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

Explosive ordnance assessment in Ludwigsburg: interpreting damage maps

Project owners, design offices and site managers need specialist interpretation of historical information for ground disturbance in Ludwigsburg. A damage map, an indication of a void and an explosive ordnance report answer different questions. FONTANA-EOD supports explosive ordnance assessment and the agreed investigation. Send maps with their legends and sources, existing specialist reports and the current ground disturbance plan with depths. The conclusions needed are assigned to the proposed works and responsible specialists.

Damage maps

Interpret mapped impacts correctly.

Ground conditions

Pass on indications of old voids.

Construction projects

Define the investigation needed specifically.

Assess the construction project

Which questions must be clarified before groundworks in Ludwigsburg?

Historical war damage, possible voids and planned groundworks are assigned to their respective technical subjects. For explosive ordnance assessment, the full body of knowledge and precise area of ground disturbance matter. Geotechnical or stability questions require their own assessment alongside this. The results are brought together for the common construction sequence.

Project site

Identify Ludwigsburg and the local project location

Schematic map with a three-lion coat of arms and state colours, alongside a tablet, white hard hat, pen and notebook.

Use Ludwigsburg's ground conditions brochure selectively

The third edition, dated September 2026, explains the war damage maps and also addresses old tunnels and cellars. For your project, read the relevant information in full and compare it with your own areas. The city's brochure provides guidance; the specific investigations needed are matched to the proposed ground disturbance.

Ludwigsburg is a major district town in the Ludwigsburg district and the Stuttgart administrative district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. State the specific project address and municipality. Information in a city overview is compared with the actual location of your construction area. For a project outside the town boundary, local responsibility follows the respective project location; a map reference alone does not define the procedure.

Local context

Distinguish damage maps from explosive ordnance investigation technically

Read historical damage and voids separately

The city's brochure Der Baugrund in Ludwigsburg, dated September 2026, describes the air raid damage maps prepared in 1995. They record bombed areas and known impacts. Unexploded bombs are expressly not shown. The maps may therefore help historical assessment but do not answer the explosive ordnance question for a present-day plot on their own.

Relate investigation to the project's own ground disturbance

In the same chapter, the city addresses old air raid shelter tunnels and cellars. It also notes possible unknown voids and resulting settlement or collapse hazards. These are separate questions for construction planning. A result concerning explosive ordnance contamination does not replace a stability assessment; equally, investigating a void does not establish that the surrounding construction area is free of explosive ordnance.

The brochure describes bombing over Ludwigsburg during the Second World War and the maps prepared in 1995. As a local example, it also identifies a tunnel at Lechtsteige in Neckarweihingen. For present groundworks, this historical information is considered alongside later development and known changes. A record of known impacts answers a different question from a technical report on the volume of ground actually investigated. Both sources therefore remain available with their respective purposes and spatial coverage.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the proposed work and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact makes cooperation easier but does not automatically take on every other party's duties. Before commissioning, record clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

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 assessment, investigation and documentation scope within the required permit and competence framework. The report identifies the volumes actually addressed and its limitations. The competent public authorities make official decisions. In Baden-Württemberg, the KMBD is based at Stuttgart Regional Council. Report a possible find to the competent local police authority or nearest police station; they notify the KMBD. Under its conduct rules, identification and further handling of the find remain reserved for KMBD specialists. Necessary public safety measures are clarified with the competent authorities.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Formulate the explosive ordnance question separately

The starting point is historical knowledge, existing investigations and planned groundworks. Fill or old structure information may provide relevant constraints. It does not replace specialist assessment of the explosive ordnance situation. The suitable method is defined from the specific investigation question and actual local conditions.

Compare specialist services for the separate explosive ordnance question

Record achievable conclusions and limits

Structural remains, installed structures and restricted working space may affect the investigation. The report must show the area that could actually be addressed and the questions remaining open. If additional preparation is needed, it is agreed separately. A result for one subarea is not extended without review to further ground disturbance.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Assign map information and investigation tasks correctly

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

Obtain historical information in full

Send map references with their titles, legends and associated explanations. A single map extract often leaves unclear what the depiction covers and what information is missing. Specialist assessment considers these limits. For a present construction task, the relationship between the described area and planned ground disturbance must also be clear.

