We are rarely the first to build anything anywhere. Where we build, others built decades, sometimes centuries ago. It is not uncommon for archaeological remains from a long-forgotten past to come to light during construction work. If the finds are of great historical value, then they are usually taken to museums and exhibited there. But often the finds do not qualify for this because they are considered to be “just a few more coins, a few more vessels, a few more belt buckles…” In this case, the objects usually disappear from public view.

Wouldn’t the present and the past be linked together much tighter if these archeological finds were displayed right where they were found? After the discovery of archeological finds during the construction of the HanseHof in Greifswald, Germany, the building design of the newly constructed housing complex was slightly altered to include display cases to show photographs and information on objects excavated during the construction work. These cabinets are equipped with lighting, trays for objects, safety glass and locks, which hopefully means that at some point the photographs of the historical objects will be replaced by at least some of the original items.