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The archaeology of a Nazi synthetic-fuel plant and its legacy: the Hydrierwerke Pölitz AG

Part of: Conflict Archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2024

Grzegorz Kiarszys Open the ORCID record for Grzegorz Kiarszys [Opens in a new window]  and
Maksymilian Dzikowski Open the ORCID record for Maksymilian Dzikowski [Opens in a new window]
Grzegorz Kiarszys*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Institute of History, Szczecin University, Poland
Maksymilian Dzikowski
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Institute of History, Szczecin University, Poland
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ [email protected]
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Abstract

The Hydrierwerke Pölitz AG was a synthetic-fuel plant of strategic importance to the Nazi war machine. The surrounding area contained labour camps, factories and other military infrastructure. The area was a target for sustained Allied bombardment causing extensive damage to the plant and nearby towns and villages. After the war, the plant's troubled past faded before interest was revived in the 1990s. Here, with the aid of historical aerial photographs and modern remote-sensing methods, the authors document the physical remains of the site, reconstruct its ‘dark history’ and reflect on the significance of the Hydrierwerke for the discourse on neglected and appropriated Second World War heritage.

Keywords

PolandSecond World Warmilitary infrastructureconflict landscapesremote sensing
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 98 , Issue 402 , December 2024 , pp. 1641 - 1661
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd

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