Nibelungenwerk

The Nibelungenwerk stands in Lower Austria near the town of St. Valentin, a large industrial complex built in the Herzograd Forest. It was constructed after the Anschluss as part of the Four Year Plan, with funding from the Reichswerke Hermann Göring. The site included nine vast halls, seven of reinforced concrete and two of steel, all connected by railway sidings and supplied through an underground system. Production lines were designed with main and secondary tracks moved by cable, allowing assembly to progress at set intervals. The factory was intended to produce 320 tanks each month, though this target was never reached. The Nibelungenwerk was the largest tank assembly plant under Axis control and produced more than half of all German Panzer IV tanks. Nearly 4,800 of the 8,500 Panzer IVs made during the war came from this site. It also assembled 576 self-propelled guns and converted Tiger I tanks into Elefants. The plant was bombed at least eight times by Allied forces, yet continued production even after severe damage in October 1944. Today the former factory belongs to Magna International, which uses parts of the site for vehicle component production. The entrance building and canteen remain in use, while other halls are occupied by agricultural machinery manufacturers. The testing grounds and much of the original infrastructure survive, silent witnesses to a complex and troubled past.