Schematic map marking Gießen, with a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat and notebook.

Explosive ordnance surveying in the Gießen administrative district

Are you preparing excavations, utility works or drilling in central Hessen? For explosive ordnance assessment, existing maps, reports and planned ground works must refer to the same area. Send the site plan and available technical records; FONTANA-EOD works with the project owner, planners and site management to clarify the investigation needed.

Identify the map source

Know the purpose, date and spatial reference of the records.

Mark the ground disturbance

Clearly identify construction areas, borehole positions and depths.

Check the limitations

Do not infer investigation findings from an overview.

Enquire about a projectExplosive ordnance assessment in Hesse
Assess the construction project

Which map is suitable for an explosive ordnance enquiry in central Hessen?

For your construction project in the Gießen administrative district, we need a traceable site plan. It shows the property boundaries and proposed ground works; the source, scale and plan version must be identifiable. Regional geodata can provide additional orientation. Include the existing technical reports with all appendices. We can then compare the area, ground works depth and limitations of the findings to establish which specialist work is needed next.

Documented location references

Reference projects in the Gießen administrative district

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

5 locations · 18 assigned reference entries

Reference projects in the Gießen administrative districtGeographical outline with confirmed location references from the project records. No precise ordnance find or site coordinates. Bad Camberg – 1 reference entryGießen – 13 reference entriesBeltershausen – 1 reference entryFlensungen – 1 reference entryLimburg a.d.Lahn – 2 reference entries

The points indicate the locations associated with documented references, not exact find or construction site coordinates. Several entries may relate to one project. References without a reliable location are available in the complete reference overview.

Map sources: © 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

Illustrative map of Hesse with a lion coat of arms, tablet, white FONTANA-EOD helmet and notebook.

Keeping the Hengen Nord decision tied to its assessed area

The Gießen administrative district comprises the districts of Gießen, Lahn-Dill, Limburg-Weilburg, Marburg-Biedenkopf and Vogelsbergkreis in Hessen. A project identifies the affected municipality, site and actual proposed ground works. The decision of 28 January 2026 explains why a systematic area search was not required for the areas considered there, while retaining the instruction to report unexpected suspicious finds. For your site, its own official information and proposed work are considered together. The specialist service needed depends on that specific basis. The statewide KMRD at the Darmstadt regional administration handles the official explosive ordnance information; the regional administrative context and local project conditions are established from the actual location. Further project locations are available in the regional overview.

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

Hesse
Local context

Interpreting historical indications and present-day map data

Understanding the purpose and accuracy of geodata

The Gießen regional administration brings together information from different sources in its regional planning register. This includes, for example, municipal land-use plan contents and spatial planning procedures. Where appropriate for regional planning, data are generalised in their spatial detail and content. Enlarging a map extract does not automatically make it more accurate.

The regional administration provides regional plan data for use in geographic information systems. When these data are imported, the source, dataset version and technical purpose remain linked to the project plan. Also provide the specialist planners with the site plan used for the proposed ground works and the associated results reports. Different area boundaries can then be shown separately. Mark which boundary defines the property, which the proposed ground works and which an area actually investigated. Where several parties produce plans, establish who will bring changes together in the authoritative working version and distribute them to those involved.

The Gießen City Archives describes air raids on the city in December 1944 and wartime losses of archive material. For site research today, the available historical records are brought together with aerial photographs and later land-use or ground changes. Gaps in any one historical record are taken into account in the assessment. What matters is which findings can actually be related to the affected construction site. The available indications and remaining uncertainties are recorded as the basis for the further investigation brief. The city archive collection description specifically identifies the air raid of 6 December 1944. For other towns and municipalities, their respective historical indications are related to the site separately.

Relating the official enquiry to the site

An explosive ordnance enquiry must clearly identify the site and proposed ground works. Hessen’s explosive ordnance clearance service is based at the Darmstadt regional administration and is also responsible for central Hessen. Its enquiry requirements include an accurate plan with the site boundaries marked; a general regional overview serves a different purpose.

Using a common site plan

A shared, clearly identified site plan is therefore recommended for work with planners and site management. Link the existing technical reports and proposed work to it. Where maps conflict or their basis is unknown, that question should be resolved before an investigation brief is derived from the map.

