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Germany's GÜZ Marks 30 Years With 240,000 Soldiers Trained Since 2003

A purpose-built urban town with simulation-only drills drives growing multinational use.

Overview

  • Located in the Colbitz-Letzlinger Heide north of Magdeburg, the Gefechtsübungszentrum Heer has become a major hub for urban operations training.
  • Annual throughput has roughly doubled from about 7,000 participants in the early years to as many as 14,000 today, according to a Bundeswehr spokesman.
  • The Übungsstadt Schnöggersburg, completed in March 2020, offers 520 buildings, a river with bridges, a 400‑meter subway tunnel and 800 meters of canalisation.
  • Exercises use modern tracking and simulation technology with no live ammunition, enabling complex scenarios in dense urban settings.
  • Training includes broad international participation, with contingents reported from the Netherlands, Austria, the United Kingdom, Georgia, France, Belgium, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Norway.