The 14th-Century Castle And Stolen Nazi Treasure
Nowy Sacz Historical and Exploratory AssociationFrom silver cutlery to goblets, 103 objects were unearthed during this archaeological discovery.
The Nazis were no strangers to looting anything of value they could get their hands on. They stole everything from precious art to archaeological artifacts to the possessions of Holocaust victims.
And in 2020, historians discovered a new trove of stolen Nazi silver in the Nowy Sacz Royal Castle in Poland. The haul amounted to 103 silver objects, and included everything from goblets to cutlery.
Unearthed outside the 14th-century castle, the literal treasure chest that contained these silver items was a remarkable find in and of itself. The Nazis had taken hold of the castle in June 1941, and turned the Polish fortress into a barracks and ammunition depot.
Nowy Sacz Historical and Exploratory AssociationThe castle was blown up by Polish soldiers in 1945, leaving behind only the outer wall and a reconstructed keep.
Clearly, there was more hidden in the area than initially met the eye — and it was excavated nearly 80 years to the month of Nazi Germany’s occupation in the area. During that time, the surrounding town of 20,000 Polish Jews was transformed into a ghetto.
The newly found silver items were unearthed by Stanislaw Pustulka of the Nowy Sacz Historical and Exploratory Association. As for where these objects came from, local archaeologist Bartlomiej Urbański believes they were likely produced in Austria or Poland.
“It is Judaica, probably from the turn of the 19th or 20th century, connected to Jewish ritual and was probably buried during World War Two,” he said. And yet, many questions remain. “Is it connected with the buildings that used to be in this part of the city, or was it stolen by the Germans, who were then unable to take it away?”
Nowy Sacz Historical and Exploratory AssociationExperts thought that the items were produced in either Poland or Austria.
In the end, the castle was blown up and demolished by Polish soldiers in 1945. Tragically, all 20,000 Jews forced into the local ghetto had already been sent to the Belzec concentration camp. Today, only the outer walls and a reconstructed keep of the centuries-old fortress remain.
Before these archaeological discoveries, the research team had a rather promising hint that there were artifacts to be found. A few months earlier, archaeologists found 50 dinar coins from the 15th century there — just about 65 feet from the trove of silver.