Hengen Nord: an area-specific decision

The Gießen regional administration’s approval decision of 28 January 2026 for the ‘Hengen Nord’ limestone quarry in Beselich illustrates how assessments may differ between individual areas. For this project, the explosive ordnance clearance service’s aerial photograph analysis had identified no substantiated suspicion of unexploded bombs; there were also no other indications of possible ammunition contamination. The decision therefore did not consider a systematic area search necessary here. Immediate notification of the explosive ordnance clearance service remained mandatory for unexpected suspicious finds. This decision concerns the areas assessed there. For your project, its own area-specific information is decisive; neither a general map nor an assessment of another site replaces it.

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 work. Requirements and decisions of public authorities are addressed with the responsible bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the work carried out, including its documented area, depth and scope. Decisions reserved for public authorities are made by those authorities.

The KMRD at Darmstadt Regional Council is responsible for all of Hesse. On request, it evaluates wartime aerial photographs and issues a statement describing potential contamination and the work required. Technical investigation or clearance of the property is prepared with a suitable specialist contractor. Defusing, blasting and removal remain the responsibility of the KMRD or persons it commissions. If an item is found, the local public order authority or police are notified; they involve the state service. The scope of work, responsible persons, required evidence and work notifications are agreed before the work begins.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Determining investigation needs from your own site information

The area-specific findings are related to the proposed ground works. This establishes what further findings are needed. An assessment for another location does not define the task. Nor does a general regional map replace the site’s own official information or a specialist comparison with the proposed work.

Selecting investigation methods for the specific need

Taking existing conditions and survey conditions into account

The map is read alongside available information on utilities, installations and access. The actual local conditions determine method selection. Conditions that are not sufficiently known remain part of preparation. Possible limitations are clearly addressed in the brief and results, so that the documented findings match the actual investigation scope.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Making map sources useful for the construction task

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

Recording the source of each map

Include the available source, date and purpose details with the map. An imported boundary may come from a different planning task. Its relevance to the present project is therefore assessed. A visually similar extract does not establish that the same area is being described to the same level of accuracy.

Documenting plan sources and spatial references
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Reading technical reports with their appendices

A summary finding is considered together with the associated site plan and documented limitations. Comparison with the current ground works shows which results can be used. Missing appendices remain identified as specific gaps. An investigation is not assumed to be sufficient for the whole project solely on the basis of an isolated statement of results.

Document findings and their limitations
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Commissioning a clearly defined specialist task

Describe which findings are needed for which ground works. Existing knowledge, actual site conditions and available access form the basis for the next steps. The technical service has a defined scope. Outstanding map questions and missing depths are clarified rather than replaced by general place names.

Compare specialist services
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 realistic programme distinguishes technically resolved work from prerequisites that are still outstanding. If only part of a site will be accessible, the commission must take this into account. Handover and assessment of the results also need time in the construction programme. The schedule and effort are agreed once the scope, access and prerequisites are clear. This coordination brings together the specified scope, access, documents, site conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Prepare the construction project

Relating maps to the ground works

01

Recording source and version

Keep the source reference and plan version with the map extract. A screenshot without a legend often does not explain whether an area represents existing conditions, a plan or merely an indication. For technical coordination, these distinctions matter as much as the boundary shown.

02

Marking boundaries clearly

Draw the construction area concerned on a suitable site plan. Distinguish the property boundary from the actual ground works area. If the location of an older investigation result is uncertain, have it assessed professionally rather than treating an apparently overlapping map as a confirmed match.

03

Adding depth information

A two-dimensional map alone does not show how deep an excavation, utility or borehole is intended to go. Add the planned depths and vertical reference used. Even with the same footprint, changed ground works may require a different technical assessment.

04

Keeping related documents together

A survey plan, official statement and construction plan may use different area boundaries. Identify how the documents relate to each other. Missing appendices or unexplained discrepancies remain visible as outstanding points; clarification of the spatial and depth references is identified in the brief.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Comparing different area boundaries

The property, construction site and earlier investigation area may have different boundaries. Keep these differences visible on the plan. Specialist planners assess their significance for the current ground works. A numerically similar area is insufficient for this comparison; the location, depth and documented purpose of each finding remain decisive.

