The Pfauenteiche are three of the many Teiche around Clausthal. But they are much more than just that. Before and during World War 2, a TNT Factory was operating on one side of the Teiche, and the Area is still dangerously polluted and thus under permanent lock-down.
The ‘Werk Tanne’, that is the Name of the Factory, produced TNT from 1939 to 1944. It also filled Bombs and Grenades with the explosive at some time. Nowadays, most of the Buildings lie in ruins, as the Americans tried to destroy the Factory at the end of the War, and the Area is quite overgrown.
The Pfauenteiche were supposedly cleared up by the Landesforsten, or State Forestry Services, who own the Area around the Teiche (but not the Factory Area) with the removal of Neutralization Mid around 2012, but the Area is still to Dangerous to enter. And the Water is probably still quite polluted.
Despite being so polluted for so long, the Areas Flora actually seems to be quite okay.
There is also some Pollution in Osterode coming from Werk Tannes Sewage System. Back then, Polluted Sewage was Neutralized, but the Water coming out of that process was far from clean. It was then flown to Osterode Petershütte via Canalization to be dumped into some Wells to seep away into the underground.
There is also a small War Grave Side with a small Memorial for Workers and Forced Workers who died at Werk Tanne in an Air Raid in 1944. But since that is pretty much a cemetery, I did not take any pictures there.
While I am extremely interested in the Area because of its History, I would never enter it. It just is not worth the health risk for me. And I also do not plan on getting arrested for trespassing. So I will not do it.
Robin Ho Fotos 