Army, German leaders break ground on Hohenfels Army Lodge construction

Photo By Bryan Gatchell | USAG BAVARIA - HOHENFELS, Germany -- Army and local leadership, project coordinators, and many others gathered to break ceremonial ground on the Hohenfels Army Lodge Sept. 16, 2025 at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria – Hohenfels, Germany. (U.S. Army photo by Bryan Gatchell, USAG Bavaria Public Affairs)  

HOHENFELS, BAYERN, GERMANY

09.16.2025

Story by Bryan Gatchell 

U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria

USAG BAVARIA – HOHENFELS, Germany – Wind whipped over the forested hillside and jostled hard hats perched on the handles of gold-ribboned, ceremonial, blue-and-white shovels, planted upright in a three-meter-long pile of dirt.

Army and local leadership, project coordinators, and many others gathered to break ceremonial ground on the Hohenfels Army Lodge Sept. 16, 2025 at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria – Hohenfels, Germany.

Flanking the dirt pile were easels with sturdy wooden displays of facts and figures, which faced into rows of seats under a green garrison awning. Behind the dirt pile and easels, excavators reposed before the large hollow of their making. Arching over the ceremonial layout was a sky of bright blues and high white clouds and the crisscrossing yellow steelwork of a construction crane.

The forthcoming Army lodge will replace the current lodge, which includes rooms in several different buildings and whose staff recently won lodging operations of the year in the small category (www.army.mil/article/286528). The planners of the new lodge slate the construction to conclude in October 2027.

Col. Stephen C. Flanagan, USAG Bavaria commander, spoke during the ceremony, remarking on the intent of the project and the interorganizational collaboration required to make this construction in the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) happen.

“It’s a testament to our combined commitment to ensuring that our warfighters and their Families have access to the resources and facilities they need to thrive, both personally and professionally,” Flanagan said in his remarks. “This project is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Installation Management Command – Europe; the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation; and U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria.”

Flanagan also gave special thanks to the Regensburg state construction office. Wolfgang Schütz, leading director of the state construction office, also spoke on the occasion.

“I am very happy that our allies from the other side of the Atlantic invested in the project and have contributed to safety and peace for Germany and Europe,” said Schütz. “We take great pride in focusing our activities on maintaining safety and order in the Oberpfalz and dedicating our resources to all defense-related measures of the Bundeswehr, NATO and the U.S. forces.”

Schütz outlined the processes that it took for the construction of the lodge. Their office had been part of the planning years before work could begin. As work began, companies removed a 1950s-era motor pool, gas station and underground gas storage devices.

The lodge will stand four stories tall and include 62 living units, four of which are accessible, and 34 will be Family suites. The ground floor will have a reception area, a breakfast area, administrative offices, utility rooms and storage. The lodge, Schütz assured, would adhere to all U.S., German and Army building and safety standards.

The site of the new lodge sits between the Post Exchange, where community members go to shop, eat, rent cars and see new films, and the Hohenfels Welcome Center, where newcomers can take care of administrative necessities through offices such as the ID card section and the Value Added Tax Office. Across the street from the lodge are the Community Activity Center and the Hohenfels Bowling and Entertainment Center and Spare Time Café, Bar and Grill. Not much farther away are other community services, such as the Hohenfels Elementary School, the chapel complex, Outdoor Recreation, the sports and fitness center, and more.

Flanagan lauded the new lodge and what it means to its tenants and the community:

“It is designed to provide comfort, convenience and a sense of home for those coming to visit this Hohenfels community and JMRC training, the premier training center in all of Europe, a warfighting training center that ensures the lethality of the U.S. Army and NATO units that defend our freedom.”

For more photographs from the event, visit the Flickr page here (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usagbavaria/albums/72177720329082831).

• Date Taken: 09.16.2025
• Date Posted: 09.17.2025 10:25
• Story ID: 548390
• Location: HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE
• Hometown: HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE
• Hometown: REGENSBURG, BAYERN, DE