Digging Sites?
 

Just wondering if anybody knows of any places that would be worth searching for some WW2 relics that are about a days drive from Heidelberg? Thanks.

What kind of relics?

Would you not be concerned with digging and hitting unexploded ordnance? Plus locals may wonder what's going on?

What kind of "relics" do you expect to find? Weird idea...

Slightly off topic and for a laugh, here is a story that appeared in our local news recently:
An old man phoned the police, totally panicking, and said there was a WWII bomb lying in his garden. He had no idea how it got there, but there it was.
Police came to check.
The item in question turned out to be an oversized, slightly mouldy zucchini that some neighbour had deposited of...

Digging...how? Legally? Able to retrieve and keep WWII "relics?" even ifyou find some? Digging with tools and stuff? And declaring anything you find - how will you deal with this? Getting it out of the country?

Yes, seems beyond weird. Really beyond weird.

Maybe you could elaborate.

The whole desire seems weird to me.

There is a market for such items, which turn up in farmer's fields and back gardens after all these years. The farmers and gardeners would take a very dim view of you appearing on their property with a metal detector and a shovel.

Best look online, or in antique shops for such things, I should think. That's where they sell the artifacts that still are found from our civil war battlefields.

Good area is where Hitler's Bunker is - right near Brandenberg Gate - lots of relics to be found there. Was grassy area last I knew but go for it and if find any bodies let authorities know.

talk about quixotic quests! But I think OP may not have thought this through much or is a .....t-word? First and only post!

Nuremberg may be more than an hour from Heidelberg but is full of WW2 sites like Nazi Parade Ground just south of town - may be good digging there - seriously in vast area in outer areas perhaps.

Maybe bring a metal detector?

If he had a metal detector it would have warned him off from digging for information here.

I'm just meaning areas like forests and the likes where I can dive in with a metal detector and find some old bullet cartridges and things like that. Nothing too serious. Just as a bit of a hobby. Maybe like an area that is known to have a couple of trenches or foxholes. Side note: supposing I would find something, I would have no intention selling, most likely giving anything of significance to a museum.

Perhaps you would get more informed answers to your questions by Googling the web about metal detecting. This site popped up when I searched; http://www.metaldetectingworld.com/ I can't vouch for it, but it purports to be a source of information on metal detecting and treasure hunting. I noted a couple of areas in the drop down list for World War-2 relics.

Not the way I would choose to spend my vacation in Germany, but best of luck and have fun.

Yeah, I'm really digging the sites. Groovy man.

Hi Bacon,

I don't think you can dig freely even in German forests. These areas are managed carefully, with forest wardens who basically know every tree by name. When I was in the military here (I live in Bavaria now) and we were doing training exercises in the forests, we always had to walk through the area with one of the forest wardens when we were done ... and the US Army was required to pay for any damage we had done. The forests are considered a national resource and treasure, and they are very rarely entirely empty of people (farmers, wardens, hikers, etc). If you go ahead and dig, and get caught, it could have a seriously negative impact on your vacation.

Anyway, have fun as you plan!

s

It's illegal, forget it.

With the find in Hamburg last week shouldn't that be first choice?

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/...mers-1.4417902

Drop into Belgium and help with the clearing up (only been going on for 100 years so far)

I think this needs some clarification.

First of all, "treasure hunting", mostly with metal detectors, is not an uncommon outdoor activity in Germany. You find metal detectors in any larger hardware or electronic goods store.

In addition, there is no uniform federal law re. "digging for treasures" but laws differ from state to state.

The federal law re. finding something says that it belongs 50/50 - if the rightful owner is not known - to both the person who finds it and to the person who owns the respective lands.

If a "treasure" (regardless of its financial value) is of historic or scientific value the finder must surrender it to the state authorities and will not be able to claim ownership.

"Historic sites" are 100% off-limits to search & dig. Sometimes it's easy to identify a historic site, sometimes not when there are no signs, and sometimes what you think should be a historic site is not protected.

Forests are not necessarily in public domain.
While "digging" is not per se illegal in the woods outside historic sites, you must not cut down trees or cause any damage to what could be protected plants.
If your activities are closer to what kids would do with a kid-size shovel than what a bunch of wild boars does, you should be on the lighter side of the grey scale.

A final warning re. ammunition:

Don't think that you can or will find only empty shells and cartridges.
Anything from rusty but otherwise intact bullets to hand grenades to full-size bombs can be found.
Digging can trigger any explosive device, and so can handling, moving, exposure to oxygen.
If you find something that looks suspicious, stop what you're doing, move away from the site as far as quickly as you can, call 112 and wait for the explosives removal team.
You won't get into trouble if it was a false alarm.

Aside from the safety concerns, it's also a felony to possess any type of live ammo (and this would include one single "historic" pistol round) without a permit.