Check the date and map base to which the depiction refers. If several map versions are supplied, identify their sources and respective questions. An assumed reference is distinguished from reliable evidence of existing conditions. An investigation already carried out requires complete appendices. Only comparison with the new ground disturbance shows which knowledge applies and which point needs further clarification.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Consider preparatory ground disturbance as well

Drilling for a geotechnical report or preparatory trial pits also disturb the ground. Mark these points on the plan with their locations and proposed depths. Necessary preparation is agreed before they are carried out. Later assessment of the main excavation does not replace clarification for these earlier works.

Ancillary works may also occupy an additional volume of ground. Show auxiliary pits, utility connections and proposed working space on the current plan. A moved ground investigation point is clearly distinguished from its original location. Its depth and reference elevation are communicated. Responsible specialists check the changed ground disturbance within their respective tasks; a suitable conclusion for the old point is retained within its actual spatial limit.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Hand over different results together

Site management needs conclusions on explosive ordnance and other subsurface matters within their respective scope. Keep clear which specialist report answers which question. Information on a void is not a statement about possible explosive ordnance. Equally, an explosive ordnance report does not automatically assess the ground's bearing capacity or stability.

For phased investigation, the respective construction state is linked to the drawing revision. A result may concern a different area or depth from the next work step. Keep separate explosive ordnance and geotechnical conclusions with their associated appendices. Missing documents are specifically identified. For the next investigation or construction phase, the usable technical conclusion and prerequisite still being clarified remain clear.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

Before commissioning, clarify the conclusion needed for the explosive ordnance question. A damage marking is read with its original meaning and locational accuracy. Indications of cellars or tunnels also go to the responsible specialist planner. The quotation describes the agreed explosive ordnance specialist scope and expected results documents. Unresolved references and missing map explanations remain identified as outstanding information so that no unsupported point accuracy or investigation conclusion is derived.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Preparatory drilling, trial pits and shoring points are also provided with their locations and depths. Necessary investigations and protective measures are clarified before the ground disturbance they affect. Indications of unknown voids are passed to the responsible specialists; independently opening or entering them is not part of preparing an enquiry. Access, installed structures and measurement conditions are coordinated with the actual investigation objective. The common work sequence accounts for the separate explosive ordnance and geotechnical tasks.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

Site management receives the reports and appendices applicable to the forthcoming ground disturbance. Historical maps, results concerning possible voids and explosive ordnance results remain distinguishable by purpose. For each area, the conclusion available and specialist task still outstanding are clear. If a drilling point or foundation depth changes, compare the changed volume of ground before work begins. Existing results remain usable within their original scope.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Which maps and details help an enquiry

01

Include the map's purpose

Pass on existing historical maps with their legends, scales and sources. A marking may represent building damage, an impact or another matter. Without this explanation, it can easily be misinterpreted. A missing entry is no more automatically an investigation result than a conspicuous marking is already a confirmed explosive ordnance find.

02

Identify old voids separately

If there are indications of a cellar, tunnel or earlier backfilling, identify them in the enquiry. Geotechnical specialist planners need this information for their own assessment. Coordinate necessary investigations with the explosive ordnance specialist planner. An indication of a void does not justify independently opening or entering it to clarify the matter yourself beforehand.

03

Show drilling points and foundations together

Mark planned investigation boreholes and later foundation elements on the current site plan. Add proposed depths. This allows assessment of which areas need consideration before each ground disturbance. If an obstacle requires a drilling point to move, compare the new location with existing results before work begins.

Mark the working areas needed for each investigation and known access restrictions. For a changed foundation, additional shoring and connection spaces are also considered. If earlier investigations used a different elevation reference, relate it to the current ground disturbance. The specialist planner uses this information to decide the further scope needed. Those carrying out the work receive the current status before the affected groundworks.

