Mapping Treblinka II: the death camp the Nazis tried to erase

How do you investigate one of history’s worst crimes when the perpetrators deliberately tried to erase the evidence?

University of Bradford archaeologist Dr Michael Pisz has helped pioneer a process known as ‘Dark Heritage Prospection’, combining archaeological survey and historical records to build a more detailed picture of the Treblinka II extermination camp and the atrocities committed there.

The ‘Dark Heritage Prospection’ framework combines geophysics, remote sensing and archival records to investigate places where evidence has been deliberately destroyed. They employed the technique at Treblinka II and identified geophysical anomalies that are broadly consistent with the reported locations of a number of key camp structures and killing facilities.

The Nazis went to extraordinary lengths to conceal the former death camp, dismantling key structures, destroying evidence, planting vegetation and even establishing a farm on the site as part of ‘Sonderaktion 1005’, their programme to hide the full scale of the atrocities committed there.

The research, Dark Heritage Prospection – Mapping the Treblinka II Extermination Camp Using a Magnetometer Survey and Integrated Archival Sources, is published in October 2026 in the journal Archaeological Prospection.

Dr Pisz also recently delivered a presentation on his research to the Council for British Archaeology.

What was Treblinka II?

Treblinka II was one of the deadliest sites of the Holocaust, where more than 800,000 people were murdered between 1942 and 1943. After mass killings ceased, the camp was systematically dismantled and the surrounding landscape deliberately altered in an attempt to conceal evidence of the crimes committed there.

The new study used non-invasive magnetometer surveys alongside historic documents and witness testimonies to identify anomalies consistent with the locations of barracks, railway infrastructure, burning pits, mass graves, gas chambers and the notorious Lazaret execution facility, which was disguised as an infirmary.

Researchers say the findings demonstrate how modern scientific methods can be used to investigate sites of genocide while respecting religious, cultural and ethical restrictions that prohibit intrusive excavation.

Dr Michael Pisz, from the University of Bradford, said: “Treblinka was deliberately dismantled by the Nazis as part of a systematic attempt to conceal the evidence of what had happened there. Much of what we know about the camp comes from survivor testimony, yet many important questions about its layout and operation have remained difficult to investigate.

“What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can help recover information from a landscape that perpetrators tried to erase, while respecting the memorial, ethical and religious sensitivities of the site.

“By combining geophysics, archival research and eyewitness testimony, we were able to identify features consistent with key parts of the camp’s infrastructure and contribute new evidence to our understanding of one of the most significant sites of the Holocaust.”

Dr Pisz said the techniques could be used to investigate other acts of genocide, mass violence, slavery, colonial oppression, political repression and other atrocities.

Dr Pisz added: “The word dark refers to the painful historical events associated with these places, rather than anything inherently dark about the physical remains themselves. It also reflects the challenges involved in preserving, investigating and communicating such difficult histories. The term itself has roots in studies of ‘dark tourism’, and I see an interesting parallel here with archaeology’s own development from antiquarian curiosity and travel into an established scientific discipline.

“What we propose in the paper is Dark Heritage Prospection (DHP), an interdisciplinary framework for investigating these places, particularly where physical evidence has been deliberately concealed, destroyed or transformed.

“The important distinction is that we are not claiming to have invented a new geophysical technique or that combining geophysics with historical sources is itself new. Rather, we argue that these investigations represent a distinctive research problem, often requiring the integration of archaeology, geophysics, forensic science, historical research and eyewitness testimony, while navigating particularly complex ethical, religious, cultural and sometimes legal sensitivities.

“Treblinka is an excellent example. We are investigating an archaeological landscape, but also the scene of a mass murder where the perpetrators deliberately attempted to erase the evidence. Our work involves not only detecting surviving physical traces but also understanding what they mean in relation to historical records, survivor testimony and the site’s significance as a memorial and burial place.

“We also deliberately chose a broader term than Holocaust Prospection, because similar investigative challenges arise at other sites of mass violence, including colonial atrocities, political repression and other genocides. In simple terms, Dark Heritage describes the difficult historical legacy, whereas Dark Heritage Prospection describes an approach to investigating its surviving physical traces responsibly and scientifically.”

Fact file

• More than 800,000 people were murdered at Treblinka, yet the Nazis deliberately dismantled the camp and tried to erase evidence of what happened there.
• Researchers from the University of Bradford and partners have used non-invasive scientific techniques to identify anomalies consistent with gas chambers, mass graves, cremation pits, railway infrastructure and execution facilities.
• The work combines witness testimony, archival records, aerial photographs, geophysics, archaeological interpretation.
• The project demonstrates how modern science can investigate sites of genocide without disturbing human remains.
• The findings were used to create new visual reconstructions of parts of Treblinka based on survivor testimony and scientific evidence.