Schematic regional map with a Würzburg marker, alongside a tablet, white safety helmet, pen and notebook.

Explosive ordnance surveying in Lower Franconia for new subareas

A larger site is put to a new use or divided into individual properties. For the next construction task, it then matters whether existing explosive ordnance reports actually cover the area concerned. We compare the documents with your planned earthworks and discuss investigation needs that remain.

Assign subareas

Compare new property boundaries with investigation plans.

Describe the new use

State the earthworks and depths it requires.

Pass on reports

Retain appendices and restrictions at handover.

Enquire about a projectExplosive ordnance investigation in Bavaria
Assess the construction project

How is an earlier report assigned to a new subarea?

Compare the complete investigation plan with today's property boundaries and the proposed earthworks. Include shared connections outside the plot too. The specialist review assesses which findings cover the area and depth of the new task. A change of ownership or new property boundaries alone does not alter the documented investigation scope.

Documented location references

Reference projects in the administrative region of Lower Franconia

Select a project location on the map or in the location list. The associated entries lead to the protected reference overview.

6 locations · 11 associated reference entries

Reference projects in the administrative region of Lower FranconiaGeographical outline with confirmed location references from the project records. No precise ordnance find or site coordinates. Aschaffenburg – 2 reference entriesBiebelried – 1 reference entryZeitlofs – 1 reference entryWürzburg – 2 reference entriesKarlstadt – 1 reference entryGemünden a.Main – 4 reference entries

The markers indicate locations associated with documented references, rather than exact find or construction site coordinates. Several entries may relate to one project. References without a reliable location assignment are available in the complete reference overview.

Map data: © BKG (2026), VG250 / GN250, Data licence Germany – attribution 2.0. Area outline projected for display. Selection and project assignment: FONTANA-EOD.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Bavaria with a blue-and-white lozenge shield and crown, alongside a tablet, white safety helmet, pen and notebook.

Assign subareas and investigation results in Lower Franconia

The Flächensparoffensive describes reuse projects in the Schweinfurt and Bad Kissingen districts and in Kitzingen. It also addresses plot layouts and marketing approaches. For your own construction task, existing investigation results are related to the current area. An example from another site provides no findings about coverage of your property or the specialist services required.

Lower Franconia comprises nine districts and the independent cities of Aschaffenburg, Schweinfurt and Würzburg. Identify the specific municipality and project address in your enquiry; a city and district with the same name remain distinct. The head office in Gersheim coordinates the specialist enquiry. Local responsibility and investigation scope depend on the actual site and planned ground disturbance.

Information on explosive ordnance surveying in Würzburg, Aschaffenburg and Schweinfurt supports preparation of your project enquiry. Documents and planned ground disturbance on the respective property are decisive.

Bavaria
Local context

New property boundaries do not change a report's content

Reuse as an officially described example

The Flächensparoffensive Bayern presents redevelopment examples from the Schweinfurt and Bad Kissingen districts and from Kitzingen. It describes different approaches to reusing former military land, including adapted plot layouts and different marketing methods. These examples concern the projects named; they establish neither contamination nor investigation findings for another area in Lower Franconia.

The official practical overview also mentions contaminated land and explosive ordnance investigations for redevelopment. Request the corresponding specialist documents if a later subarea or new construction task is to be related to the results already produced. The respective investigation purposes remain distinct.

Earlier investigation boundaries and today's plots

For a later construction task, the new property boundary is only part of the information. An earlier investigation plan may use different section boundaries, labels or elevations. It must therefore be brought together with today's plans. Only this comparison shows whether the documented investigation covers the proposed works.

Assess the history of use professionally

The history of use remains important without alone determining a technical investigation. Earlier military, commercial or other use needs specialist assessment using the available findings. The specific area and planned ground disturbance are decisive; a general classification of the site does not replace this assessment.

A specific local wartime context is documented for Würzburg: the city recalls the bombing of 16 March 1945 and widespread destruction. Assess this context using suitable documents for the particular site. It describes neither every former military site nor all properties in Lower Franconia. For later use, bring together historical findings, investigations already completed and subsequent changes to the ground, each with its own spatial reference.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the works and provides the existing project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and scheduling. A coordinating contact brings together the information and the parties responsible. Their specialist, contractual and official duties are defined for the specific project. Before commissioning, record what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the results are 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 investigation and documentation work. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report records the specialist work completed, its scope and its limits. In Bavaria, local hazard prevention is generally the municipality's responsibility; actual finds must be reported to the police immediately. The state explosive ordnance disposal service performs its duties in relation to found munitions. Private preliminary investigation and commissioned technical work are planned separately.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Understand the earlier scope before adding services

Check the investigation objective, methods, areas addressed and recorded limits of earlier work. Show the current plans for ground disturbance alongside them. Only then can further needs be described specifically. Findings already usable remain considered; neither new ownership nor the same site name establishes a need to repeat everything or permission for unrestricted reuse.