04

Define the application area unambiguously

Ludwigsburg's service webpage requires a site plan with a precisely bounded investigation area for aerial photograph assessment by the explosive ordnance disposal service. Avoid unclear extracts with no identifiable boundaries. The enquiry area should show the context needed; specialist planners and the responsible authority can clarify whether the selected extract suffices for the question.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Identify uncertain locations

Historical plans may differ in scale and accuracy from the present design. Assemble uncertain references as outstanding questions. The specialist planner determines the further documents needed for interpretation. Transferring information to a current site plan without review must not imply accuracy absent from the original map.

An extract is provided with identifiable reference points and the plot or street layout shown. Where development or boundaries have changed, add known changes. A digital overlay retains the accuracy limits of the old source. Investigation planning distinguishes reliable references from areas still unclear. Specialist assessment determines whether further sources are needed before a specific investigation task is derived.

Coordinate the work sequence between disciplines

If several investigations are proposed, their prerequisites must align. Identify planned ground disturbance and the specialist planner responsible for each. Establish together which results are needed before which work step. Outstanding questions then remain identifiable even if another part of the investigation programme is already complete.

If several specialist investigations share a working area, their respective access and protective prerequisites are brought together. An existing geotechnical result may provide important information but answers only the question investigated within it. For the next groundworks, provide the explosive ordnance information needed with the stage actually reached. If the sequence changes, affected participants receive the same drawing revision and outstanding prerequisites before the affected work step. Where clearance works are carried out, the associated clearance record with the areas addressed is kept in the project file.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Provide points before ground investigations

Send the plan of proposed ground investigation points and explosive ordnance documents already available. Add known indications of old cellars, tunnels or other subsurface structures. The responsible specialist planners each assess their own tasks. Necessary prerequisites and the investigation sequence are brought together clearly for execution.

Compare the current plan before excavation

Compare planned areas and depths with the results available. New access, shoring points or additional trenches belong in this comparison. Changes are unambiguously marked and assessed by specialists. Site management receives a clear status with existing evidence and partial tasks still outstanding.

Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical research and aerial photograph assessments evaluate possible explosive ordnance indications for the specific area. A municipal damage map may provide additional information but does not replace specialist assessment of available images and documents. Legend, source and locational accuracy remain considered. Where knowledge gaps remain, any necessary additional research or aerial photograph assessment is actually carried out. The results are related to present ground disturbance; an absent damage symbol is not used as evidence of technical investigation.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Geomagnetic surveying passively measures the magnetic field. An object's magnetic effect determines detectability, rather than electrical conductivity alone. Structural remains and metal installations may affect investigation. The specialist planner defines suitable use for the explosive ordnance question. Measurement data and anomalies are assessed in the investigation context. A magnetic signal is neither identified without verification as explosive ordnance nor presented as evidence about a possible void.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, record the time-dependent electromagnetic response of conductive objects. The method is matched to the investigation objective and local measurement conditions. Known utilities and metal remains inform planning as possible interference. Analysis describes the conclusion reached for the volume of ground actually investigated. A report on this task is not retrospectively reinterpreted as confirmation of bearing capacity or exclusion of unknown cellars and tunnels.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can detect structures and anomalies in the ground. Ground structure, moisture, installed structures and the investigation objective affect suitability. A task to investigate possible voids is separately identified and commissioned with the relevant specialists. The explosive ordnance investigation receives its own objective. Recorded structures need specialist interpretation; their appearance in a measurement image alone neither identifies explosive ordnance nor confirms the stability of an underground space.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For ground investigation points, foundations and other deep groundworks, define the investigation space needed with location, depth and elevation reference. A necessary deep-ground or borehole survey is planned using existing knowledge and actual conditions. Indications of old structures and possible voids are coordinated with the responsible specialists. Clearance for a borehole, or the technical evidence, remains related to the space actually investigated. Replacement points and changed depths are compared before ground disturbance.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed in full, the proper technical approach for the affected area is agreed. Explosive ordnance investigation during construction may combine investigation, necessary excavation in layers, specialist exposure and additional surveys. Known structural remains and separate protective requirements are considered. Merely watching excavation is insufficient as detection. Areas addressed and remaining limitations are documented; for additional volumes of ground, further needs are clarified before they are worked on.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Distinguish explosive ordnance and voids technically

Assess historical documents selectively

The Historical aerial photograph analysis examines possible explosive ordnance indications using available images and supplementary findings. A general damage map is not equivalent to a plot-specific assessment. The result must identify its spatial reference and limits. Whether further investigations are needed follows from assessment of the specific project.

