Werk Tanne in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

Sometimes the past juts into our present like a disturbing and admonishing wedge. The so‑called “Werk Tanne” near Clausthal‑Zellerfeld is part of this past — a past that does not fade, that unsettles and warns. Built shortly after the Nazis seized power, the explosives factory was among the five largest plants in the German Reich producing TNT. The extremely polluting production methods have left traces that persist to this day. Because of contamination with toxic waste, the area remains closed off, and the cleanup of the legacy pollution is a lengthy and costly process that continues. Constru

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