The Villa Regia palace was plundered piecemeal by the invading Swedes in the 17th century, but many of its parts accidentally sank into the Vistula River.
Museum of the History of Poland. Archaeologists on the Vistula River. Although annual excavations at this site have ceased, archaeologists continue to explore the river in search of palace fragments.
According to a statement from the Polish Historical Museum, archaeologists have been working on restoring fragments of the Villa Regia palace since the first fragments were discovered in 2011. Since then, they have extracted approximately 22 tons of material, much of which came in the “excellent” year of 2015. Although regular excavations at the site have ceased, archaeologists continue to scan the river for further remains of the palace.
And this year, when the water level of the Vistula River reached a historic low, they discovered several incredible fragments of the lost Villa Regia.
In particular, archaeologists managed to uncover fragments of the “monumental staircase” of the Villa Regia. They discovered a fragment of an arch weighing 440 pounds, which historians will be able to use in the reconstruction of the palace at the Polish Historical Museum, as well as part of a column, which will provide new insight into the staircase's dimensions.
“The artifacts unearthed today will complement the extensive collection of artifacts from the 17th-century royal residence, Villa Regia, housed at the Polish History Museum,” noted Krzysztof Niewiadomski, Deputy Director for Programming at the Polish History Museum. “Based on these artifacts, we are preparing one of the most impressive installations in the permanent exhibition—a reconstruction of the palace staircase.”
Public domainImage of the Villa Regia in the 17th century, before its plunder by the Swedes.
Retreating from Warsaw in 1656, the Swedes loaded the remains of the Villa Regia onto a barge. However, the barge was overloaded and sank, preserving the stone artifacts at the bottom of the Vistula for centuries.
Now, having recovered 22 tons of material from the palace from the river, the Polish Historical Museum is working on reconstructing part of the Villa Regia.
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