Technical map view of the Freiburg administrative district with Freiburg im Breisgau marked for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Freiburg im Breisgau

Is your excavation getting larger, a utility being moved or the foundation going deeper? For construction projects in Freiburg im Breisgau, existing preliminary investigations and specialist reports are compared with the current design. Send the site plan, planned depths and complete reports to FONTANA-EOD so that the project owner, specialist planners and construction management can agree the investigations and records needed.

Area references

Locate investigated areas on the current plan.

Plan changes

Mark new excavations, utilities and depths.

Documentation

Assign reports to their areas and construction stages.

Assess the construction project

How are new construction areas compared with earlier investigations?

Explosive ordnance assessment before construction in Freiburg im Breisgau depends on which area and depth an earlier investigation actually covered. New excavations, utility sections and foundations are compared with its spatial appendices and results. For outstanding areas, historical research, suitable technical investigations and the documentation needed are defined.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrated map of Baden-Württemberg with its three-lion coat of arms, a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat and notebook.

Use the Am Lindenwäldle boundaries as a planning example

The explanatory statement for plan 6-172, dated 17 December 2024, distinguishes areas according to the aerial photograph assessment available at the time. The map helps locate those conclusions. For your own new groundworks, the precise location, state of knowledge and any later results available are therefore compared together. The earlier assessment remains related to the area it describes.

Freiburg im Breisgau is an independent urban district in the Freiburg administrative district in Baden-Württemberg. The official regional classification identifies these administrative levels. Project locations in the old town, Wiehre, Stühlinger, Herdern, Brühl, Mooswald, Haslach, Vauban or Rieselfeld are assigned using the precise address and area plan. For locations in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, around Emmendingen, in Bad Krozingen, March or other places along the Upper Rhine and in the southern Black Forest, the actual municipality determines the local procedure and responsible authorities. Also describe whether housing, commercial redevelopment or work on existing transport and utility facilities is planned. Further project locations are available in the regional overview.

Local context

Define the investigation area on the site plan

Use municipal geodata for orientation

The City of Freiburg provides spatial information through its Digital Construction and GeoIT staff unit. This helps with orientation and assembling the underlying plans. A map display alone, however, does not establish which explosive ordnance investigation already exists for a particular construction area or which work it covers.

Distinguish areas within the Am Lindenwäldle plan

The explanatory statement for the Am Lindenwäldle development plan (plan 6-172, dated 17 December 2024) distinguishes areas with suspected explosive ordnance from those requiring no further investigation according to the knowledge available at the time, following an aerial photograph assessment. For suspected areas, it recommends technical investigation before ground disturbance. The associated map shows the spatial boundaries. For new construction sections or relocated utility trenches, compare the specific ground disturbance with this map and any later investigation reports available. The conclusion concerns this planning case; it cannot be applied to other plots in Freiburg.

The planning statement records the air raid of 27 November 1944 for the area. The assessed aerial photographs show trench systems within and near the investigation area at the time, and buildings damaged in the attack to the north. The suspected-area map is labelled UXO PRO CONSULT, 2018. For a project, therefore, the location of ground disturbance is compared with the complete map and its legend. Historical damage, later development and documented investigations are related to the same area.

Clearly mark the investigation area in the application

Preliminary investigation by the Baden-Württemberg explosive ordnance disposal service requires a clearly defined investigation area. The published information sheet calls for a suitable site plan with readable place details and a clear marking of the area. Mark the area where the work is planned. The property address alone does not sufficiently describe the investigation scope.

For spatial comparison, record the drawing revision, scale and geographical reference points. A broad project overview can be supplemented with a detailed ground disturbance plan. For several construction sections, identify each section with its associated depths. Historical research also considers documented former industrial and storage uses, railway routes, bridges, redevelopment and ground changes. Reconstruction, infilling and later site development work are considered where documents are available. The investigation then addresses the ground volume actually required.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. The competent authorities identify official requirements and make the associated decisions. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed with its documented area, depth and service scope.

