Marek Michalski

The Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice, Poland, is a complex of former prisoner of war (PoW) and resettlement camps that functioned in the vicinity of the village from the time of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1871 until 1946. This article focuses on the material remains and landscape transformations related to the functioning of Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf. The authors present the applied methodology of the “Science for society, society for science at the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice” project, in which available archival sources and obtained archaeological data complement each other. Such a holistic approach has allowed conducting a more complete inventory and mapping of what has remained of Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf until the present day.

‘Lamsdorf/Łambinowice: an archaeology of memory’ is an interdisciplinary project that uses archaeological research methods and tools to locate unknown and unmarked graves of prisoners of war (PoW) and civilians related to the functioning of the German camp Stalag VIII B (344) Lamsdorf in the years 1939–1945.

This study uses archival photos and data from lidar, geophysical surveys and excavations to help uncover the physical realities of two Second World War Nazi sub-camps, Czyżówek (AL Halbau) and Karczmarka (AL Kittlitztreben), in the Gross-Rosen network, now in south-west Poland.

Geospatial technologies enable accurate and detailed documentation of cultural heritage sites. They allow for the creation of digital representations of these sites that can be shared with interested audiences. Given the above, this paper presents the possibility of using archival data to reconstruct the topography of two German labor camps, Dyhernfurth I and II, which operated during World War II. To perform this task, multi-source archival data was obtained and interpreted. These data came from various sources: archives, historical institutes, and museums. The results of the study were presented to the staff of the Gross-Rosen Museum, who anticipated the possibility of using the proposed tools in the management of other labor camps. The proposed methodology can be replicated at other locations and easily implemented by other martyrdom museums involved in the preservation of cultural heritage.

Since June 2022, the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War (Poland) has been carrying out a multidisciplinary research project entitled “Science for Society, Society for Science at the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice.” The aim of this article is to discuss the preliminary results of selected non-invasive and invasive archaeological and ethnographic research realized during the first months of the field activities. Additionally, they show the value of so-called community archaeology in which the participation of local inhabitants in field research is an important element of applied methodology.