Agree a clear task for measurement

The Surveying for explosive ordnance investigation needs a defined objective. Investigating a possible void may require different methods and specialist knowledge. Keep the respective commissions distinct and coordinate access and work steps. A measurement report must not later be used for an additional question that was not part of the investigation.

In the specialist commission, identify the result required and volume of ground it is to concern. An additional question about investigating voids is coordinated with the specialists commissioned for it. Shared access and site information may support both tasks. Specialist analysis nevertheless remains tied to each commission and data suitable for it. The reports handed over make this allocation clear for site management.

Account for interfering structures in planning

Foundations, utilities and metal structures may complicate geophysical analysis. Describe known obstacles in the enquiry. The Clearance plan should clearly address necessary measures and remaining limits. Merely watching excavation does not replace a proper specialist explosive ordnance investigation; explosive ordnance clearance during construction must be suitable for the specific case.

Next steps

From map information to documented explosive ordnance investigation

01

Transfer information to a current plan

Have historical information related traceably to present plot and construction boundaries. Observe the accuracy of the source data. Unclear locations belong in specialist assessment as outstanding questions and should not be replaced with apparently precise but unsupported points on the construction drawing. Initial contact identifies the project location and conclusion required. Existing plans, statements and reports are checked for currency, spatial relevance, completeness and gaps.

02

Address outstanding historical questions

Where historical questions remain, the research and aerial photograph assessments required are carried out within the agreed specialist commission. The KMBD's existing preliminary investigation is considered in relation to the project for which it was requested. Additional findings are assigned to today's ground disturbance area and used in investigation planning.

03

Identify the specialist tasks explicitly

Clarify who assesses explosive ordnance and who assesses possible voids or geotechnical risks. Site management should be able to identify which report is needed for each work step. A joint discussion can coordinate sequences; it does not remove the different objectives and responsibilities. The suitable method is selected using the investigation objective, ground disturbance depth, ground structure, installed structures and actual measurement conditions. Access and necessary prerequisites are clarified with those responsible.

04

Perform the agreed investigation

The agreed survey or appropriate investigation during construction is carried out on the defined areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive clear position and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

05

Assess and document findings

The collected data and findings are assessed against the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. The assessment takes account of interference and limitations. The report and plan appendices document the technical assessment, areas addressed and their position, elevation and depth references. Required further tasks follow from this.

06

Hand over results with their appendices

Keep site plans, measurement areas and details of limitations with the report. If only a brief summary conclusion is passed on, the reference to the area actually investigated is often missing. This reference is needed to assess the planned foundation or ground disturbance changed later.

07

Compare again before changes

If the location or depth of planned works changes, pass on the revised design before ground disturbance. Existing results may remain usable. Specialist review must establish, however, whether their conclusions still cover the changed area or additions are needed.

Documentation

Contact for preliminary explosive ordnance investigation

Findings and their scope

The City of Ludwigsburg identifies the explosive ordnance disposal service at the Stuttgart regional authority as responsible throughout Baden-Württemberg. An application and precise plan are required for aerial photograph assessment. Owners must arrange searches and recovery; where the service cannot undertake them, private specialist contractors must be involved.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD can agree the explosive ordnance specialist services needed with you using the documents available and proposed groundworks. Official duties and separate geotechnical assessment remain distinct. The BFR KMR guidelines are used as technical guidance outside their federal scope.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

FONTANA-EOD addresses the agreed explosive ordnance specialist commission and describes the investigation actually carried out. The report records area, task, result and limits of conclusions together. Historical information is considered according to its original purpose. Results on other subsurface matters remain separately assigned. Available conclusions and outstanding specialist tasks are compared for the construction sequence so that the next groundworks can be prepared using the actual documented status.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

For the explosive ordnance question, first determine the knowledge missing for the planned ground disturbance. A mapped building damage mark, suspected cellar location and technical finding have different meanings. They are assessed with their sources and spatial limits. The suitable investigation method depends on the agreed objective and actual conditions. An additional void or geotechnical task receives its own coordination with the responsible specialists.

