Historical Archaeology in National Socialist Concentration Camps in Central Europe

Historians have been dealing with the Nazi regime, its crimes and the Nazi terror sites for a long time. Since the late 1980s, more and more archaeological excavations and research have been carried out at these places and a highly productive interdisciplinary exchange is developing. In this regard, the Convention of Valetta/Malta was a milestone for archaeology (http:// conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/143.htm; retrieved December 2010). This repealed the time limit often defined by laws to do with heritage and the preservation of ancient monuments – archaeological sites younger than the medieval period had not been recognised previously. In Article 1 it is acknowledged that archaeological monuments are a source of common and collective European memory. These archaeological remains and objects are to be from past times; they are supposed to help retrace the history of mankind and its relationships. Buildings, archaeological remains and archaeological finds from the period of National Socialism certainly meet these criteria.