Truppenübungsplätze

Military Training Areas have been established for the Austrian Armed Forces since the 18^th  century (Hloubetin near Prague, Turas near Brno, Münchendorf to the south of Vienna). The military training grounds at Bruckneudorf close to the Kaisersteinbruch (today barracks and shooting range) were established in 1867, shortly after the introduction of universal compulsory military service. In 1878 the Schüttachgraben hollow near Hochfilzen (Tirol) was enlarged, made into a shooting range for the artillery and used until 1908; in 1938 it was taken over by the Wehrmacht (German armed forces); when the Austrian Armed Forces were re-established in 1955 it became a shooting range of the Austrian Army

Several military training areas were established by the Wehrmacht in Austria. The largest military grounds were established at Döllersheim in the Waldviertel: from 1938 onwards the population of a large area situated between Allentsteig and Kamp, the monastery of Zwettl and Neupölla (42 villages, 6,800 people, 6 farmsteads, 10 mills, 1,389 houses, alt. 470-630 m) was forcibly resettled. In 1941/1942 the municipalities were gradually abolished and the area converted into military property. Between 1945-1955 Döllersheim was used by the Soviet army, later the area was reduced to 157 km², handed over to the Austrian army and renamed Allentsteig training area. Other military training areas in Austria are: Dachstein/Oberfeld in Upper Austria, Lizum/Walchen in Tirol and Carinthia consisting of a number of small military grounds, and Seetaleralpen in Styria.

Literature: L. Gros, Übungsplätze des Bundesheeres heute - morgen, in: Truppendienst, No. 14, 1975; Der Truppenübungslatz Allentsteig, Studien und Forschungen des Niederösterreichischen Instituts für Landeskunde 17, 1991.