The Queen has been here - and so has the Dalai Lama...
...but that's only one chapter in Camp Reinsehlen's fascinating history.
The peace and quiet of this untouched heathland village was first disrupted in 1938, when large areas were occupied by the German Luftwaffe and used as an airbase. After the war, a refugee camp was established on the site—home to around 1,500 people and later known as the"Village of a Thousand Sorrows."
Mainly women and children found shelter here in simple wooden barracks. The camp included a medical station, a school, and even a kindergarten.
From 1950 to 1997, British and Canadian armed forces used Reinsehlen as a military training ground—giving rise to the name Camp Reinsehlen.
What today seems unthinkable was part of daily life in the Lüneburg Heath for decades: large sections of this unique landscape were used for military maneuvers. In 1967, Queen Elizabeth herself attended a tank regiment parade—an extraordinary event for the entire region.
The tank wash station, the Red and White Halls, the art studio, and the administrative building still remain from that time.
In 1986, a local citizens’ initiative was formed with the goal of reducing military impact on the heath.
After years of tireless negotiations, they succeeded in bringing all military exercises to an end.
Extensive and intensive renaturation effortsbegan, and by 1994, the land was finally returned to nature.
Content Blocks
In 1998, as part of the event "Buddha's Path to Happiness", the Dalai Lama visited Camp Reinsehlen.
Thousands of people gathered at the camp, creating a tent city unlike any seen before in Europe—spanning an area of 25,000 square meters.
According to various online sources, up to 11,000 people from 56 countries were present during those days.
This remarkable event gave rise to concrete plans for a nature-integrated hotel on the camp grounds. In collaboration with the North German Academy for Nature Conservation, HOTELCAMP REINSEHLEN officially opened in October 1999 with 27 rooms and two event halls.
In 2004 art found ist way to Camp Reinsehlen. Artist Jörg-Werner Schmidt set up his studio in what is now the Atelier—a former horse stable used by the British Army. Between 2004 and 2010, numerous artworks were created on-site and are still found throughout the camp today, including the Lattenmenschen (Stick Figures), the Lavender Labyrinth, the Knick Pyramid, and the design of the transformer building.
So much has happened in the quiet heathland village of Reinsehlen—all the more remarkable is its transformation over the past decades. Nature has reclaimed the land.
Those who take a moment to pause and reflect will feel the almost meditative effect of this unique tranquility and seclusion. The camp has once again become a place of stillness—
a sanctuary, home to rare flora and fauna. It’s hard to resist the atmosphere of this natural landscape—perhaps that’s why so many of our guests now return to the camp regularly for a restorative escape.