For preliminary investigation by the KMBD at Stuttgart Regional Council, identify the planned work and investigation area. The local project setting in Freiburg is distinguished from these statewide duties. In the event of an actual find, notify the police; they coordinate the next steps with the responsible specialists. Project documents, technical results reports and official requirements are kept in the project file with their respective purpose and responsible contact.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Address different areas appropriately

Specialist assessment follows the findings for each area. Neither suspected ordnance nearby nor an area with no anomalies removes the need to relate your own ground disturbance to the relevant area. Specialist planning defines the investigation objective and considers local measurement conditions. This establishes what additional technical work, if any, is needed.

Compare specialist services for different areas

Check depth and area scope together

A larger excavation may also include deeper foundations or additional shoring areas. Describe both changes. The selected method must support the conclusion needed under site conditions. Areas not sufficiently covered are documented and addressed separately for the next step rather than silently included in a general result.

For a design change, describe both the additional area and newly required depth. A sideways extension beside an earlier excavation may concern different documents from deepening within its outline. Make both changes identifiable on the same drawing revision. Add known earlier excavations, foundations, utilities and fill. The commissioned specialist service then has a clear relationship to the new construction task and investigation objective.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Preserve the area reference through every design revision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Use the complete spatial appendix

A historical assessment may evaluate different areas differently. Read the map with its legend and associated text. An isolated sentence often does not show the spatial limits. When transferred into current construction planning, the original conclusion is preserved; a new presentation does not increase its precision.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Set the new design alongside it

Mark today's footprint and associated depths. Additional utility trenches, shafts or shoring positions may lie outside the area considered earlier. Compare these differences specifically with existing reports. An unchanged property address alone does not establish that all new groundworks are already covered.

Give the excavation, including working space and shoring, a clear area boundary. For utility projects, show the route, connection points, shafts and required crossings. Identify any newly added area separately, even if it belongs to the same plot. The drawing version shows which areas have already been investigated. Before several results plans are overlaid to define a new commission, check differences in scale, reference points and processing status.

Document findings and their limitations
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Document additional tasks clearly

If new investigations are needed, they receive a clear reference to the changed design. The results report identifies their scope and remaining limits. Earlier reports remain separate supporting documents. Construction management can then see which conclusion applies to which section and where clarification is still needed before further ground disturbance.

The results handover connects the report with the area actually addressed. Each construction section includes the drawing version used, methods carried out, depths investigated and outstanding areas. With several specialist reports, make clear which conclusions complement one another and where different tasks were addressed. Construction management also receives information on changes during the investigation. Outstanding questions for follow-on work are passed to the responsible parties with their spatial references.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. Dates and the work involved are agreed after clarifying scope, access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Compare excavations, utilities and design changes

01

Excavation, shoring and additional installations

Provide the current footprint and intended depths. Where shoring, preparatory boreholes or additional installations lie outside the area considered earlier, include that ground disturbance separately in coordination. A site plan showing only the eventual building may overlook such work.

02

Utility route, connections and shafts

For a possible utility construction project, consider the route, connection areas and associated shafts together. If a route moves or is extended, check whether existing documents still cover the new section. Assess the connection area separately. A result for a neighbouring section cannot simply be transferred to it.

03

Earlier reports and the current ground disturbance plan

Compare earlier statements and investigation results, with their appendices, against the current ground disturbance plan. Identify areas already addressed and where new questions arise. Clarify missing position or depth details before using the report for further planning.

04

Updating information when construction is delayed

The KMBD explains that its preliminary investigation generally relates to the particular construction project. New chance finds, additional aerial photographs and other historical sources may require an update. For a delayed project, clarify whether the earlier information remains usable even if the area is unchanged.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Pass design changes on clearly

A change should be identifiable by date, area affected and new ground disturbance depth. Pass this version to the specialists involved. The comparison can then use the same basis. A general notice of larger construction works leaves unclear which earlier investigation boundaries are affected.

