Cannonball Frags from Leipzig 1813

B

Battlefield 1866

Established Users
Ok, here is today's picture.....a big group of howitzer ball fragments from the 1813 "Battle of the Nations" at Leipzig in Germany. The forces of Europe had had enough of Napoleon and soundly defeated him here.

My electrolysis will be working overtime to clean all of this!!

Brad
 
You do have quite a lot to clean :grin: I was wondering....off the subject a bit...what are the treasure hunting laws like in Germany and surrounding countries? I am under the impression..and i'm not sure why...that many European countries have very strict treasure hunting laws. I heard that a man in England (for example) found a huge cache of roman coins and had to turn them over to the Government. Is that sort of thing true there in Germany? I am assuming not considering all that you have found! :D Anyway...I enjoy seeing all your finds and learning some European war history!
MosbyRanger
 
Answer for Mosby Ranger

Mosby Ranger,

Thanks for your interest.....and help spread the word....I have about 16 years worth of European relic hunting tales to tell.

Ok, I live in the state of Bavaria which has some of the better rules regarding metal detecting.

Really, the best thing is to stay away from cultural monuments...in other words known pre-historical sites ie; Stone Age, Bronze Age, Celtic, Roman, and so on. Ruins...off limits etc. However....the entire continent of Europe is a pre-historical site and anything can turn up anywhere.

I usually detect for 19th century battlefield related relics and so far have had no real problem here in Germany. You are supposed to report anything of archaeological importance to the authorities. In Bavaria, if it is bought by the state the finder and land owner split the profit 50-50. I have one experience with this in my detecting time here and it worked out very well.

Some other German states and countries here in Europe believe everything belongs to the state and your find will be taken from you...... if they find out about it.

But, when it comes to 19th century battlefield relics, these finds are of NO interest to the archaeological community. Only an idiot would be out looking for lead balls and rusted iron.

So, having said all of that, it is best to have permission from the land owner, which is no problem if crops are not in the field, in the woods...well a lot of woods belong to the state and the above mentioned rules go into effect.

As long as your intent is not to go after Bronze Age, Celtic, Roman etc relics and hunt on known historical sites or WW I battlefield (France) you really should not have a big problem. Always best to have someone who either speaks the language or knows the deal with you if you were to try and take a "detecting vacation".

Brad
 
Thanks for that info Battlefield. i suspected as much about older archeology sites. But that sorta stinks cause i would love to dig an old Roman short sword or something Medieval. Oh well!! As always dig seeing your stuff. Keep on hunting!!!
MosbyRanger.

P.S. i WISH i could take a detecting vacation :bawl
 
I prefer not to give details here. I can say that everything was done legally and the items are currently owned by the state of Bavaria.

Brad
 
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