Retaining the data used at handover

Keep the plan version with the reports that refer to it. Site management also receives the explanations of outstanding areas or those with limited coverage. New versions are clearly related to the existing records. Later changes can then be checked specifically without extending the existing result indiscriminately. If clearance work was carried out, its clearance record is also part of the usable evidence. It relates the areas covered, methods, findings and outstanding tasks to the documented scope.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Establishing clear spatial references before an enquiry

Mark the property, ground works areas and planned depths in suitable records. Include existing reports with their appendices. Identify different plan versions and outstanding information. Technical coordination can then proceed on a common basis and clearly define the scope needed.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Checking existing coverage before an extension

If an excavation is enlarged or a borehole position moves, the new location is compared with the previous documentation. Results remain usable where their scope covers the ground works. Additional areas are assessed separately. Changing a map extract alone does not extend earlier investigation evidence.

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 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

What is clarified before investigation

Describing the brief spatially

Before commissioning, the investigation objective and scope are related to the proposed work. The required project documents therefore include more than an address. The location, ground works depth and existing findings must be described clearly enough to define the requested service.

Where historical information is incomplete, the necessary research and aerial photograph analysis are commissioned for the construction site in question. Existing construction and land-use records, earlier statements and indications of later ground changes are brought together. A regional overview can help identify locations; the technical assessment concerns the specific area. For a site in the Gießen administrative district suspected of explosive ordnance contamination, the brief identifies which question remains to be addressed and which records are required. Newly found reports remain linked to their original investigation purpose and area boundaries.

Comparing map data with existing conditions

A plan may indicate utilities, structures or paved areas. For the choice of surveying method actual access and survey conditions also matter. Unknown conditions or those that have since changed must be taken into account during preparation.

The method selection relates the investigation objective to the required depth range and local survey conditions. Fill, foundations, metal utilities and other installations can affect interpretation. A map alone often describes these conditions only partly. Specialist planners clarify suitable access, preparatory work and possible additions. For excavations, piled foundations, retaining structures or deep utility works, each ground works activity is identified by location and depth. Any necessary deep survey or borehole clearance is assigned to that task. Documented survey limitations remain identifiable on the results plan and are considered in the next-step decision.

Making results traceable on the plan

Clearance documentation identifies the investigated areas and the limits of the findings. It should be possible to relate it to the proposed ground works. A coloured overview without an explanation of scope and methods cannot replace these records.

For tendering, research, technical investigation and any necessary further work are described as defined tasks. Base all offers on the same site plan, proposed depths, known conditions and required reports. For several construction stages, identify when each area is accessible and who receives the results. Suitable excavation supervision is justified professionally and coordinated with the work programme. Site management receives the areas actually covered and remaining limitations before the work that depends on them. Additional ground works or revised area boundaries are passed to the specialist planners before construction.

Next steps

Preparing an enquiry with a few specific details

01

Initial contact and document review

Use a site plan that clearly shows the property and ground works areas. Include its legend, source and plan version. The initial discussion records the construction project and the decision needed. The document review relates existing explosive ordnance reports, statements and construction records to the site and identifies missing information.

02

Clarify historical information and methods

Identify the proposed trenches, excavations or borehole positions and their depths. Mark outstanding information. Where the underlying information is incomplete, the necessary historical research and aerial photograph analysis are planned. Method selection takes their results, the required depth range and actual site conditions into account.

03

Investigate and assess results

Assign existing findings to their respective areas. Provide reports with their plans and limitations. The commissioned survey or suitable supervision investigates the defined areas. Results are assessed with their interpretation limits and assigned to the respective ground works.

04

Document and coordinate follow-on works

We assess the explosive ordnance task with you and identify the information still needed for further investigation. Reports and site plans document the specialist work completed. The next-step decision establishes where further investigation, records or consultation with the authorities are needed before the next work.

