Archaeologists uncover lost medieval city that vanished without a trace: ‘True time capsule’

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Archaeologists have uncovered alost medieval townnestled in a remote forest — and new evidence is revealing what the city looked like before its sudden decline.

Researchers uncovered the remains of Stolzenberg, a medieval town that appears to have collapsed in the 14th or 15th century, in a forest outside the modern-day Polish village of Sławoborze.

The city was founded on the border of Pomerania and Neumark, a historically contested border region betweenGermany and Poland.

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Guided by historical sources, researchers first searched for Stolzenberg’s remains in present-day Sławoborze — but they found no features confirming the medieval town’s location.

In the forest, however, researchers found massive earthen ramparts and an 18-foot-deep moat, said archaeologist Marcin Krzepkowski of the Relicta Foundation.

Split image of Stolzenberg map, archaeologist on site

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of the lost medieval town of Stolzenberg in a forest outside the modern-day Polish village of Sławoborze.(Fundacja Relicta)

com/category/science/planet-earth/geology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent geophysical surveyconfirmed the site of the lost city after researchers had already gathered archaeological finds and cartographic data.

“The results of these surveys dispelled any remaining doubts,” he said.

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“In the central part of the area surrounded by the moat, regular magnetic anomalies were revealed, indicating the existence of remains of buildings surrounding the rectangular market square, the city’s central square,” researchers noted.

“This layout is typical of medieval towns founded under German law.Traces of buildings can also be seen along the street leading to the expected city gate.”

Archaeologists combined historical sources, cartographic data and field surveys to pinpoint the lost city’s location.(Fundacja Relicta)

Metal detectorists also unearthed over 400 artifacts, some of them as old asthe Bronze Ageand a few — including containers filled with meat products and butter — dating as recently as World War II.

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“The most valuable artifacts for us were medieval, confirming that the site was in use at the time,” Krzepkowski said.

“These included silver coins,metal belt elementsand coat clasps typical of medieval bourgeois costume.”

“Strange as it may seem, cities were sometimes relocated to new, more convenient locations, even as far as a dozen or so kilometers.”

Archaeologists also found tools like knives and iron padlocks — but the most significant discovery, Krzepkowski said, was fragments of cannon grenades and lead rifle bullets.

“We linked [these artifacts] to a battle that took place in this area in 1761 between Russian and Prussian forces, [during] the Seven Years’ War,” he said.

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“All these artifacts testify to the rich and complex past of this site, which is not limited to the late Middle Ages, when the town of Stolzenberg existed.”

Experts are unsure why Stolzenberg was abandoned — and Krzepkowski said there were likely multiple factors behind its decline.

Split image of surveyor, artifacts at site

Containers filled with meat products and butter dating to World War II, seen at right, were also uncovered, among hundreds of recovered items.(Fundacja Relicta)

“Strange as it may seem, cities were sometimes relocated to new, more convenient locations, even as far as a dozen or so kilometers,” he remarked.

“This could be due, for example, to proximity to a river and the threat of flooding, or to the search for a location that would allow for faster development.… Sometimes, a town’s decline was caused by shifting trade routes or competition from other nearby towns.”

“This site is a true time capsule, harboring many mysteries.”

He added, “The topic of vanished medieval towns in Europe is incredibly fascinating, both at the identification stage and during further research.Their search isincredibly fascinatingbecause they typically existed for a short time, and therefore very little historical data has survived.”