Keep limitations visible

Uncertain locations and areas not adequately covered remain identifiable in the progress record. Additional work identifies the volume of ground and question still to be addressed. An investigation at a point is documented with its reach. Site management can then distinguish applicable results from further prerequisites. Until specialist interpretation, a map reference is recorded neither as a confirmed find nor as a completed investigation task.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

New drilling points, deeper foundations or further working space are communicated before ground disturbance. The current plan shows the change from the scope assessed previously. FONTANA-EOD compares the explosive ordnance task with existing knowledge. Separate geotechnical questions are passed to those commissioned for them. Additional results receive their own area and version references; the earlier conclusion is retained with its original appendices.

Hand over the report and plan together

The report, site plans and details of limitations are handed over together to the named recipients. Relate the conclusions to the forthcoming ground disturbance and record who coordinates responsibilities. If contractors change, outstanding tasks and complete earlier documents are also passed on. This keeps clear for the next phase which explosive ordnance question was investigated and which other subsurface question needs separate work.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Read a map's meaning from its legend

A marked impact, damage area and investigated plot are different pieces of information. Check the actual meaning of symbols and the date to which they refer. Missing entries gain no additional meaning. The project's own investigation relies on complete documents and their specialist assessment.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Retain specialist reports with their appendices

Alongside the summary, site plans and investigation scope details matter for later works. Retain these together and pass them on when participants change. New reports add knowledge with their own plan references. This keeps traceable which conclusion can be used for each work step.

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 maps and the ground in Ludwigsburg

Are unexploded bombs marked on the air raid damage map?

According to the city's ground conditions brochure, unexploded bombs are not shown there. The map of bombed areas and known impacts therefore does not replace a plot-specific explosive ordnance assessment.

Does an explosive ordnance investigation also cover old tunnels?

Not automatically. The agreed investigation task is decisive. Indications of voids must be submitted separately to the responsible specialist planner; an explosive ordnance conclusion does not confirm stability.

Should I first open a suspected old cellar myself?

No. Do not independently open or enter an unknown void. Pass the information available to the specialist planner so that necessary investigation and protective measures can be coordinated.

What belongs in preparation for an aerial photograph assessment?

The application to the explosive ordnance disposal service requires a precisely bounded site plan. Proposed groundworks and existing reports with their appendices also help further project assessment.

What should I do if I encounter a suspicious object?

Stop the affected work. Do not touch, move or relocate the suspicious object, and do not uncover it further. Leave the danger area, keep others away and call the police on 110 from a safe distance. Do not take the object to a police station. Follow the competent authorities' instructions.

Do planned geotechnical boreholes belong in the enquiry?

Yes. Their locations and proposed depths help define the necessary preparation for this ground disturbance itself.

Which map components should be sent?

As well as the extract, include the title, date, legend and relevant explanations so that the scope and meaning of the depiction are clear.

Which cost factors matter for map information and investigations?

For the explosive ordnance task, relevant factors are usable historical assessments and reports, suitable base maps, size and depth of affected spaces, access and preparatory works, methods and interference, and analysis and documentation. Missing map explanations or uncertain locations are considered as outstanding prerequisites. Additional points and changed ground disturbance are agreed with their scope. Separate geotechnical or void investigations remain distinguishable by their own commissions.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Enclose complete information

Send historical maps, legends and existing specialist reports together.

Enclose sources, scale, date and associated explanations. Existing technical reports are supplied with complete plan appendices and the investigation questions addressed at the time. Identify which locations are reliable and which are only assumed. Name the client, site management, specialist planner and coordinating contact. Outstanding explosive ordnance questions and other subsurface matters are described separately.

Show all ground disturbance

Include ground investigation points, shoring points and preparatory works with their locations and depths.

Mark the respective depths and reference elevations needed, and additional working space. Show retained structures, known utilities and access restrictions. Identify the step proposed first and later changes with their drawing revisions. Necessary investigations and protective measures are clarified before preparatory ground disturbance. The next construction phase receives complete results and outstanding tasks with their spatial references. Identify the project location in Baden-Württemberg or the other federal state.

GPR on a construction site
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.