Peoples through space and time Archaeology in Germany 09.05 ...

draught vessels prove that the nobility cultivated exquisite dining customs. Technical glass vessels and
ceramics found at the castle point to the existence of an alchemical laboratory.
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20 th Century Archaeology
Archaeological preservation entails documenting, salvaging and preserving the remains of even the
most recent past. This may be surprising to those who associate archaeology with excavating sites of
antiquity rather than World War II bunkers. Yet despite the comprehensive documentation available on
the history of the 20 th century, archaeological excavations may still serve to clarify individual aspects
and events.
Hoffmann's Tales-Recollections of a Well-Known Pub in Berlin
Until it was destroyed in a bomb attack at the end of 1944, the wine pub ‘Lutter & Wegner’ -
established in 1811 and made famous by the opera ‘Hoffmann's Tales’ - was situated on the corner of
Französische Strasse and Charlottenstrasse.
The property was left vacant until 1993, when archaeological excavations were to determine whether
historical building fragments still existed under the surface. A cellar was uncovered in which the
remains of an overturned and burned shelf was found containing dishes, glasses and cutlery carrying the
name of the restaurant.
These artifacts, carrying the mark of the firebombs, are the last material witness to this well-known site.
Concentration Camps - Traces of A Dark Time
The tendency to suppress unpleasant historical facts or even wipe them completely from collective
memory is a widespread phenomena. Except for a few which were later established as memorials, the
infamous concentration camps were all bulldozed after the war. As a result, archaeologists must treated
them like sites of a very distant past.
Because of construction work, in the year 2000 archaeological research had to be undertaken at
Rathenow in Brandenburg, where between 1944 and 1945 the Sachsenhausen concentration camp had
built an outpost. Prisoners interned there were put to work at the ARADO-works, which produced
military aircrafts.
One of the many small artifacts found at the excavation site is an interesting aluminum box belonging to
a prisoner, in which his name and prison number was scratched. Especially impressive are other
aluminum containers that prisoners risked their lives to produce by smuggling the metal plate they
needed from the aircraft works.
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