The architecture and building history of assembly hall 1/F1 at Peenemünde: A contribution to the archaeological investigation of contaminated heritage sites

• Applicants: Dr. Constanze Röhl; Dr.-Ing. Peter Irenäus Schneider
• Subject Area: Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 417517655

Fertigungshalle 1/Fabrication Hall 1 in Peenemünde denotes the reinforced concrete ruin of a modern monumental industrial building from the National Socialist time period. Temporarily, the building also included a concentration camp. The Fertigungshalle 1 was erected as part of the extensive building program by the Heeresversuchsanstalt/Army Research Center between 1940-1943, underwent a controlled detonation as a consequence of the Potsdam Agreement, and further demolition in the course of the raw and building material extraction programs of the post-war period. Its scientific investigation is associated with specific conceptual and logistical challenges due to risks of contamination from multiple sources, for which the Fertigungshalle 1 does not present an isolated case. During the first phase of the project, the preconditions for further investigation and archaeological research were established in a multi-stage concept. With the implementation of these results, hypotheses regarding the localization and reconstruction of the concentration camp are to be tested. Along with this aspect, planning structures of the building sector and their respective contextual embeddings are to be identified and correlated with the archaeological findings on site. This also includes the material presentation of construction elements, building materials and structural – technical – components. The further documentation and presentation of findings and artifact spectrum of the post-use phases addresses the history of the object, which has initially been investigated on the basis of written and photographic sources. Fertigungshalle 1 is an important testimony to German building history as well as to approaches to controversial inheritances from the National Socialist time period. It can aid in uncovering differing perspectives in dealing with the legacy of modernity by means of building history, Bauforschung and archaeology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants