Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
The first archaeological excavations were performed in 1881 and 1888, with limited results. Gustav Schierenberg was looking in vain for evidence of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 1881. In 1888, the "Westfälischer Altertumsverein" under Konrad Mertens was looking at the possible reconstruction of the Holy Sepulchre.