Current and potential landscape functions of areas with the remnants of World War II bombing in the Kozle Basin, southern Poland

Wars bring civilisation and environmental disasters. In the forests and wetlands of the Kozle Basin (southern Poland), clusters of bomb craters remain, which are associated with the air campaign conducted by the USAAF to disable the Third Reich's fuel facilities. They are among the most spectacular in Europe today. There are nearly 6,000 large bomb craters with a diameter of 7-15 meters and smaller ones from the fall of unexploded ordnance. These areas, with their characteristic scarred relief, currently pose difficulties in terms of economic use. The depressions left after the bombs fell, naturally became small sedimentation basins and niches that were taken over by nature. Landscape and nature mapping of the surveyed areas, altered by the bombing, in conjunction with historical data, suggest that they require protection in the form of two landscape-nature protected complexes (a form of landscape protection in Poland). They can serve as environmental and historical education zones, wildlife sanctuaries, as well as areas for the introduction and reintroduction of species. This is important in a region where hundreds of years of agricultural dominance, as well as decades of intensive industrial development and urban settlement, have caused major changes in the natural environment and degradation of its structures. Similar historical sites, trails and cultural parks dedicated to the war campaigns have been introduced in different European countries.

Automated summary

Wars bring both civilization and environmental disasters. The bomb craters in the Kozle Basin, southern Poland, are remnants of the air campaign conducted by the USAAF during World War II. These craters, numbering nearly 6,000, pose economic challenges due to their altered landscape. However, they also provide opportunities for protection, education, and conservation efforts. Similar historical sites have been established in other European countries.