The geophysical truth about the ‘Gold Train’ in Walbrzych, Poland

Madej, J.; Łój, Monika; Porzucek, Sławomir; Jaśkowski, W.; Karczewski, Jerzy; Tomecka‐Suchoń, Sylwia

doi:10.1002/arp.1595

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…This geology significantly limited the penetration depth of the GPR verification surveys, but according to the ‘discoveries', did not affect the results of the investigations conducted with the KS‐700 apparatus. Like in the case of the presented echograms, on the echograms obtained by Prof. Madej (Madej et al, 2018) the anomalies visible as hyperbola‐shaped elements in the near‐surface layer, which might indicate the existence of a tunnel under the surface of the studied area, were associated only with underground infrastructures, such as pipelines, cables, and other installations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This geology significantly limited the penetration depth of the GPR verification surveys, but according to the 'discoveries', did not affect the results of the investigations conducted with the KS-700 apparatus. Like in the case of the presented echograms, on the echograms obtained by Prof. Madej (Madej et al, 2018)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analogously, in the case of the GPR surveys conducted by Prof. Madej's team (Madej et al, 2018) with a view to detecting the ‘Gold Train', the main problem was the attenuation of EM waves in the near‐surface layer. Moreover, the subsoil contained metamorphic rocks, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Koper (a private building contractor) and Andreas Richter (a genealogist) from the XYZ S.C. company notified the District Governor's Office in Wałbrzych that they had found the so-called 'Gold Train', which was supposedly be located at the 65th kilometre of the . More information on the search for the 'Gold Train' can be found, inter alia, in the paper by Madej et al (2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…274 (Polska). More information on the search for the ‘Gold Train' can be found, inter alia , in the paper by Madej et al (2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Not only the ‘Gold Train' – the ‘Underground Town' of Riese (Poland) – the ambiguity of interpretation ERT and GPR methods

Pasierb

Nawrocki²

2020

Archaeological Prospection

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This article presents the results of a geophysical survey conducted in the Sowie Mountains within the Walim commune (Poland) in order to verify the discovery of the 'Underground Town' of Riese. Project Riese was the biggest mining and construction project of Nazi Germany. The facility was designed as a convenient and secure location for a headquarters, an armaments factory, and warehouses for goods stolen during World War II. The discovery was made in 2015 with the application of the mysterious KS-700 apparatus, the same as was used to 'discover' the 'Gold Train', which is ground penetrating radar (GPR) according to the manufacturer. It was one of the reasons why the verification surveys of the underground sites and the KS-700 apparatus made use of the GPR method. The depth range of the GPR method was limited to 5 m due to the strong attenuation of electromagnetic waves. It was thus concluded that the underground structures detected by the 'discoverers' were probably a result of apparatus errors, in which near-surface reflections are received repeatedly and recorded as returning from a depth far greater than the actual object. Therefore, the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method proved to be conclusive. The three obtained characteristics and extremely high-resistivity anomalies indicated the existence of underground tunnels. A thorough analysis of the results and acquired data, as well as of the literature, has proven that it is impossible to interpret them unambiguously as data from the subsurface but as a result of the influence of the surrounding objects. At other sites where the KS-700 apparatus recorded numerous 'underground cavities', the ERT cross-sections did not yield a correlated image. Additionally, neither the analysis of the local geological structure with regard to the existence of an underground town nor the drilled boreholes confirmed the 'discoverer's' results. K E Y W O R D S 'Underground Town'-Riese, ambiguity of interpretation, archaeology, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), geophysics, ground penetrating radar (GPR)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…274 (Polska). More information on the search for the ‘Gold Train' can be found, inter alia , in the paper by Madej et al (2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Not only the ‘Gold Train' – the ‘Underground Town' of Riese (Poland) – the ambiguity of interpretation ERT and GPR methods

Pasierb

Nawrocki²

2020

Archaeological Prospection

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Forgotten Nazi Forced Labour Camps: Arbeitslager Riese (Lower Silesia, SE Poland) and the Use of Archival Aerial Photography and Contemporary LiDAR and Ground Truth Data to Identify and Delineate Camp Areas

et al. 2020

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The “Riese” project was a huge construction project initiated by German Nazi authorities, which was located in the northeast of the Sowie Mountains (Ger. Eulengebirge) in southwestern Poland. Construction of the “Riese” complex took place in 1943–1945 but was left unfinished. Due to the lack of reliable sources, the exact intended function of the Riese complex is still unknown. The construction was carried out by prisoners, mostly Jews, from the main nearby concentration camps, KL Gross-Rosen and KL Auschwitz-Birkenau. Thanks to the discovery in the National Archives (NARA, USA) of a valuable series of German aerial photographs taken in February 1945, insight into the location of labour camps was obtained. These photographs, combined with LiDAR data from the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography (Warsaw, Poland), allowed for the effective identification and field inspection of the camps’ remains. The location and delimitation of the selected labour camps were confirmed by an analysis of the 1945 aerial photograph combined with LiDAR data. These results were supported by field inspection as well as archival testimonies of witnesses. The field inspection of the construction remains indicated intentionally faulty construction works, which deliberately reduced the durability of the buildings and made them easy to demolish. The authors believe that it is urgent to continue the research and share the results with both the scientific community and the local community. The authors also want to emphasize that this less-known aspect of Holocaust history is gradually disappearing in social and institutional memory and is losing to the commercial mythologization of the Riese object.

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Subsoil Recognition for Road Investment Supported by the Integration of Geodetic and GPR Data in the Form of a Point Cloud

Ortyl¹,

Gabryś²

2021

Remote Sensing

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During road construction investments, the key issue affecting the structure’s safety is accurate subsoil recognition. Identifying subsoil variability zones or natural voids can be performed using geophysical methods, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is recommended for this task as it identifies the location and spatial range karst formations. This paper describes the methodology of acquisition and processing of GPR data for ground recognition for road investment. Additional subsoil research was performed after karst phenomena were identified in the investment area, formations not revealed by geological recognition from earlier studies during the pre-design stage. Mala Ramac CU II radar with a 250 MHz antenna and a Leica DS2000 with 250 and 700 MHz antennas with real-time geopositioning were used to obtain the data. Regarding GPR data postprocessing, we present a method of converting spatial visualization into a point cloud that allows for GPR and geodetic data integration and confrontation. This approach enabled us to determine the locations of control trenches, the results of which were used for material validation, which is necessary to improve the reliability of subsoil recognition. The results showed a high correlation between the recorded GPR signals and the subsoil structure. Additionally, differences in the quality of results for measurements conducted before laying supporting layers with slag and on the completed road structure surface are illustrated.

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The geophysical truth about the ‘Gold Train’ in Walbrzych, Poland

Cited by 3 publications

References 11 publications

Not only the ‘Gold Train' – the ‘Underground Town' of Riese (Poland) – the ambiguity of interpretation ERT and GPR methods

Not only the ‘Gold Train' – the ‘Underground Town' of Riese (Poland) – the ambiguity of interpretation ERT and GPR methods

Forgotten Nazi Forced Labour Camps: Arbeitslager Riese (Lower Silesia, SE Poland) and the Use of Archival Aerial Photography and Contemporary LiDAR and Ground Truth Data to Identify and Delineate Camp Areas

Subsoil Recognition for Road Investment Supported by the Integration of Geodetic and GPR Data in the Form of a Point Cloud

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