Compare the existing investigation scope

Coordinate investigations for deeper or additional works

State changed foundations and new utility routes with position, depth and working level. Specialist planning assesses suitable services under the actual conditions, including access and existing structures. If several subareas are to be investigated together, each still shows the findings needed and the scope actually addressed.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Use earlier site development work for the new construction task

Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Relate historical findings to the subareas

Bring together available information on earlier use and existing explosive ordnance reports. Clarify their spatial relationship to today's properties. A report for the overall site may contain useful results whose exact coverage nevertheless needs checking against its appendices. Identify missing assignments and clarify them specifically before further use.

Identify earlier section names and current plots on a shared overview. Give available reports their date and extent of appendices. For separate partial commissions, keep clear which area each addressed. Request missing maps specifically before assuming an unsupported assignment in further planning.

Relate existing reports to the ground disturbance
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Determine additional needs from new ground disturbance

A new building, deeper foundations or changed connections may affect different areas and depths from the earlier plans. Show these differences. Specialist planning checks which existing findings can be reused and what addition is necessary. The new use or age of documents alone does not determine a particular technical method.

In particular, mark working spaces outside the later building footprint. State formation levels for new connection pits, access construction and preliminary trial pits. A design option still open remains distinct from the proposed plans. The specialist service can then be related to the volume of ground actually affected.

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

Retain complete results at handover

The report, investigation plan and appendices belong together when individual subareas are passed on too. Restrictions and outstanding areas remain identifiable. Planners and site managers commissioned later need the connection to the current construction task. An abbreviated extract should not remove the original findings from their geographical context or extend their documented scope unnoticed.

When passing on documents, identify the report version used clearly. A new overview retains the reference to the complete appendices. Subsequent parties also receive details of missing documents and outstanding investigation tasks. Show changes to property boundaries alongside the original results area so that the specialist findings remain traceable.

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. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Prepare the construction project

Prepare the transition to the new construction task

01

Compare old and new boundaries

Place the earlier investigation plan and current property or site plan side by side. If their boundaries cannot be assigned clearly, this should be clarified before awarding the work. Clear location details are needed; the earlier property name simply matching is insufficient.

Use matching reference points where plans use different section names. Explicitly identify unclear boundaries or missing dimensions. Relate the new plot number to the actual position of the proposed works. A necessary addition can then be distinguished from the volume of ground already documented as investigated.

02

Include shared connections

Alongside later building areas, describe proposed access routes, utilities and connection pits. These works may extend beyond the new plot boundary. Record the actual ground disturbance so that an area is not omitted from assessment merely because another party carries out the work.

Show the shared connection area, including additional working spaces, on the site plan. Identify available results documents and the parties responsible for these works. The specialist review assesses the volume of ground required together with the construction project. Separate contract awards use an agreed evidence base.

03

State the planned depths

State whether new construction, demolition or alterations involve ground disturbance below levels already investigated. An older report may remain usable if its scope covers the new task. Any addition needed is assessed from the information rather than inferred generally from the report's age.

Use a clear elevation datum for the earlier investigation and new plans. Communicate later covering layers or intervening excavation. Specialist planning can then compare which volume of ground has already been investigated. For deeper structures, agree the findings still needed before ground disturbance.

04

Hand over complete documents

A report includes its plans, appendices and recorded restrictions. Ensure this information remains available when handed over later to planners or site management. A cover sheet alone or a brief reference to an investigation often leaves the actual findings unclear.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Link changed labels clearly

Earlier section names and today's plots may differ. Establish an unambiguous spatial assignment and state the plan version used. If boundaries or elevation references are unclear, clarify this before using the results. Matching location descriptions do not replace a reliable comparison between areas actually investigated and newly affected.

For clearance works actually commissioned, a clearance record documents areas addressed, position and depth references, methods and results. The report and plan appendices document the specialist service's limits and remaining tasks. Later handover of a plot retains the reference to these original documents.

