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Vogelsang:
For thousands upon thousands of members of the military the name Vogelsang evokes countless memories. Between 1950 and 2005, innumerable Belgian and allied soldiers were trained at this camp in the Rhineland of North Westphalia.
However, Vogelsang not only has a military dimension. It also is a magnificent area, part of the Eifel national park. From 2006 onwards more than 180,000 visitors have each year sought out this particular region. Not only to enjoy the beautiful setting, but also to remember, as Vogelsang indeed carries the stigmata of a painful past. Before becoming first a British and later a Belgian training facility the camp housed a Nazi indoctrination centre for young recruits during the Hitler regime. The Belgian presence presented the location with a democratic and a European dimension.
The Royal Military Museum presents, in its Great Hall, a selection of 25 large-format photographs by Andreas Magdanz. In 2003, two years before the closure of Camp Vogelsang, this German photographer of international repute, decided to capture the ultimate moments of the Belgian command. He used both colour and black and white, he juggled with past and present, he played with emptiness and fullness. Magdanz kept a certain distance but at the same time provided an extremely original view of the various eras and areas, which seemed to exist alongside one another.
The visitor will not only be able to admire beautiful prints, but will also discover both a movie about the artistic project and the catalogue Camp Vogelsang containing some hundred pictures. The book is already available for IPhone through ITunes and on www.andreasmagdanz.de .
The exhibition will seduce both amateurs of military history and art lovers. The message of hope and peace cannot be ignored either: nature will always claim its rights.
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