soil, but in Germany.
Colin Hodson, from the Bearded Explorer YouTube channel who explored and filmed the ghostly location, was taken aback: “This place is so big it is pretty much its own city,” he expressed. “I cannot believe this whole estate is completely abandoned.”.
He detailed his surreal exploration through the deserted town, which felt like stepping into a post-apocalyptic landscape without humans, the only signs of life being wildlife like deer and red squirrels, reports the Express.
The vast site sprawls over 376 hectares, so densely covered in foliage that in summertime, houses would vanish from sight behind a sea of green. Colin’s visit fell in a less leafy season, offering a clearer view and stirring the imagination of how bustling life here once was.
Today’s property market could see the buildings fetching millions, though placing a price on an entire ghost town proves more challenging. Though signs of vandalism are present, the site stands remarkably preserved.
Colin revealed that despite balmy weather outside, a chill ran the houses within.
“This is actually incredible,” Colin exclaimed. “This is probably the closest I’ve ever felt to be like walking around in The Walking Dead. This is exactly what it would look like if the world ended everyone disappeared nature would just literally take over everything.”
Since the British Army officially returned the town to German hands in December 2013, there have been plans to transform it into accommodation for asylum seekers, yet a decade later, nothing has materialised.
A group of Arab investors once put forward a vision in 2015 to turn the area into a leisure park, but it seems those plans have now crumbled.
Another section of the complex is set to become a training ground for the North Rhein Westfalia police, where they can simulate hostage rescues and other scenarios as realistically as possible.
The town bears a striking resemblance to any modern British or German town, with many homes boasting their own garages, some still under lock and key.
In certain spots, trees have sprouted right in front of garage doors: “Some of these haven’t been opened in a very very long time,” Colin observed.
Back in its prime, the site, then called JHQ Rheindahlen, was home to a NAAFI superstore, a BP petrol station, two post offices, a dress shop, and five British primary schools.
Colin’s set to return soon for another exploration into the vast site, but as for the ghostly town’s future?
That remains shrouded in mystery.