Describe shared connection areas in addition

Utilities, shafts or access construction may lie outside the new property and still form part of the construction task. Record the ground disturbance proposed there. Agree with the parties who provides the necessary documents and specialist services. A plot boundary may divide responsibilities differently from the spatial scope of an investigation for shared works.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Submit earlier and new plans together

Include existing final reports, maps and appendices. Show today's property boundaries and new ground disturbance in a clear relationship to the earlier investigation areas. Identify known gaps too. The initial discussion can then assign existing results and limit supplementary specialist work to the specific outstanding questions.

Show known groundworks completed since then. Mark shared utilities and access construction outside your own property too. Identify each missing plan version or report appendix. The next specialist discussion can then assign usable earlier work and services still needed specifically.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Retain the evidence used when project parties change

Ensure planners and site management receive the complete results documents. Link them to the current site plan and proposed depths. Update later changes clearly and compare them again. Organisational handover of the subarea does not replace this specialist assignment, but a complete and clearly labelled project file can support it.

Pass on a plan change after handover with the subarea affected. The specialist review clarifies its effect on the investigation findings used. Current ground disturbance plans and appropriate results are available together for the next groundworks. Tasks still needed are agreed with the parties responsible.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph analysis combines suitable images and further findings with a specific investigation question. For an area divided later, assign the original boundary and findings at that time. Where historical questions remain, the necessary research and analysis are carried out. New plot boundaries do not change an earlier report's content. Alongside previous use, a technical assessment considers the actual groundworks and existing results. For missing subareas, record the question still requiring clarification. Supplementary work receives a clear spatial reference.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Geomagnetic surveying measures the magnetic field passively and uses the magnetic effect of objects. Electrical conductivity alone does not make an object detectable by geomagnetic surveying. Suitability is assessed for the findings needed and the actual condition of the subarea. Existing structures or metal interference sources are considered. An earlier result may concern several later properties if its documented findings cover their working spaces. A new boundary line does not automatically change measurement conditions. For additional ground disturbance, define areas and depths still outstanding and plan their investigation with specialists.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, assess the electromagnetic response of conductive objects over time. For a new construction task, the investigation objective, existing structures and actual measurement conditions are considered. Assign an earlier commission for the site with its results areas and depths. Shared utility connections may affect further areas outside the new plot. The scope needed is therefore defined from the complete plans for ground disturbance. Interpretation records findings, interference and limits. At handover, it remains clear which subareas were investigated and where a further task is outstanding.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can show structures and reflections in the ground. Water content, ground composition and existing structures affect measurements. A reflection does not automatically identify explosive ordnance. For a new property, check which earlier investigation findings already exist and which outstanding question a suitable method should answer. Interpretation receives its position and depth reference. Changed construction boundaries, working spaces and connections are compared with the results plans. The specialist assessment distinguishes the volume of ground actually covered from a property name alone.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

A new foundation or deeper shaft may require investigation to an additional depth. Specialist planning compares this with the documented extent of existing results. Where needed, a suitable approach including deep or borehole surveying is agreed. The starting point, elevation and volume of ground required are defined. Shared connections receive their own location details even if on another plot. Reassign a relocated point before ground disturbance. Point-specific results remain linked to their actual investigation scope and corresponding plan appendices.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

Necessary explosive ordnance investigation during construction is planned for the earthworks actually proposed and suitable conditions. It may combine excavation in layers, specialist exposure of objects and additional surveying. Visual observation of ordinary excavation alone is insufficient for detection. When moving between subareas, pass on areas addressed, findings and outstanding tasks clearly. Remaining old structures and changed ground composition are considered. For later construction works, check which existing findings apply and which investigation is still required. The results remain traceable with their documented limits.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Clarify the appropriate investigation for the subarea

Add historical sources where needed

The Historical aerial photograph analysis can help obtain findings about the area concerned or supplement existing documents. Source availability and evidential value are considered. Results relate to the site assessed; they are not adopted unchecked from a neighbouring property.

Investigate accessible areas

For suitable open areas, a Surface survey may be suitable. Before selection, consider the investigation objective, actual terrain and development status, and possible interference. A property with new boundaries defines neither the method nor its investigation depth.

Coordinate new deep ground disturbance

For deep foundations or other interventions at individual points, the suitability of the deep or borehole survey is assessed. Provide the specific plans with position and elevation datum. A general statement about earlier site development does not replace comparison with these new works.

Next steps

From the earlier investigation plan to the new construction task

01

Collect reports and plans

Bring together documents actually relating to your property or shared connection areas. The initial discussion identifies the project location and the findings needed. Existing plans, statements and reports are checked for currency, spatial relevance, completeness and gaps.

