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Archaeologists recently unearthed the remnants of a historic royal palace from a Polish river, shedding light on a violent part of the country’s history.
The Museum of Polish History announced the discovery in a Sept. 10 press release. The artifacts were uncovered in the Vistula River in Warsaw, and were connected to the 17th-century royal residence Villa Regia.
Officials described Villa Regia as “one of the most magnificent palaces of 17th-century Europe,” before it was looted and destroyed during the Swedish Deluge, which lasted from 1655 to 1660.
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The Swedish military occupied the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during that time. Historians estimate that as much as a quarter of the population was lost, marking one of the deadliest chapters in the nation’s history.
In 1656, Swedish troops took valuables from the palace and attempted to sail away — but their vessel sank in the Vistula River before they made it out of Warsaw.
The Museum of Polish History announced the recovery of artifacts from Villa Regia, once among Europe’s grandest palaces before it was destroyed in the Swedish Deluge. (Muzeum Historii Polski / Maciej Cioch;)
“Architectural elements, from marble claddings and tiles to fragments of monumental staircases, were carried off and some were sunk in the Vistula,” the museum said.
Among the artifacts retrieved was a fragment of an arcade arch that weighs more than 440 pounds.
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Archaeologists also found the fragment of a pillar’s capital, or top, which was “previously unknown in the context of finds from this site,” per officials.
“[The finds] will allow new measurements and provide valuable information for reconstructing the royal residence Villa Regia,” the museum added.
The artifacts were recovered from the riverbed after spending centuries submerged in the Vistula River. (Muzeum Historii Polski / Maciej Cioch)
“All recovered fragments have been secured and transferred to the collections of the Museum of Polish History, where they will undergo further conservation and research.”
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Krzysztof Niewiadomski, the Museum of Polish History’s deputy director of programs, said that he plans to reconstruct the palace staircase with the artifacts that were retrieved.
Officials said recovered artifacts include an arcade arch fragment weighing more than 440 pounds. (Muzeum Historii Polski / Maciej Cioch)
“With this monumental structure, we will tell the story of the power and wealth of the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and, by referring to the Swedish Deluge, about the crisis of the state,” he noted.
“Acquiring such valuable artifacts would not have been possible without good cooperation with archaeologists, the city of Warsaw and the provincial heritage conservator.”
All recovered fragments are being conserved and researched in Warsaw, the museum said. (Muzeum Historii Polski / Maciej Cioch)
Poland has been the setting of several exciting archaeological discoveries in 2025.
Fox News Digital recently spoke with a hobbyist group in Poland that found ancient treasures while searching for World War II rockets.
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Earlier this summer, archaeologists in Gdańsk uncovered an elite knight’s burial beneath a former ice cream parlor.
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