Archaeological Vistula Find 2012

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The location in the dried up Vistula river bed. In the background is Żerań power plant recognized
The Warsaw panorama at the time of the conquest by the Swedish troops in the middle of the 17th century; after an engraving by Friedrich Bernhard Werner

Various historical building fragments from the 17th century, which were found in Warsaw in mid-September 2012 when the water level in the Vistula was historically low in the partially dried-out river bed , are referred to as archaeological Vistula Find 2012 . The marble cladding and decorative elements (vases, fountains, balustrades , gables , stairs and vaults ) come from the Royal Castle and the Villa Regia in Warsaw. Some artifacts show the coat of arms of the ruling family Wasa .

history

During the occupation of the city during the Second Northern War (referred to in Poland as the “ Swedish Flood ”), the building components were stolen by the looting Swedish troops on the instructions of King Charles X Gustav . The valuable building sculptures were supposed to be transported to Gdansk on several barges in order to be sent from there to Sweden by sea . One of the overloaded barges ran aground on the exit from Warsaw at about the level of the later built citadel and broke. The cargo sank to the bottom of the river. The then mayor of the city informed King John II Casimir about the process as well as the possible location of the sunken booty, but saw himself unable to lift the parts.

Back in 2009, the Archaeological Institute of Warsaw University , accompanied by the New York Explorers Club, began to search for the sunken components; some could be recovered. The attempt at salvage at the time was inspired by the historical documentation of a chance find during sand extraction work on the Vistula in 1906. The work carried out by divers in 2009 was hampered by poor visibility in the Vistula.

Salvage

The low water level of the Vistula (58 centimeters) made it possible to search and recover most of the sunken cargo easily in September 2012. The site is about 500 m north of the "Danziger Brücke" near the right bank of the Vistula; the Wybrzeze Puckie extends approximately 100 meters. The place was immediately secured by the Warsaw police at the request of the archaeological institute. Larger stone parts weighing up to 800 kg were brought by a Mil Mi-8 police helicopter to the nearby shore area and transported from there to a police warehouse. A pioneer unit of the Polish army from Kazuń Nowy was also used , which supported the archaeologists with two PTS-M . In addition to the historical components, duds from the Second World War were also found. The recovered parts will presumably be brought to the castle museum after their examination by the city curator. The importance of the find is great because of the destruction and subsequent demolition of the historic city palace and the destruction of all building plans in 1944. Today there are only a few original buildings from the time before the Swedish invasion of Warsaw.

Warsaw's mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz visited the excavation site on September 21, 2012.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b according to Karin Schlott and Daniel Koch, Warsaw: Royal architectural jewelry was in the Vistula for more than 350 years on November 28, 2011 at Epoc.de
  2. ↑ a b according to Wisła oddaje skarby on September 21, 2012 on the City of Warsaw website (in Polish)
  3. ↑ according to Co mają Szwedzi do skarbów na dnie Wisły on November 29, 2011 on Jedynka - Polskie Radio (in Polish)
  4. ↑ according to Skarby z dna królowej polskich rzek from September 21, 2012 on Jedynka - Polskie Radio (in Polish)
  5. ↑ according to Wydobycia skarbów z koryta Wisły from September 21, 2012 on SuperNowosci.pl (in Polish)
  6. ↑ according to Rozpoczęła się akcja wydobycia z Wisły znalezisk z czasów Potopu Szwedzkiego at Radio Plus-Wiadomośći (in Polish)
  7. ↑ according to Jerzy S. Majewski, Co dalej z wiślanymi skarbami? Zróbmy jak Szwedzi! from 23 September 2012 at Gazeta.pl (in Polish)

Web links

Commons : Shallow Water Excavation  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Coordinates: 52 ° 16 ′ 12.3 "  N , 21 ° 0 ′ 30.2"  E