02

Address outstanding historical questions

Where historical questions remain open, necessary research and aerial photograph assessments are actually carried out within the commission agreed by specialists. Existing assessments are considered with their respective subareas and conclusions. Additional findings are assigned to the present area of ground disturbance and used in investigation planning.

03

Mark the new construction task

Identify buildings, demolition, utilities and other ground disturbance with their proposed depths.

04

Compare limits of findings

We clarify with you which explosive ordnance questions have already been answered and where the investigation scope still needs definition. Specialist planning selects a suitable method according to the investigation objective, depth of ground disturbance, ground composition, existing structures and actual measurement conditions. Access and necessary prerequisites are clarified with the parties responsible.

05

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.

06

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.

07

Hand over complete results

Keep assignment to subareas and next construction works clear when project parties change too. Results and outstanding tasks are handed over to site management and the parties responsible for the next ground disturbance.

Documentation

Evidence applies within its documented scope

Findings and their scope

Dividing or selling a site does not extend an existing investigation. Equally, a change of ownership alone does not make a report technically unusable. Its use depends on investigation purpose, area, depth, elevation datum and documented restrictions. If plans or ground composition change, compare the scope of the earlier findings again.

Project responsibilities

For Bavaria, the notice describes research into property contamination separately from duties in specific explosive ordnance hazards. Your construction plans still need clear specialist findings where corresponding investigation needs exist. An explosive ordnance investigation does not answer questions about pollutants, bearing capacity or the economic suitability of later use.

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 technical findings independently of a change of ownership

An investigation report describes specialist work completed within defined limits. A later change of ownership alone does not alter those findings. For the next planning stage, check whether the documented areas and depths apply. Keep the complete documents available even if the property has since received a different name or new boundaries.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Base the commission on the actual new construction task

State the earthworks proposed and what has changed from earlier plans. Alongside the building, connections and preliminary ground disturbance may be decisive. Specialist planning derives outstanding needs from them. A general label such as reuse or redevelopment does not replace a description of these specific works.

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 reuse and passing on reports

Does former military use already establish explosive ordnance contamination?

The history of use is an indication requiring specialist assessment. It alone does not establish specific contamination or a suitable investigation for every subarea. The available findings about the property and planned ground disturbance are decisive.

Can a report for the earlier overall site be applied to my plot?

This needs checking against the appendices and limits of the findings. Today's plot must be clearly identifiable on the earlier investigation plan. The documented scope must also cover the planned works with their depths and elevations.

Is a new investigation always required after a change of ownership?

A change of ownership alone does not determine technical investigation needs. First compare existing results with the actual condition and planned ground disturbance. This specialist comparison determines whether an addition is necessary.

Are shared utilities outside the new property boundary included?

If ground disturbance is planned there, identify it explicitly in preparation. Agree the investigation needs and responsibility for commissioning with the parties involved. An assessment of the building area alone does not automatically cover these connections.

Which cost factors matter when investigating new subareas?

The work required follows the specialist questions actually outstanding. Usable earlier work is considered. Missing historical evidence, areas, depths, access, existing structures and interference, and necessary preliminary work affect the scope. Suitable methods, interpretation and documentation are defined for it. Shared connections or additional excavations may extend beyond the individual plot. A quotation therefore considers the complete ground disturbance plans together with available results documents.

Which conditions need clarification before a surface survey on the subarea?

The investigation objective, actual terrain and development status, and possible interference are assessed together. A new property boundary alone determines neither a suitable method nor its depth. Specialist planning defines the investigation scope using the findings needed and existing conditions.

Should a report retain its appendices when handed over?

Yes. Maps, investigation scope and restrictions are essential to specialist use of the results.

What should you do if a suspicious object is found?

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.

Project enquiry

Prepare the next use with specialists

Assign subareas

Relate earlier investigation plans to today's property boundaries.

Assign current plots and earlier section names on a shared plan. State which final reports are available with their maps and appendices. Identify missing documents. Compare proposed earthworks with the area covered by the results actually documented.

Describe new works

Mark ground disturbance and shared connections with depth references.

Show new foundations, demolition and additional working spaces with formation levels and elevation datum. Add shared utilities or access routes outside the plot. Intervening groundworks and options still open remain clear. This allows the investigation scope needed for the next construction task to be determined. State the project location in Bavaria or the different federal state concerned.

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.

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