Account for project delays

Existing findings may need updating even if the area is unchanged. The state information explains that preliminary investigation is project-specific and may be affected by new evidence. For delayed work, clarify whether the information can still be used. Spatial comparison and checking the state of knowledge complement each other. An existing clearance record documents work actually carried out, including areas addressed, methods, findings and remaining tasks. This work status is also compared with today's design.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Gather the existing status before extending the work

Assemble the complete information, location map and existing technical results. Add the current ground disturbance plan with clearly marked changes. Specialist planning can then assign existing conclusions directly. Missing appendices or unclear depth details are clarified before the report is used more widely.

Assign results before the new section

Identify which reports cover the forthcoming ground disturbance and which additions are being made. Construction management receives the relevant drawing version. Outstanding tasks are handed over with their areas. Later changes are compared again; documented investigation scope does not expand simply because the project advances.

Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Which additional investigation is needed

From aerial photograph assessment to technical investigation

The Historical aerial photograph analysis assesses the available image and source evidence. A technical survey brief, by contrast, describes what is to be investigated on site. Whether additional work is needed, and what it should be, depends on the specific finding and design; a neighbourhood's age alone does not prescribe a method.

Where baseline questions remain, historical research for the construction area is completed. Existing aerial photograph assessments are read with their identified image dates and spatial appendices; further sources are assessed as needed. If a suspected explosive ordnance area in Freiburg im Breisgau is to be investigated, first describe the specific outstanding question and forthcoming work. A moved utility or new excavation edge receives a clear reference to the earlier assessment. The additional investigation brief follows from this.

Measurement conditions on accessible areas

For a Surface survey, the actual measurement conditions must be considered. Existing structures, buildings or other interference may limit what can be established. These restrictions must appear in the report. Only then can users identify the areas for which the result is meaningful.

To select a method, assemble information on access, ground structure and known utilities or installed structures. Different parts of a densely developed site may have different measurement conditions. Specialist planning therefore describes which areas can be assessed with the proposed method and where further work is needed. Preparatory construction works, such as boreholes, shoring and shafts, also belong in this comparison. The quotation states which question the measurements are to answer and which results documents will be handed over. The Surveying is matched to this investigation objective.

Piled foundations, shoring and other deep ground disturbance

A Deep-ground survey is tailored to the specific task and suitable conditions. For piled foundations, shoring or other deep ground disturbance, referring only to a general area report is insufficient. The required investigation depth and its relationship to the planned work need specialist clarification; a fixed range is not promised as a general rule.

For a changed foundation design, the positions and depths of new ground disturbance are compared with the points actually investigated. Each planned pile, shoring point or shaft is identifiable on the site plan. The specialist contractor also needs known existing utilities, access conditions and details of earlier earthworks. If an investigation point moves during execution, the change is coordinated with the design and documented in the result. The spatial reference remains traceable through to the subsequent construction work.

Next steps

From existing information to the current construction design

01

Assign the documents

Assemble reports, site plans and the associated drawing revision. The initial contact records planned work and the decision needed. Document review connects existing reports, spatial appendices and drawing versions to each area. Missing baseline information is identified for further preparation.

02

Compare changes

Identify new areas, depths and work sections. Historical research and aerial photograph assessment are carried out where baseline questions remain. Method selection considers their results, the ground volume required, measurement conditions and actual access to the intended investigation areas.

03

Define the investigation scope

Agree outstanding questions and investigations needed. The agreed survey or suitable supervision addresses the defined areas. Results are assessed with their interpretation limits and assigned to the planned groundworks. Changes during execution remain identifiable in the report.

04

Pass on the results

Document the scope investigated, limitations and follow-up tasks. The report includes the drawing version showing areas addressed and remaining gaps. The subsequent decision identifies which further investigations or coordination are needed before the next construction section. The responsible parties receive the associated documents.

Documentation

Assign reports to the areas investigated

Findings and their scope

The documentation should show which area was addressed, with which objective and under which conditions. Positions, investigated depths and outstanding areas are decisive for further construction planning. With several reports, assign the investigated area to each document. Simply filing the documents together is insufficient.

