The area outside the medieval town, with no earlier reports of significant discoveries, initially gave no particular indication that it would yield interesting finds. Archaeological research connected with the expansion of the ibis Styles hotel in Bolesławiec nevertheless revealed part of a former suburb and brought several surprises.
Archaeologist Grzegorz Jaworski spoke about what was found underground during the “Tajemnice spod hotelu” lecture held on 24 October. The meeting also featured a presentation of selected artefacts.
The research was conducted from January to September 2025 in the quarter by Łukasiewicza and Asnyka Streets. The work covered more than 30 ares in total, or over 3,000 square metres. Archaeologists identified the remains of four buildings, cellars, a gate passage and a wall separating former properties.
An ashtray full of coins in a burned house
Most of the finds came from the building designated by researchers with the letter A. The house had residential and utility sections, with cellars beneath part of it. As Jaworski explained, the building burned down in 1945. Traces of exposure to high temperatures on the sandstone steps were among the indications.
Gallery (9)
Show remaining photos (6)
Already in the entrance hall, archaeologists came across an ashtray filled with small coins of the German Empire. According to the researcher, this was not a typical hoard hidden as savings. Someone had probably collected pfennigs withdrawn from circulation, much as people later put no-longer-used small coins into jars. It is not known whether this was done by a child or an adult.
Another find was waiting in one of the cellars. Silver coins were discovered among plaster remains and accumulated material. Jaworski spoke of a collection of 80 coins, including German two- and five-mark coins, among them pieces bearing the image of Paul von Hindenburg. A silver watch was found with them.
It was not possible to establish conclusively how the money had been left in the cellar. It was not in a preserved container. The archaeologist considered, among other possibilities, that it had been stored in the material or in a hiding place from which it later fell out.
The researcher also thanked Radosław Naskręt of ibis Styles, who funded the renovation of both coin collections.
Prehistoric ceramics in rubble from 1945
One of the most surprising discoveries was fragments of Lusatian culture ceramics. They lay in cellar fill beside broken glass, nails and everyday objects from the 20th century.
“I thought I was already imagining things,” Grzegorz Jaworski recalled, describing the moment he identified the prehistoric artefacts.
The ceramics were dated to the period from around 1100 to 550 BCE. The oldest fragments are therefore more than 3,000 years old. Their presence in the ruins of a much younger house does not mean, however, that a Bronze Age settlement was discovered at the site.
According to the interpretation presented during the lecture, the vessels may have been stored in the living quarters and fallen into the cellar when the ceiling collapsed during the fire. The question of how they came to be in the house remains open.
Jaworski pointed to a possible connection with former museum collections. Before the war, archaeological artefacts from the Municipal Museum in Bolesławiec were stored in the nearby school building. As the speaker recounted, Leon Piątkowski later described finding more than 42 kilograms of prehistoric objects in the school attic in 1951; they were transferred to Poznań.
There is no conclusive evidence, however, that the ceramics recovered from the burned house came from those collections. They may also have belonged to a private collection.
Cellars with columns and a coin from 1804
The research also made it possible to reconstruct part of the history of the former Przedmieście Górne development. The uncovered structures were built and expanded in the 19th century. Local sandstone and brick were used primarily for their construction.
A Prussian three-grosz coin from 1804 was found in the vault of one of the cellars. Combined with an analysis of the structures and old maps, it helped identify the oldest part of the development. On an 1813 map presented during the meeting, Jaworski recognized a building corresponding to this part of the remains. The other structures were probably built in subsequent decades of the 19th century.
A nearly square cellar measuring approximately 7.2 by 7 metres was particularly distinctive. Its vaults rested on a massive central column, and the interior was about 2.3–2.4 metres high. In another building, archaeologists discovered the remains of a cellar with columns and half-columns along the walls.
The archaeologist also addressed questions about demolishing the uncovered structures. He explained that the research accompanied the investment and was intended to identify and document the remains before their removal. Photographic documentation, measurements and 3D models were produced during the work, among other things.
Traces of post-war searches
Not all the buildings were destroyed in 1945. According to the account presented, part of the development survived into the post-war period, while some structures were probably demolished only in the 1960s.
In their cellars, archaeologists noticed missing sections of flooring and regular pits. Jaworski interpreted them as traces of earlier searches for hidden objects. He also suspected that some of the surviving clinker tiles may have been taken for reuse.
Much less equipment was found in these structures than in the burned house. What remained consisted mainly of fragments of glass and ceramics, nails and fittings.
Chisels and a clue from old address books
The excavated objects also included Bolesławiec stoneware, bottles, porcelain, cutlery and fragments of tableware that the archaeologist probably associated with military use.
Near one of the walls, a small hollow containing chisels and stone-working tools was found. Jaworski compared this discovery with information from an old German address book. Among the residents of the property was a modeller who worked with wood and made moulds. He may also have worked with stone, although no connection between him and the tools found could be confirmed.
Research in materials made available by the Museum of Ceramics also offered a closer look at former owners and tenants. They included smallholders and craftsmen. Comparing entries in address books, historical maps and excavation results made it possible to reconstruct part of the history of a place whose former buildings have disappeared from the landscape of Bolesławiec.