Mystery of lost ghost town solved: discovery is considered a sensation

Sławoborze (Poland) – Archaeologists have discovered traces of the medieval town of Stolzenberg in a remote forest in Poland. The find is considered a sensation! For the first time it could be proven that the mysterious place really existed.

archeology is a bit like detective work: you suspect that something exists based on sources, but you don’t know the exact location. Stolzenberg was previously only known from historical writings. There has never been any proof of the city’s existence – until now. That’s why the discovery of the remains is considered a sensation.

What was found?

Stolzenberg was founded in the late 13th or early 14th century – and disappeared mysterious circumstances again. The city probably only existed for two to four generations, i.e. around 50 to 100 years. The remains are located in the province of West Pomerania, around 36 kilometers south of the Polish Baltic Sea resort of Kołobrzeg (Kolberg).

The excavations uncovered layers more than two meters deep. On an area of ​​around six hectares, the researchers discovered, among other things, ramparts and a ditch as well as evidence of a typical city structure with a market square. In addition, more than 400 pieces were found, including medieval coins, Toolsjewelry and coat and belt buckles. The place is a kind of “time capsule” for the founding of medieval cities.

Mysterious disappearance

The archaeologists suspect that the Margraves of Brandenburg, who administered the Neumark, founded Stolzenberg. The Neumark was the eastern part of Brandenburg beyond the Oder – today mostly Poland. But why did the city disappear again? “This is still unclear,” said Marcin Krzepkowski from the Polish Relicta Foundation. The archaeologist is involved in the excavations. “We cannot yet say the number of inhabitants or the reasons for the end of the city,” he told the American news channel Fox News. Possible causes could be changed trade routes, Flood or be war.

This is how a missing city is found

How do archaeologists even find a lost city? At the beginning there are often mentions in medieval documents. There are often clues in maps or place names. At Stolzenberg, the researchers knew that it was the city with high Security had given. So they looked for similar-sounding place names and examined descriptions of rivers and landscapes. Then technology came into play: with the help of drones and satellite images, lines in the ground, old walls, house structures and even color differences in the grass became visible – even if everything was overgrown by nature.

Laser scans in the forest finally brought the breakthrough. They made hidden ramparts, ditches and entire city layouts visible. Geophysical measurements then began, allowing insights into the depth of the ground and finally excavations.