Documentation

Recording plan changes in the evidence as well

Findings and their scope

If a borehole position moves or an excavation is extended, the change is marked against the previous plan. The documented results are then checked to establish whether they cover the new ground works. An earlier investigation remains usable within the area and depths it covered; additional areas are assessed professionally before subsequent work. Missing site drawings or conflicting maps are clarified. Until then, spatial coverage remains identifiable as an unresolved point.

Project responsibilities

For construction projects in Gießen, Marburg or Wetzlar, the site, records and proposed work are clearly identified. The project owner, specialist planners and site management use traceable common plan versions. Missing map data are not used to infer contamination or completed investigations.

Hessen’s general provisions require site plans at a scale of 1:1,000 for investigated areas or areas cleared of ammunition. After completion, a copy is submitted to the KMRD. The project file brings together the brief, spatial reference, method, assessment of results and remaining limitations. For clearance work, this includes the clearance record with the actual scope completed. Agree the documents required and their recipients when commissioning. If site management changes, the technical report and associated plan version remain available together. Later changes are added with their own version. Where area clearance or recovery are required, the task, area and responsibilities are clarified before work begins. The clearance documentation describes the actual area, depths and services covered.

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

Enlargement does not add missing data

A digital map can easily be enlarged. Its scale, original accuracy and the technical purpose of its data nevertheless remain decisive. Use suitable accurate records for the enquiry. Uncertain locations are clarified before a line or boundary is used as the basis of a technical brief. The legend and source reference explain what the map shows and why it was prepared. This allows its usefulness and limitations to be assessed for the specific task.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Area information needs depths and a vertical reference

A two-dimensional map can show position and extent. Further information describes the vertical task. State the proposed depths and their reference. Existing reports are read to establish which areas were actually covered. The same footprint is not a sufficient comparison on its own where the ground works have changed.

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 investigation limits

Can the regional planning register replace an explosive ordnance investigation?

No. The Gießen regional administration’s register brings together spatial information for regional planning. Any statement about explosive ordnance investigation of a construction site must relate to the findings gathered for it and the documented investigations.

Does greatly enlarging a digital map make it more accurate?

Enlargement does not change the original data or their accuracy. The Gießen regional administration notes that regional data are generalised spatially and in content for their intended purpose. A suitable accurate plan is needed for the specific site.

Who handles official explosive ordnance enquiries for central Hessen?

Hessen’s explosive ordnance clearance service is based at the Darmstadt regional administration and is responsible statewide. For site information, the site plan and required details are submitted through the officially described application process. A specialist contractor carries out the commissioned technical investigation and documentation. Agree the investigation needed before the affected ground works and clarify outstanding requirements in the KMRD statement with the responsible bodies.

What information is often missing from a map alone?

For a specific task, ground works depths, vertical references, the construction planning status and complete earlier investigation reports may be missing in particular. The information needed is assessed from your project. A general minimum scope cannot be determined from the place name alone. The appropriate survey method is selected according to the investigation objective, ground composition and installations; these conditions can limit interpretation.

Must surveying always be repeated after a plan change?

Not automatically. First, the assessment checks whether the area, depth and purpose of the changed ground works are covered by the existing investigation scope. Only then is it possible to determine whether further clarification or investigation is needed.

Can an equal area size establish that two areas coincide?

No. Location, boundaries and proposed depths are compared. A similar square metre figure may relate to different areas. Investigation reports and site plans document the areas and depths actually covered and the remaining limitations.

What should I do if I find possible ordnance?

If possible explosive ordnance is found, stop the affected works immediately. Leave the object untouched, keep your distance and warn others without putting yourself at risk. Notify the police immediately on 110 and follow their instructions. Do not attempt your own investigation or recovery.

Which cost factors determine preparation and investigation?

The work required depends on the necessary research, area and depth coverage, access and survey conditions. The agreed interpretation and documentation are additional factors. Identify the statements and technical reports already available and the tasks still needed. Any fee for official aerial photograph information is considered separately from the cost of private specialist services.

Project enquiry

Coordinate the site plan and investigation needs

Provide traceable maps

Include the source, legend, plan version and ground works areas.

Add depths and reports

Provide the vertical reference together with the complete results documentation.

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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