In 1938, approximately 98 acres of this forest were dispossessed from the adjacent community by Nazi Germany to erect a secret chemical plant. All the buildings were scattered across the site to hide them from adversarial air reconnaissance. Most of the construction was done by forced labor. The German army used the area to produce and create enormous stockpiles of several chemical weapon munitions such as Tabun. 

Besides the unnumbered machine houses, there were also two air raid shelters, several pump houses, a water tower, a pumping system, and a sewage treatment plant to clear the chemicals. 

Some of the buildings are fenced off on private property today. Visitors to the site can still see the remains of two large bunkers in which methanol was stored.

After World War II, the site was first occupied by the United States Army, served later as a refugee camp, and then as a depository for hazardous substances. Today, it is used as warehouses for private companies and a dog training area for the police.