Impact of mass graves on the soil properties: a case study of the Nazi German Mass Crimes in the Szpęgawsk Forest and Chojnice’s Death Valley, Poland - dataset

Abstract

The dataset concerns an archaeological research into mass graves in the Szpęgawsk Forest and Death Valley in Chojnice, Poland which were conducted during the last years. In both cases, the Nazis burned the victims’ bodies in an attempt to erase the traces of their crimes. The research takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigating which organic compounds, particularly those posing an environmental hazard, are present in the soil around the Szpęgawsk Forest and Chojnice mass graves and their quantities. It also vets whether the mass graves can be considered a substantial source of organic (and inorganic) contaminants released into the environment. The collection includes photos taken during field research, photographs of the samples analysed, and relevant graphs presenting the acquired data.