"The caper kicked off in 2019, when members of the Relicta Foundation-devoted to discovering lost medieval cities-happened to read a 1909 volume documenting towns and villages throughout the county of Kolberg-Körlin, situated in Pomerania between 1872 and 1945, during the reign of the Kingdom of Prussia. That book referenced a "dead" town whose remnants could be found near Sławoborze."
"A squad of metal detectorists returned to sweep the site in 2020-and found 400 archaeological relics dating from the Bronze Age through World War II. "The most valuable artifacts for us were medieval, confirming that the site was in use at the time," Relicta Foundation archaeologist Marcin Krzepkowski told Fox News. These included belt buckles, tools, brooches, coins, and a denarius that once belonged to the 13th century Pomeranian Duke, Barnim II."
"Older artifacts meaningfully outnumbered their modern counterparts, intimating that Stolzenberg had likely fallen by the 16th century. Additional noninvasive explorations carried out throughout 2025 with support from Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage have all but confirmed the hypothesis that these grounds once housed Stolzenberg."
The Relicta Foundation, a Polish organization dedicated to discovering lost medieval cities, identified Stolzenberg near Sławoborze in northwestern Pomerania. The discovery began in 2019 when researchers read a 1909 historical document referencing a dead town in the region. Initial searches near Sławoborze proved unsuccessful, but a search approximately one mile south revealed an 18-foot deep horseshoe-shaped moat with ramparts. Metal detection surveys conducted in 2020 and 2025 uncovered 400 archaeological artifacts spanning from the Bronze Age to World War II, with medieval items predominating. Notable finds include belt buckles, tools, brooches, coins, and a 13th-century denarius belonging to Pomeranian Duke Barnim II. The abundance of older artifacts suggests Stolzenberg declined by the 16th century. Geophysical surveys, drone LiDAR, and deep-core drilling have substantially confirmed the site's identity.
#medieval-archaeology #lost-settlements #pomerania-history #archaeological-discovery #metal-detection-survey
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