For tendering, research, investigation, analysis and documentation are described as defined tasks. All bidders receive the same area boundaries, depth information and known constraints. Accessible working areas and scheduling dependencies are identified. Any further work on findings required is coordinated with the intended sequence and responsible parties. If the designer or contractor later changes, record which results documents must be handed over and which tasks remain outstanding. Any required Recovery is clarified in advance with its working area and responsible parties.

Project responsibilities

The KMBD at Stuttgart Regional Council is responsible statewide and supports the police authorities in explosive ordnance disposal. According to the published state information, landowners must arrange searching and recovery themselves. FONTANA-EOD carries out the commissioned investigation; the police and KMBD perform their official duties following a find. The BFR KMR supplement technical planning; outside their direct scope, they are treated as guidance.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Read the map and text together

The map shows boundaries, while the text explains their technical meaning and possible requirements. Only together can their conclusions be used properly. Check the legend, drawing revision and stated investigation area. A copied marking without that context can complicate comparison with the new construction design.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Organise several reports spatially

For several construction sections, establish which report investigated which area. Keep documents with their appendices and associated drawing revision. For combined use, clearly assign each report's area, purpose and scope. Mark overlaps and outstanding areas explicitly. The documented limits and tasks of each investigation remain decisive.

Technical results documents are kept in the project file with their associated drawing revisions. Identify which reports concern the forthcoming groundworks, which changes are added and who arranges the additions. Conflicting boundaries or missing appendices are clarified before the affected ground disturbance. A set of different documents has an overview of the respective areas and tasks. This makes it possible, even after a design change, to trace which conclusion comes from which investigation step. The Clearance documentation records the documented area, depth and service scope.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Questions about construction areas and preliminary investigation in Freiburg

Does an existing aerial photograph assessment also cover a larger construction area?

Not automatically. The information relates to the investigation area applied for and the associated project. Additional areas or changed ground disturbance must be compared with existing documents. This establishes which additions or further investigations are needed. Assemble the documents before the affected groundworks. Preliminary investigation requirements and outstanding questions are clarified early with the specialists involved; for a KMBD aerial photograph assessment, the application and site plan are submitted according to its official documents.

What map base does the KMBD require for an enquiry?

Its information sheet calls for a suitable site plan with readable street or field names, associated house or land parcel numbers, and a clear marking of the investigation area. Additional digital boundary data should be included where possible. The current KMBD information sheet is the authoritative reference.

Does older information need updating?

For construction delays, the KMBD recommends updating its preliminary investigation after no more than three years. The area and project must also still match. Clarify further use for your project with the KMBD. An unchanged address is not enough for the comparison.

Does municipal geodata prove an area is free of explosive ordnance?

No. It provides a spatial information and planning basis. An explosive ordnance conclusion follows from the preliminary investigation or investigation carried out for that purpose, within its documented scope. A map display and technical investigation evidence serve different purposes.

What should be done if explosive ordnance is suspected to have been found in Freiburg?

Stop the affected work and keep your distance. Do not touch, move or uncover the object further. The City of Freiburg gives the reporting route as the police on 110. Follow the authorities' instructions and never transport the object to a police station yourself.

Why is the old investigation map's legend needed?

It explains the meaning of the areas shown. Together with the report, it allows comparison with today's planned groundworks.

What must be checked when a utility route moves?

The new position, connection areas and depth are compared with the earlier investigation scope. This establishes any additional requirements. Ground structure, utilities and other interference sources affect method suitability. The investigation report identifies the area and depth covered, together with remaining interpretation limits.

Which cost factors matter for an additional investigation?

The work involved depends on research requirements, additional areas and depths, access and measurement conditions. Agreed analysis and results documentation, and any further work on findings, add to this. Send existing reports with their appendices so that the quotation describes the additional scope actually needed. KMBD services and cost rates are considered separately from private specialist commissions.

Project enquiry

Compare the earlier investigation with the new design

Show earlier areas

Send reports and complete spatial appendices together.

Mark new ground disturbance

Mark changes to area, depth and construction sections on the current plan.

Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.