English-Speaking Detectorists Near Grafenwöhr/Vilseck?

[Cbanks89]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to see whether there are any fellow detectorists in or around the Grafenwöhr/Vilseck area who might be interested in meeting up, sharing information, or possibly detecting together.

I am an English-speaking American currently living in the area due to my wife’s active-duty military assignment. I have been detecting for around 10 years and currently use a Minelab Manticore and Nokta Legend.

One of the biggest challenges I have encountered since moving to Germany has been obtaining clear permission to detect, especially with the language barrier and the different laws and local requirements. I have spoken with one farmer who essentially told me to go out into the fields and not worry about it unless someone came over to complain. While I appreciated him being relaxed about it, I just didn't feel too comfortable doing that and don't want to put a bad mark on the hobby.

I want to make sure I am respecting private property, local regulations, archaeological protections, and any other requirements that may apply. I would much rather have clear permission and understand where detecting is legally permitted than risk causing problems for myself, the landowner, or other detectorists.

I would enjoy connecting with someone local who knows the area, understands the rules, and may be able to offer advice on obtaining permissions. I am also happy to travel a reasonable distance from Grafenwöhr or Vilseck.

Thanks for reading, and happy hunting!

 

[mindcrime1988]

I'm sure you'll eventually find somebody to go detecting with. Chances are there are German locals who work on the base who know the laws and regulations for that area. I was stationed at Spangdahlem from 2010-2013 and did lots of metal detecting while there. In the Rhineland-Palatinate state, there was an archaeologist who worked at the university in Trier who would provide a free license with 10 areas to go detecting. The only stipulation was to stay in the farmers' fields and not go into the woods. And obviously detect the fields in between crops. I found everything from Bronze age, Roman, medieval, Napoleonic, WWI and WWII. So much history there compared to the US.
Hopefully somebody chimes in on this thread so you can get to know the laws there where you are and perhaps meet up with some other detectorists. Good luck as there is some great history to be found there in Deutschland!

 

[guest]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to see whether there are any fellow detectorists in or around the Grafenwöhr/Vilseck area who might be interested in meeting up, sharing information, or possibly detecting together.

I am an English-speaking American currently living in the area due to my wife’s active-duty military assignment. I have been detecting for around 10 years and currently use a Minelab Manticore and Nokta Legend.

...

Hello @Cbanks89 .

If the landowner gives you permission to search with a detector, then go ahead.
However, I wouldn't look for "buddies" or invite anyone else to join the search. You never know.
You can find out the State of Bavaria's stance on metal detecting in the PDF file below.
It is in German, though—but with a little copy/paste and Google Translate, that shouldn't be a problem.
Perhaps the landowner can help you with it, too; that way, they’ll see that you’re taking the matter seriously.

In any case, I wish you the best of luck & all the best.🍀🤞👍😎 and have FUN!😃

 

[Cbanks89]

Hello @Cbanks89 .

If the landowner gives you permission to search with a detector, then go ahead.
However, I wouldn't look for "buddies" or invite anyone else to join the search. You never know.
You can find out the State of Bavaria's stance on metal detecting in the PDF file below.
It is in German, though—but with a little copy/paste and Google Translate, that shouldn't be a problem.
Perhaps the landowner can help you with it, too; that way, they’ll see that you’re taking the matter seriously.

In any case, I wish you the best of luck & all the best.🍀🤞👍😎 and have FUN!😃

Much appreciated for the PDF. I tend to zone into my detecting sessions and normally go alone, but with the language barrier I was hoping there would be someone who could translate as previous attempts with farmers around my area has been...difficult.

The "easiest" one I had, the farmer basically told me that even though he only worked on one small field, to just go out on the others because no one cared and if they did and approached me, then I could apologize and leave if they wanted me to. While I appreciated the notion, I just didn't want to cause a stir with the state or government. I don't have creating an international incident on my BINGO card. 😆

I do have one friend who can translate, but given his profession, we don't get to go often due to traveling.

I'm not giving up though and will keep pursuing!

 

[Cbanks89]

I'm sure you'll eventually find somebody to go detecting with. Chances are there are German locals who work on the base who know the laws and regulations for that area. I was stationed at Spangdahlem from 2010-2013 and did lots of metal detecting while there. In the Rhineland-Palatinate state, there was an archaeologist who worked at the university in Trier who would provide a free license with 10 areas to go detecting. The only stipulation was to stay in the farmers' fields and not go into the woods. And obviously detect the fields in between crops. I found everything from Bronze age, Roman, medieval, Napoleonic, WWI and WWII. So much history there compared to the US.
Hopefully somebody chimes in on this thread so you can get to know the laws there where you are and perhaps meet up with some other detectorists. Good luck as there is some great history to be found there in Deutschland!

That's awesome you were able to find all of that! I do have one friend who I can go out with but due to his profession that requires him to travel, we don't get to go often. I've been pretty dug into the states laws and have been able to go on a couple of hunts within my first year out here. But I would love to do more. I've reached out to some of the local farmers and did my best to speak with them. I went and wrote up a whole introduction/request and had it translated to German. The best luck I had was one farmer basically telling me just go out and if anyone says anything apologize and leave. I'm just not wanting to create any legal issues though so I haven't done that yet.

Appreciate the well wishes and I will be posting anything I get an opportunity to find out here!