Clausensee

Dieser See wird von einem eiskalten Gebirgsbach gespeist. Es gibt einen Strandbereich, für den ein Eintritt zu entrichten ist, und sogar Tretboote können gemietet werden. Wer sich einer Herausforderung stellen möchte, kann bis zur Insel in der Mitte des Sees hinausschwimmen. Außerdem gibt es ein Restaurant und sogar eine Strandbar im Freien – also bringen Sie ein paar Euro mit.

The title mentions a neighbor. That neighbor is the former Clausen Munitions Storage Depot. Unbeknownst to the residents of Clausen, the depot stored 100,000 155mm and 8 inch shells packed with Sarin and VX nerve agents. They were removed in 1990 under the title of “Operation Steel Box“, or “Operation Lindwurm” in German and cost the U.S. military 53 million dollars to remove them all. What did they do with all the apocalyptic levels of chemical weapons you ask? They packed them up in custom made “steel boxes”, drove them by truck to Miesau Army Depot, put them on a train to Bremerhaven, then on a ship, where they were sent to be incinerated at the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System in the Pacific. The Cold War am I right?

If you want to know more about this crazy subject, we suggest checking out the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report about the removal of all the chemical weapons.