The office also contains all kinds of clothing: suits, coats and shirts; skis with poles; a watch; a router; a replica firearm; drills, saws, screwdrivers and grinders; bags and handbags (especially women’s); earrings; backpacks; fishing rods; an air conditioner; a tablet; a navigation device; as well as currency in pounds, crowns and zlotys.

The most productive year for lost property was 2016. Finders brought nearly 80 different items to the office. In 2015, almost 30 items ended up here, while the year before there were 19. Currently, the most recent large lost items are a turquoise-green Cross bicycle with white mudguards but no wheels, found in Lasek Złotoryjski; a pink-and-purple girls’ bicycle; and a blue mountain bike with a backpack.

“We have returned eight items to absent-minded owners, and most recently two lost items found their way back to them,” says office manager Piotr Pawlaczek. “The rule is this: if the owner does not come forward within two years and we cannot find them ourselves, the finder may collect the item and becomes its owner by law. If the finder also does not come forward, ownership passes to the municipality, which may hold an auction of the lost property.

The last major auction took place on September 29, 2015. The storage room was full of all kinds of belongings, often attractive ones. In fact, very few items failed to find buyers. The bidding was fierce.

Many people come to the office hoping to find their lost property. Unfortunately, only a few recognize their own belongings. Recently, two people managed to recover a women’s wallet containing money and a mobile phone.

However, the most spectacular find brought to the office was a considerable sum of money in English pounds, found in 2016 on a Koleje Dolnośląskie train travelling from Legnica to Wrocław. Despite searches and extensive media coverage, no owner has come forward to this day.

The Found Property Office has operated at the City Hall since 2001. It is located on the first floor of the Town Hall, room 119; telephone: 76 72 12 203.